Would you rather have no hearing or no legs?

[Gaith]

A straightforward hypothetical question. Please, no cheating (the eventual prospect of stem cell-repaired hearing/brain-controlled robotic legs); the hypothetical choice is permanent and unalterable. And yes, your private parts are unaffected if you choose to lose the legs.

Myself, I'd keep the hearing, no question. Not having legs would suck, but not hearing English, laughter, music? No way.

And you?

 

[M'Sharak]

...but not hearing English...

You'd be able to hear other languages, though?

 

[Kestra]

Eh, kind of a tasteless question. I know people think of these things from time to time, but it kind of makes light of these disabilities.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I would rather have no hearing. I could still communicate by writing things down and I would not really lose any of my independence.

 

[Jetfire]

I have seen people who cannot walk...in fact saw a guy in a wheelchair today at the grocery store and he seems to be doing just fine...I also knew a kid in HS who didn't have legs below his knees and he did just fine...I am not saying it was a picnic but they were able to deal with not being able to walk...I have also known deaf people and they also do just fine...again I am not saying it is easy for them...but they adapt and are happier than I am...but if I had to choose...I could do without the legs...I have been more use to listening to music and all and value that sense...I am currently not active enough to miss walking...even though I am sure I would...but hearing is of most value to me. I hope all this came out right.

 

[Gaith]

Eh, kind of a tasteless question. I know people think of these things from time to time, but it kind of makes light of these disabilities.

You're right. Mods, please move to TNZ. Apologies if anyone was/is hurt by this.

 

[Jetfire]

I don't think that is gonna happen. Nor should it...this is fine in Misc.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I believe the adjustment of having no hearing would be a far greater learning curve for me. My family would also all have to adjust. To have every communication more labor intensive would be stressful and depressing. I would feel very cut off for a long time I think. It would also be harder to communicate with new people and I would probably find making friends quite difficult.

If I lost my legs I'd have to move since I live on top of a hill. I would just get the best wheelchair available and kit out my new house for having a disability. I would suffer from self image problems for sure and probably be in a big hurry to get prosthetics so I felt less like someone with such huge body parts missing. I can imagine feeling almost neutered and I would worry about how my husband would now perceive me, an issue I would not have if I was deaf. I would work hard to overcome the physical limitations and cultivate a positive yet no doubt sarcastic attitude.

I think the work necessary to make my life functional and happy with no legs would be more interesting to me than that needed for being deaf.

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

Neither is a pleasant thought, but out of the two, it would rather lose my legs.

 

[Itisnotlogical]

I would take no hearing. There are many people who shoot my blood pressure right up simply because I hear their voice and think "Oh God, here we go again..." I would much rather keep my legs and have that range of activities available for me.

 

[auntiehill]

To be honest, both would suck big time.Being wheelchair bound would be awful. I'm very independent. I like to go where I want to go, when I want to go there, and if I were wheelchair bound, I'd have to move into another house (ours has stairs) and probably wouldn't be able to drive (until I got prosthetic legs and/or a specially adapted car).

But, if I lost my hearing, I would lose my job, as my job is done over the phone while working on the internet. My work would fire me if I couldn't speak to my staff over the phone. If I totally lost my hearing (as in even hearing aids wouldn't help), I wouldn't be able to enjoy the things I love most:going to the movies, music, playing board games with friends, etc. I know some ASL, but hubby doesn't know any, and I doubt he'd be able to learn. I'm pretty much a couch/mouse potato anyway, so maybe losing my ability to walk wouldn't be as bad for me in the long run.

I'd be mightily pissed off either way, though.

 

[BlobVanDam]

I could manage without legs. It would be a pain for things like going to the toilet, going up and down stairs, but overall it wouldn't stop me doing anything I like to do at all, and wouldn't be a major lifestyle change for me.

But I couldn't live without hearing. Music, talking, television, movies, writing music, playing music. Nope, too important.

Easy choice. Didn't even have to think twice about it.

 

[RJDiogenes]

This doesn't need to go to TNZ. It's grim, but thought provoking.

If I did have to choose, I'd lose the legs. It would be difficult in terms of independence, and it would certainly make roaming the woods something of a challenge, but to live without music, the soundtracks to shows and movies and old radio shows, and so on would be monumentally depressing.

 

[Roger Wilco]

I would rather give up hearing for sure, and it's not even close. I could learn reading lips and sign language or communicate in written language, and subtitles are readily available for practically all tv shows and movies but losing my legs would terrifying.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I would rather give up hearing for sure, and it's not even close. I could learn reading lips and sign language or communicate in written language, and subtitles are readily available for practically all tv shows and movies but losing my legs would terrifying.

I agree. I already use subtitles because I am slightly hard of hearing. However I can't drive and have no desire to learn so getting around without legs would be real difficult for me.

I could live without music. I don't listen to music all that much.

 

[Gaith]

...but not hearing English...

You'd be able to hear other languages, though?

As wonderful as other languages are, I could live without being able to hear them, especially if the alternative was to lose my legs. The language of Shakespeare, Milton and Sorkin, however, I could hardly bear to be without it.

 

[Pingfah]

Can I please keep one of each? I'll have the hearing in my right ear, and my left leg, since the right one is a bit damaged anyway.

 

[Myasishchev]

A straightforward hypothetical question. Please, no cheating (the eventual prospect of stem cell-repaired hearing/brain-controlled robotic legs); the hypothetical choice is permanent and unalterable. And yes, your private parts are unaffected if you choose to lose the legs.

Myself, I'd keep the hearing, no question. Not having legs would suck, but not hearing English, laughter, music? No way.

And you?

No hearing, easy. Loss of my legs would cripple me, loss of my hearing would just slow me down. Though ironically, I think I'd be able to get a disability check more easily from loss of hearing.

I suppose eventually learning sign language (or lip reading) would be a bitch, but, in the interim, I can still write things down. I find it likely that I could still communicate outwardly, verbally, in a limited way, since I've been speaking for twenty-seven or so years, and would not face the challenges of the congenitally deaf.

On the other hand, music would be a loss. I wonder, how long would I remember the joyous refrain of of Baltimora's "Tarzan Boy"?

Quick question: are my legs physically removed, or do I simply no longer have control over them? I don't think it would make a difference, but it would introduce special considerations. In the former case, you have to weigh a very obvious physical problem versus a concealable one, but in the latter case it's hard to imagine it not, realistically, affecting more than pure ambulatory function.

 

[Mary Ann]

My first instinct is to keep my hearing as I love music, but the loss of my legs would be more of an issue for me. Our house is older and couldn't be adapted, and the town where I live is basically a hill with many narrow, winding Medieval and Tudor lanes. Getting around in a wheelchair would be a nightmare, especially as my husband doesn't drive. No way would I want to uproot my family, especially the kids, so I'd go for loss of hearing in order to keep my mobility.

 

[LitmusDragon]

I barely use my legs as it is.