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News & ArtsWednesday, March 21, 2012
2012 "Thank You," He Signed
Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 11:03 AM
News of this has been circling the internet for a few days now, but Buzzfeed just ran video:
Here's what the deaf student in the video wrote about his experience on Twitter, according to Buzzfeed:
The moment I will never forget was when he looked at me. He gave me a chance to talk to him. It was like he was waiting for me to say something. I took the moment and signed “I am proud of you,” and his response was “Thank u” in sign language back! Oh my gosh! I was like wow! He understood me after I said I was proud of him. It was so amazing…I was just speechless. Right after he thanked me, he smiled at another deaf lady who signed “I love you.” When I shook his hand it did not feel like he was superior to me. He was just a humble man. I am just impressed by him and know that he will have my vote and he will win second term without a doubt. Yeah, I feel safe to have him for another term.
I can't wait to see how conservatives try to shit all over this video when the rest of the world is busy swooning.
1
Our communist Muslim overlord wants to get rid of English and make us all use SAHN LANGIDGE. Pretty soon it'll be illegal to TALK.
3
"Of course, if deaf people want to be U.S. citizens, of course they'll need to learn to speak English, because there are laws--wait, what?"--Rick Santorum
4
I wouldn't worry about it Fnarf, not with that federal law that states you have to speak english to be a state. Santorum 2012...It's not what's true, but what you FEEL to be true that matters!
5
i think it is totally awesome that he knows how to sign "thank you." but do you all notice that he is just rote saying "thank you, thank you" to everyone he is shaking hands with prior to getting to the guy with the video camera? so he just signs "thank you." it doesn't necessarily mean that he understood that the guy said "i am proud of you"
but it is awesome that he knows how to say thank you. cool.
but it is awesome that he knows how to say thank you. cool.
6
@5 I don't believe Obama can sign fluently. The fact that he took the effort to sign and not at all speak his response, ends up speaking volumes.
It's called being Presidential.
It's called being Presidential.
7
@5, you can actually see him think about how to say thank you in ASL. his eyebrows shoot way up when he is trying to remember something.
8
Somehow I don't think conservatives will get riled up that the President graciously used his sign language skills to respond to a compliment from a deaf person.
9
@4,
Speaking of Santorum's lies, his lie about forced euthanasia in Europe has taken hold in the right wing.
There is no reasoning with those people.
Speaking of Santorum's lies, his lie about forced euthanasia in Europe has taken hold in the right wing.
There is no reasoning with those people.
11
@7:
Unlike any of the GOP candidates who wouldn't have had to think about it for even a second - because in all likelihood none of them would have known even that minimal amount of ASL to begin with.
SHORTER GOP/FAUX NEWS: OBAMA REFUSES TO USE ENGLISH TO TALK TO 'MURKINS!!!
Unlike any of the GOP candidates who wouldn't have had to think about it for even a second - because in all likelihood none of them would have known even that minimal amount of ASL to begin with.
SHORTER GOP/FAUX NEWS: OBAMA REFUSES TO USE ENGLISH TO TALK TO 'MURKINS!!!
12
That's our O-Bam-a! Quite the man. Quite the president. We'd be fools to pick what's-his-name over Barack.
14
Makes me forget Obama is perfectly okay with killing American citizens for "secret" reasons and without a trial.
15
I didn't and won't vote for him, but I can see why a lot of people did and will, for reasons having nothing to do with his policies. He seems to be exceptionally likable interpersonally.
He'd make a great king, in that respect.
He'd make a great king, in that respect.
18
@8: I went back and watched it several times to try to see what you are getting at, to try to identify the one amazing thing about Obama's behavior in that video that would somehow make it the unique exception, and keep his foes from hating on it. You could be still be right, of course, but I can't see it.
20
"Thank you" isn't a very impressive sign to know, but to know sign well enough to know that "thank you" is the appropriate response to what someone has said, that's pretty good.
I had two semesters of community college ASL, and I couldn't understand squat. Eight years later I was diagnosed with a learning disability that significantly impairs my visual-spatial perception. It explained a whole lot.
Michelle does rather well here: bit.ly/GEGPDw but she kinda goofed when she appeared on the cover of Reader's Digest with an unfortunate and awkward hand-folding position that made it look like she was signing the word "vagina."
I had two semesters of community college ASL, and I couldn't understand squat. Eight years later I was diagnosed with a learning disability that significantly impairs my visual-spatial perception. It explained a whole lot.
Michelle does rather well here: bit.ly/GEGPDw but she kinda goofed when she appeared on the cover of Reader's Digest with an unfortunate and awkward hand-folding position that made it look like she was signing the word "vagina."
21
Maybe it was a gang sign, like when that Florida 17 yo was talking on the phone with his girlfriend ...
22
When I was a teen, I had been signing with my friend all morning. I went to cross the road and someone stopped to let me go. I signed "thank you" without thinking. The driver flipped me off.
Not everyone knows thank-you in sign.
Not everyone knows thank-you in sign.
23
Yeah, I doubt Obama understood what the guy signed. And yet, setting aside the time to learn and remember how to sign "thank you" in case there's ever a situation where it would be an appropriate response is an example of a thoughtful, kind gesture that would never occur to any of the current, cretinous GOP candidates.
28
I'm always snarky on here, but this makes me too mushy. I've sent this to my deaf and republican sister. Why would anyone vote for a party that would just love to put the ADA act through the shredder?
29
I love that he could come up w/thank you so quickly - most people who know only a few signs would have had to search much more slowly to find it in their brains! One of the benefits of being smart!
The part I love (just like the part I loved most about him singing w/BB King) is the big huge smile on his face when the Deaf guy clearly when nuts w/happiness!!!
The part I love (just like the part I loved most about him singing w/BB King) is the big huge smile on his face when the Deaf guy clearly when nuts w/happiness!!!
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