Would you say your argument is “falling on deaf ears” if no one is listening? Or how about asking someone you disagree with: “How can you be so blind?”
Queer Eye star Karamo Brown has sparked a debate about whether these idioms are ableist, asking fans on Twitter their thoughts.
He questioned the use of such phrases after a friend said “falling on deaf ears” in conversation with him. “I told them that I felt that ‘saying’ is inappropriate,” he wrote. “It seems disrespectful and rude to the deaf & HOH [hard of hearing] community. She said I was being over sensitive. Thoughts?”
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[Read More: What it’s like to experience sight loss in your 20s]
Many said they think the phrase is outdated, with some even calling it offensive:
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But others disagreed, saying: ‘It’s just a colloquialism.’
For some, appropriateness is all about the context:
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