ESL = Gang Signs?

[Tama]

You could probably find books to help you learn, cheaper than $500. D:

[XCashier]

And when told he couldn't hear, it became, "why why doesn't he go to a special school?"

"Why don't you?"

(Video NSFW)

And Talasar, nice work learning sign language. Hearing impaired customers do appreciate it when you go the extra mile for them.

I took ASL in college, but barely remember any of it. It would've come in handy today.

[PepperElf]

You could probably find books to help you learn, cheaper than $500. D:

check around your local community. you may find free or low-cost classes being offered by various organizations.


For example, my sister's church offers free beginner's classes (not sure if it's for kids only though). The pastor himself is fluent in ASL and when he arrived many of his previous congregation followed simply because he says the Mass in ASL. So he's very big on encouraging people to learn.

The more advanced classes have a free, but I'm not sure what it is. I just know that my youngest nephew opted to not take the next class because he was already swamped with other activities.

[Pixilated]

You're to be highly commended for taking the trouble to learn sign language on your own time! During my brief time as a cashier I had one hearing-impaired customer come through -- she signalled that she had poor hearing so that even I could figure out what she meant, LOL. I was careful to look at her and enunciate clearly and she must've been an expert lip-reader because we had no problems.

And those are good suggestions about community sign language programs; I'll look into that -- although maybe not while I'm in school fulltime ...

(When I saw your title my first thought was "English as a Second Language"! )

My ASL is really rusty but I can think of one sign I'd give her.

Betcha I can guess which one that is ... and I'll join you.

I commend you for learning how to sign. Did you find a do-it-yourself course? I'd like to learn some, as well as Spanish, but have been tested and found to have no aptitude for foreign language.

That lady's sheer level of stupidity I think puts her in the running for the dumbest customer I've ever read about here!

It does remind me of when I worked at a particular theme park featuring a mouse, we were taught when directing people to point with the whole hand or the first and 2nd fingers, as in some cultures pointing with one finger is considered rude.

Awesome book you might be interested in; 'Gestures - Do's and Taboos of Body Language Around the World.'

I've got a copy of that book and it's excellent. It's also kinda scary how "signs" that mean absolutely nothing in your own community can get your into serious trouble somewhere else!

My sister encountered that while grocery shopping once. Some old bitch went off on a couple of Middle Eastern ladies who were talking to each other in their native tongue. Sis told the old bat off and apologized to the two ladies. This kind of thing is hard for my sister as she is very self-conscious about drawing attention to herself, so I was kinda proud of her.

Congrats to your sister! Unless the old bitch was supposed to be part of their group and they were deliberately excluding her, it's none of her business what language they're using to talk to each other.

[Krysalis]

I know of a deaf kid we're semi-close with. We see him and are friendly with him, however, I haven't had any ASL practice in so long, I'm lucky I remember how to sign letters, and Yes, No, and crazy. Kid loves calling people loco. :P

It still is nice having chats, though, as we've taken to either writing on a notebook, or picking up objects of interest, and connecting them visually. Fun time when he saw me with the DMV's driving handbook, made a big scene out of it, like the entire world was in danger, and then picked up the Motorcycle handbook and pointed to me BF. It was hilarious.

I try to accommodate for him, he seems awfully frustrated that almost no one else can speak with him.

In short, I'd also help with that universal sign! These people are all okay in the head, unlike the SC's and other ignorant Crud Monkeys out there.

[DeltaSierra]

Being deaf myself, I think this is absolutely ridiculous, but there *are* some urban legendes about deaf individuals being shot/hurt because their sign language was mistaken as gang signs.

KUDOS to you for learning sign

[Opalin]

My uncle would probably have started laughing and been unable to stop if she had said that around him. He was a missonary to the ghettos for 4-5 years, so the thought of them doing nothing but that for five minutes...
I got very lucky and my high school offered ASL as one of the languages because our city has a very high Deaf population due to us being an airplane and car building area.

[malmalthekiller]

My ASL is really rusty but I can think of one sign I'd give her.

Haha, I'm right there with you.

I just have no patience for idiots like this. I think I may have just thrown a bucket of cold water on her, and told her to pound sand.

[CorneliaMarieRocks]

Talasar, if it helps... right now I'm imagining Abby from NCIS ripping that SC a new one. In both spoken and sign.

my thoughts exactly PepperElf though I was more imaging Abby AND Gibbs in spoken & sign

[Mytical]

my thoughts exactly PepperElf though I was more imaging Abby AND Gibbs in spoken & sign

Yes, but Gibbs would not be so nice about it. He'd probably just do the universal Gibbs sign language. A slap to the back of the head. So..in other words..I am all for this!

[Jay 2K Winger]

I don't know ASL myself, but reading about ignorant people like this just gets my blood boiling.

All for the NCIS stuff, but part of me wants Gil Grissom from CSI: Vegas to show up and give them a solid dressing down both verbally and in ASL, THEN turn him over to Abby and Gibbs.

[MadMike]

My friend from the roller derby knows sign language, and has a few deaf friends. She brought one of them out to karaoke one night and introduced her to me. We had a nice conversation, although we had to talk through my friend, and when she wasn't around, we had to resort to writing our conversations down.

The really cool thing was when my friend was up singing, her friend got up with her and signed the words on the screen as they were being sung.

[Amina516]

I have to echo what everyone else has said, OP. That is awesome that you took the time to learn signing b/c you wanted to.


Im also all for giving this bat the one finger salute.

[Sapphire Silk]

My ASL is really rusty but I can think of one sign I'd give her.

I'm not sure it's actually an ASL sign, though I'm sure the deaf use it as regularly as we do.

As Brother told me when I tried to learn ASL: F U is universal.

I had a friend in college who tried to teach me sign. I learned finger spelling and a handful of other signs. It's not much, but it's helpful when I get a deaf patient while I wait for the interpreter to come in.

[dragon_wings]

My best friend and I in sixth grade would finger spell to each other across the room in class.
I have at times tried to learn more but does to many reasons haven't yet.
I've had deaf customers over the years and being able to sign 'thank you' is nice.
To put it nicely: ignorant people made me mad.