Deaf Awareness

[JamesC]

We have people signing to Xmas Carols here at work as I type.
I hope they're legit or I'll have to kick them out!

[Mabs]

yeah I heard that on the radio this morning - apparently he was just making up signs and gestures

That is absolutely disgraceful. An insult to all Deaf people. 

[Steve Green]

It's unbelievable that they did it in the first place and thought no-one would notice.

[Goaty]

yeah I heard that on the radio this morning - apparently he was just making up signs and gestures

That is absolutely disgraceful. An insult to all Deaf people. 

So right! It's on national news and newspapers

[paulcrilley]

It's all over the news here in South Africa. Everyone trying to find out who he is and what the hell they were thinking.

I mean... seriously. How did he honestly think he would get away with it? It boggles the mind.

[paulcrilley]

You can't make stuff up. Guy caught out, now says he's schizophrenic and that he lost concentration, "started hearing voices" and hallucinating while signing at the memorial. Even though there is footage of him doing same thing at other events.

And what kind of security risk was this guy? If he could get within three feet of people like Obama and he's obviously a fake?

[Tiplodocus]

And I am very annoying!

Don't be so harsh on yourself. Persistent? Tenacious? Indefatigable? Yes. But annoying? No.

[Dunk!]

It's a fuckin' disgrace what happened, but the excuses that the guy comes up with are a kind of surreal magic.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25345627

[Jo-L]

I mean... seriously. How did he honestly think he would get away with it? It boggles the mind.

He DID get away with it... mission accomplished, he made a mockery of the president's speech.  It was incredibly disrespectful to do it at the memorial for a national hero, but man that dude has some balls to pull that off.

[Goaty]

And I am very annoying!

Don't be so harsh on yourself. Persistent? Tenacious? Indefatigable? Yes. But annoying? No.

Yes as many Deaf South Africans there but don't understand the Cowboy Interpreter. Imagine if you there, but audio off, how you would understand the speeches? And it common of many cowboy interpreters in UK

[Tiplodocus]

Sorry Goaty - I was trying to make a joke about the fact you had typed ANNOYING rather than ANNOYED in your original post. 

Yes, it would be horrible and insulting to have a Cowboy Interpreter taking the piss in such a way, I didn't mean to imply otherwsie.

[Goaty]

Ahh! Annoyed! thanks! Sorry about my weak grammar!

[Theblazeuk]

He hallucinated and "saw angels coming in to the stadium".

Sometimes (well very often actually) I am happy for my nominally secular, rationalist upbringing and the wider society of mostly-scepticism that I belong to which supports my opinion that such excuses are frankly, bollocks.

[Teivion]

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/12/12/schizophrenic-with-a-violent-past-skipped-mental-health-check-on-day-he-signed-for-obama-at-memorial/

[CheechFU]

The wu-tang secret is american sign language
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN-zwLbVmLI