I am nearly totally deaf. I know the feeling, though I never have been assaulted with a crowbar. Some people get upset when you don’t speak to them. I just turn my head and point to my hearing aid when they get a little look on their faces................
I have the double whammy. I'm deaf on one side, nearly deaf on the other, and was born with a face that appears to be always looking for a fight.
I will turn in a crowd to find someone giving me "the look" for not responding to them (I know it well by now) and try my best to look mentally challenged so they aren't tempted to take a swing.