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| -Short Attention Span Theater- | |
| Deaf signs ruled offensive | |
| 2004-03-24 | |
| Political correctness has caught up with sign language for deaf people. Gestures used to depict ethnic and religious minorities and homosexuals are being dropped because they are now deemed offensive. The abandoned signs include "Jewish", in which a hand mimes a hooked nose; the sign for "gay", a flick of a limp wrist; and "Chinese", in which the index fingertips pull the eyes into a slant. Another dropped sign is that for "Indian", which is a finger pointing to an imaginary spot in the middle of a forehead. The signs have been declared off-limits by the makers of Vee-TV, Britain’s Channel 4 program for deaf people, for fear of being accused of racism and homophobia. Critics labelled the move as silly, saying that the producers were interfering with "deaf culture". Polly Smith, the acting chairperson of the British Council for Disabled People, said the changes were a form of discrimination. "The program makers at Channel 4 are interfering with deaf people’s language, culture and view of society, and that is a form of discrimination," she said. However, Ms O’Neill defended the move. She said that the program, launching its fourth series today, used modern alternative signs that were not offensive. "Before, [the sign for Jewish] was connected to a stereotypical Jewish nose, but now it’s a hand sign that mimics the shape of the menorah [a ceremonial candlestick used in Judaism]," she said. The sign for "Indian" is now a mime of the triangular shape of the subcontinent; "Chinese" is the right hand travelling from the signer’s heart across his chest horizontally, then down towards his hip, mimicking the tunic worn in China; and the sign for "gay" is an upright thumb on one hand in the palm of the other, wobbling from side to side. Other signs that have been accused of being politically incorrect - such as the sign for German, which is a fist held to the forehead with a finger pointing straight up, mimicking the shape of a Prussian spiked helmet - are widely used. The sign for disabled, in which a finger on each hand depicts a limping movement, is used by some deaf people. Specialists in sign language have also pointed out that in China, the sign for a Westerner is a hand depicting a round eye, which has not sparked any criticism from deaf people in Britain.
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| Posted by:Paul Moloney |
| #10 Does Ludicrus know about these signs? He is running out of ways to express himself offensively. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-03-24 11:16:25 PM |
| #9 . (The sign for "America" is the hands placed together with fingers interlaced and pointing outward, then moving around in a circle; this is supposed to represent traditional frontier-style fences.) Damn! Way cool! That is America! MARS BELONGS TO AMERICA, OPEN IT FOR HOMESTEADING. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-03-24 7:16:58 PM |
| #8 This is _British_ sign language that the article is talking about, mind you. The sign for "German" or "Germany" in American Sign Language (and this sign has been in use for ever since I've known any ASL) could hardly be considered offensive by anyone; it's the hands placed together, backs facing out, and the fingers wiggling, to represent the wings of the German eagle. (The sign for "America" is the hands placed together with fingers interlaced and pointing outward, then moving around in a circle; this is supposed to represent traditional frontier-style fences.) |
| Posted by: Joe 2004-03-24 6:09:01 PM |
| #7 Color me naive, but this is all news to me. I'd probably laugh my ass off if I saw these little pictographs, or whatever they're called. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-03-24 2:08:15 PM |
| #6 The only word i know in sign-laguage is blowjob, and the last deaf person I signed it to laughed her a** of ( wich realy was to bad, it was a good-looking female ) |
| Posted by: Evert Visser in NL 2004-3-24 12:06:22 PM |
| #5 Shipman <------------ Points to nose. Shipman <------------ Points to leg. Shipman <------------ Moves one leg up slightly. Shipman <------------ Points to picture of P.T. Barnum |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-3-24 9:58:35 AM |
| #4 We sometimes have a Signlanguage interpreter at my Synagogue. I cant believe she would have ever used the "hooknose" sign for Jew. Theres an active Jewish hearing impaired community IIUC. Why shouldnt sign language evolve like any other language? |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-3-24 9:51:28 AM |
| #3 I don't have a problem with this move. The gestures seem a bit offensive to me. So why not create more polites one and leave the old ones to represent the term being used as a slur? Language evolves....as I see this, they are just adding a few, more refined words to the dictionary. |
| Posted by: B 2004-3-24 8:22:17 AM |
| #2 So I guess the sign for bullshit has yet to be reviewed? Approximately, it is both arms across your chest, one above the other, and using the index and middle fingers of the lower hand wave downward. Maybe you make horns with the same fingers of upper hand - I can't remember. Try it and you'll get it. Can't find a graphic for it anymore, sorry! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-3-24 7:24:10 AM |
| #1 [Off-topic or abusive comments deleted] |
| Posted by: TROLL 2004-3-24 6:52:53 AM |