Dumbness

What ever happened to dumbness as a category? It used to go, deaf -- blind -- dumb. Those were the three communications deficits people had. I think I have read several fairy tales involving three characters with these defects, respectively. I forget how the stories came out, but I am pretty sure that the hero consistently got the girl (the youngest of a prime number of daughters).

Is anybody dumb anymore? I have never met anybody who was largely normal, and could hear, but was unable to say a word. Which is not to say that I would have, if dumb people existed. I don't know any deaf or blind people, either. Are there any case studies of a mute person, who is otherwise normal?

If so, I want to be that person's friend. I bet he's a lot of fun to be around. I bet he has great handwriting. He has great mastery of facial expressions and body language. In short, he is the perfect person, and I can't understand why he hasn't already had an article dedicated to him in the New York Times Magazine (which just ran an article on thalidomide baby opera singers. Now that's lame).

You know what I think? I don't think dumb people ever existed. I think they were probably just autistic people all along. Autistic people are like the textbook definition of no fun. I'm not sure I want to read any fairy tales about them.