In our Catholic Faith, we have always understood the power of language. Jesus said (Matthew 5:33-37) that the words we use and promises we make are powerful. St. James in his important Letter (Epistle) of St. James reminds us (chapter 3) of the responsibility every person has to use words and language responsibly. Technology has given us all many benefits. In a special way, deaf people have enjoyed a huge increase in the ability to communicate just in the last 40 years. In the 1970s, deaf people began to use the TTY (often a converted teletype machine) to reach others. Since that time, we have seen the modern TTYs, the fax machine, then email, "sidekicks", phone relay, video-relay, VP. The popular "Deaf Expos" are largely show places for the newest communciation technology. FACEBOOK and other "social media" are hugely popular, and powerful(just look at how the social media is being used in Tunisia, Egypt, etc.). However, with this increase in the ability to communicate, there should be also an increase in WISDOM. Because communication technology makes any message INSTANT & ACCESSIBLE to anyone, WHAT we communicate is as important as HOW we communicate.

Unfortunately, in our own deaf/hard of hearing community, many people are using technology in mean, hurtful, and bullying ways. People send out messages about other people without checking facts. Then, when the truth comes out later, the person says, "oh, I'm sorry. I did not know." Why not wait to find out the truth? (Too many people beleive ANYTHING they get in electronic media. Many of the messages are false, scams, total lies.) Some people use the technology to spread lies, things they know are not true to get even with someone, to hurt them because that person did something bad to the first person years ago. People are bullying other persons through the technology, getting other people to say hurtful things against someone who often is innocent. Recently, several deaf people told me how sad they were. Why? Because their "friends" had "un-friended" them (deleted them) from their FaceBook accounts. They blamed the innocent person for things that never happened. My response: "someone who unfriends you was never truly your friend to begin with!"
FOUR THOUGHTS:
a) If you are someone who thinks it is "fun" to spread gossip, lies on the internet, to cause other people pain, remember: in the end, people will realize who you are, and no one - NO ONE -will want to be your "friend".
b) More and more people are now saving bullying, threatening messages. I expect that soon we will begin to see people in our community suing one another over these texts, messages, etc.
c) In our deaf community, we ought to be supporting and encourgaing one another, NOT tearing down each others reputations.
d) Jesus has taught us to forgive, AND to ask forgiveness of others. "Forgive us our trespasses - sins - as we forgive those who trespass against us.."(Our Father) If we have hurt others - family, friends,co-workers - by the language, signs, words, technology we have used, ask those people for forgiveness. And if someone asks us for forgiveness, then we are to forgive them. Why? Because God the Father has forgiven us. How? By the death of Jesus on the Cross! If we forgive others, even those who do not seem sorry for hurting us, then we will always remain God's "friends." God will never "Un-Friend" us!