Silly Hearing People
November 22, 2006
Did you read about the guy in New York that had his gym membership revoked for “grunting” during his workout? Yep. Sounds farfetched, but it actually happened at the Planet Fitness Gym in Dutches County. See the related news story in the previous entry.
When I first heard about this story, I had a good chuckle. Silly Hearing People!
If they’re so bothered by grunting, why don’t they use ear plugs?
I couldn’t help wondering if any deaf people frequent this gym or others like it. And if they do, are they exempt from ridiculous rules like these?
I also began to wonder… do I grunt?
During an especially arduous workout, could those deep breaths I take be construed as “grunting”?
As a deaf man, I rarely give much thought to the kinds of sounds I make. I’ve been told that I sometimes make vocal sounds when I’m excited. This always surprises me as it’s not conscious.
If I were a member of this gym and I do in fact “grunt”, should I be expelled for doing something that I can’t hear myself do?
Entry Filed under: Deaf, Deaf Community, News, Weird Stuff. .
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1.
Gomez | November 22, 2006 at 10:49 am
Bro this is hilarious! The guy should sue on the basis of freedom of expression! What a riot.
2.
joseph rainmound | November 22, 2006 at 11:46 am
I’m of two minds about this. On the one hand, what would we do if hearing people came into our gyms with flashing lights, thereby irritating us, and when we asked them to leave claimed freedom of expression?
On the other hand, if a blind person came in with the flashing lights, would we feel the same way?
I guess it depends on if we’re “disabled” or “culturally Deaf.”
I had an ex who complained about the way I walked in the morning and the way I sneezed. I was continually furious when the issue came up because I had no way of managing it. Going to work in the morning my hair was wet – no hearing aid – how to hear my own footsteps? Eventually I got sick of pussyfooting around and we broke up.
One thing though – gyms usually play loud workout music (at NYSC definitely.) The deaf person must have been REALLY grunting loudly for people to notice, not a quiet groomph. To be louder than the music playing it would have to be at the level of a scream or shout.
3.
DT | November 22, 2006 at 1:09 pm
I agree that dismissing someone from a private club for grunting is a little silly. On the other hand to claim freedom of expression is equally silly as I’m sure that the grunting is not a desirous activity; the person did not know he was doing this. The club management could have taken this deaf person aside and explained the situation to him so that he’d become conscious of the sensibilities of other people and that would have been the end of it.
4.
Anonymous | November 22, 2006 at 2:32 pm
One wonders what they do when people fart while doing squats, excuse me, “grunt.”
5.
J4Me | November 22, 2006 at 10:49 pm
I love your blog, Chris! You always make me think about things that I probably would overlook.
I guess if I were the owner of the gym, I wouldn’t make anything exempt to deaf. I’d make them follow the same rules. They can ask hearing people if they are grunting and learn to figure out what that means and how to stop. I’m sure some will disagree but that’s my thoughts on this.
6.
Bison Hunter | January 5, 2007 at 5:51 pm
This is very funny. I’m LMAO.
7.
BuddyL | January 12, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Uh? Sorry, but nowhere in that article did I see it said the guy was deaf -let alone Deaf. He was a corrections officer. We Deafies don’t do silly things like that! -DO we? My ex-wife once woke me from sound sleep because I shook the bed when I signed in my sleep!
A private club can set their own rules, no matter how silly, and sorry, but “freedom of expression” only applies in a public place, not inside a private club. If somebody come in our Deaf clubhouse and starts telling hearie “deaf and dumb” jokes, we’re within our rights to kick him/her out, fast.
8.
Idetrorce | December 15, 2007 at 8:12 am
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce
9.
knokoutboy | July 17, 2008 at 9:48 am
If you want to know the truth of planet fitness read my blog. I worked their long enough to see what a horrible place it was.
10.
knokoutboy | July 17, 2008 at 9:49 am
my blog is knokoutboy.wordpress.com