In “Loud as a Whisper”, Riker is particularly baffled when Riva appears on the ship. He is noticeably uncomfortable when informed that Riva is deaf and constantly peers at him with suspicion. He grumbles to Picard that “Riva is not what I was expecting.” What gives him the right to make such a prejudiced remark? On another note, it reminds me of “The Neutral Zone” when Riker consistently acts as though the unfrozen humans from the past are subhuman vermin and of no interest at all to his present time. So much for the enlightened future!
"Loud as a Whisper"...since when is admitting that something or someone is different to ones expectations "abeist" or "prejudiced"? "The Neutral Zone"... He had more pressing matters on his hands at that time and there was more qualified personal available to tend to the "unfrozen" (Deanna, Crusher..and their staff)
In what way do you believe that Riva was different to Riker’s expectations? His hair color, perhaps? His star sign? What Riker means is “I was not expecting him to be deaf.” That is a prejudiced comment in a professional environment, much like “I was not expecting him to be black” or “I was not expecting him to be gay.”
His beard. Riker's beard was still quite new at this point, and he was taken aback at Riva's more impressive one.
A valid point that I hadn't considered. Not to mention that given Riva was almost immediately trying to bed Troi, Riker's misgivings were perhaps understandable.
Riva wasn't just deaf. He had his companions who each spoke for him in terms of his different emotions. A unique kind of situation I am guessing that you just don't see much even when it comes to people who are deaf especially since being deaf is also something I am guessing you don't see much in the future because you have access to tech and medical care that would make such issues less common in the 24th century. Jason
Picard was also rather taken aback at first, when meeting Riva and his chorus. So 24th-century humans apparently are not accustomed to individuals with deafness anymore. I think TNG's take is that among humans, such conditions would or should be medically treated and compensated for. Geordi has his visor, for instance (incidentally, or perhaps not so incidentally, in this same episode, he was given the option of getting rid of the visor and having his optic nerve repaired and replicated eyes implanted). However, the Deaf community today has a strong shared culture and identity, and many do not consider deafness to be a condition that needs to be cured. How will this develop in the face of advanced medical technology that can give hearing to anyone? But I think Riker's line of Riva not being what he expected had more to do with Riva's blatant attention to Troi. Kor
Are we judging by 2020 standards or 1988 standards? Plus in 2365 there’s probably adaptations available for people born deaf just like there are for Geordi, so he may just be surprised somebody hasn’t taken advantage.
Don't underestimate the unique nature of his chorus. It's basically a "Herman's Head" situation were each person sort of represents a different emotion he has. I am sure that is something rare even for deaf people in the 24th century to have. You would basically have to be a telepath for it to happen and then maybe it only happens on the world RIvas is from and not common across the galaxy. Jason
Well, there seems to be much more prejudice and intolerance nowadays, so Riker should feel more at home. Perhaps a linear trend will culminate in a 2360s where people who no longer enslave animals for food (but fish wild ones) are entitled to gunning down those who think differently? Basically, he's thinking "Disgusting, why has that clown never taken a bath? Has he not heard of soap?", then... Timo Saloniemi
LaaW may have been a possible in the development that became "Herman's Head" for sure. Really great show, HH was. Especially the first season. It also reminds me of an image I whipped up some time ago:
1988's. If Riker is the "everyday person" trope... a first officer in Starfleet, it would be - to say the least - unprofessional. But then there'd be no drama as well no show for the viewers to learn something new and different and TNG was trying not to be a retread, and succeeding. Mediators would be well versed in many languages - spoken and sign. The twist is that this mediator has to use sign, which the warring factions have to learn and use at the same time. It's been a while since I'd seen this one but was pretty much impressed by what it was trying to do, especially as the Chrous member "Libido" wasn't given prominence. Thankfully this was not made during early season one...
What are you talking about? You sound like you're referring to some concept that exists in your personal headspace while assuming that everybody else has the same context. It's not prejudiced to be surprised by something you don't commonly see or admit you're surprised. Maybe in 2365 we have evolved beyond the need for political correctness and have become understanding enough that we can accept that a person can be surprised about something they aren't accustomed to without jumping to the conclusion of intolerance or hatred.
Riker was absolutely ableist in that episode. I hope not That’s ableist. You clearly don’t understand the point of political correctness if you think one would “evolve” beyond it....
Yeah, I'll echo what others have said, it always seemed to me that he wasn't wholly sure about the chorus. Similar reactions to the Bynars in 11001001.
One, his remark was not prejudiced. Two, have you ever watched TNG? Their air of "We are better/know better/pahhhss the tea, please" not only ran throughout the series, but characters generally treated or viewed anyone from earlier eras as damn-near dull knuckle-draggers, which was also sprinkled in certain references to the TOS era. Enlightenment (or whatever they were on TNG) does not mean one is divorced from natural human reactions or expectations not based on lies, propaganda or general hatred.