Deaf Culture Jokes

Question: How do you sign the word 'but' in ASL? I'm taking a Deaf Culture class in my university this semester, its an online class and the instructor showed us a joke that is funny to Deaf people, but doesn't seem to make sense to hearing folk. But to see why it was funny he showed us a picture of the sign for the word 'but in ASL, but it wasn't coming in, on any computer I tried on. It's not necessary for my class, but now I want to know the joke! So if anyone knows a website where I can see a picture of the word 'but' in ASL. And please make sure the website actually has that word, because I haven't been able to find one on all the sites I could find. (also if you know what the sign is and can describe it well enough to make sense, that's fine too I suppose. lol) oh, and here's the joke if you wondered.... The Railroad Crossing A Classic Deaf Joke Note: This is just one variation of the joke but the message is the same. One day there was a Deaf man who was out for a nice Sunday afternoon drive in the countryside. He was enjoying the view when he came upon a railroad crossing. The crossing guard arms were down. The man waited patiently for a train to come by. After a few minutes, nothing happened. He looked up the track both ways and there was no train in sight. He did notice some railroad workers a little ways down the tracks. So the man decided to write a note and go give it to them. When he got to the workers, he pointed to his ears and shook his head to indicate he was deaf. He thrust out the note at the workers and they read it. On the note was written “Please BUT!� The workers looked at each other with a puzzled expression as they couldn’t figure out the note. The note made perfect sense to the Deaf man but not to the hearing workers, why? See below for clue to answer. (which of course didn't work. lol)

Answer: http://www.aslpro.com/cgi-bin/aslpro/aslpro.cgi Here you are a useful dictionary, where there's also the word "but".

Question: Sex War III gets sleazy: Is a ban free speech the solution? Earlier feminists were prone to angry & abusive accusations e.g. “All men are rapists� was used very publicly. Today we are seeing anger from men mirroring the crudest language of feminism e.g. rape ‘jokes’ on Y!A. Men (& women) failed to challenge feminist accusations. Result: a culture that looks on men with hostility & new generation of men who feel cheated. Rather than ignore or block these comments we need to challenge them, not with scorn but with reason. We may not change anyone’s mind – people are entitled to their view – but depriving people of a voice at best gives you an illusion of safety, while the real anger simmers in the background. Radicals on both ‘sides’ are not from another planet but are your neighbours and brothers & sisters. We don’t know why they have such warped views – Andrea Dworkin suffered child sexual abuse – but pretending to be deaf will not make the problem go away. Should we silence abusive men? Should we have silenced abusive feminists?

Answer: None to be silenced; some to be ignored; all to be allowed to speak. That's my position on freedom of speech.

Question: Tell me your opinions on deaf culture....? Now first off I want to make clear that I am not here to offend anyone with this question. That being said, I've got to say that I have more than once experienced some negative feelings from those who are deaf. I am hearing. But I am involved with the deaf world, I have friends who are deaf, I work with them, and I am currently trying my best to learn sign language. I think it is a beautiful language. But more than once I have had the feeling that the deaf purposely leave hearing people out of their culture, and not politely either. Many times they do not make an attempt to include others (hearing people), like not explaining signs or stories or jokes. At work, there are "cliques", and it's usually a deaf clique and a hearing clique; there is like a separation. They sometimes make the "train gone" joke and it hurts feelings and I think it's a little bit mean, especially if they insist that we sign everything we say when they are around, so that they do not feel left out. My question is, do they feel justified to do this to hearing folk sometimes? Is it because they are at a disadvantage, being that the majority of the world is hearing? I guess I can understand that if that is the case. Although being deaf does not affect their ability to extend the common courtesy they expect from everyone else.

Answer: The deaf culture developed in an environment where it was really no fun to be deaf. Deaf people, even today, are treated as though they are ignorant and stupid, and often mentally challenged, but certainly less competent than everyone else on things that have nothing to do with hearing. As you say, you are trying to learn sign language, but you can't communicate fluently yet. Turn the tables and imagine trying to go about your daily life, when you have someone who speaks English at the same level as you sign. Now try to imagine having to translate and explain every thought, every sentence, every joke, every comment that somebody else makes. It's exhausting, and after a while, it becomes so annoying, you don't want to do it at all. Deaf culture is not just hearing culture with ASL replacing spoken language. It is a well developed society with its own customs and rules and practices. Learning ASL will start you on the path to knowing something about deaf culture. You say that they insist you sign everything you say, but you also say you don't sign very well, therefore you really can't be explaining everything you say and do in English. They might be trying to make a point. You want them to explain everything to you, but are you even able to translate everything into ASL for them? Probably not. Your response is typical of any person who is not used to being around other cultures or languages. Yes, it is very frustrating not to be able to understand what is going on, and it's worse to feel like no one even cares whether you are trying to learn or understand or be a part of things, or not. I've lived all over the world, and I've dealt with this over and over again. My experience has taught me that if I want so badly to be involved in another culture (especially one that really has no need for me at all) then it is 100 percent up to me to learn the languages and customs, to be laughed at and made fun of a lot, and to stick it out until I get somewhere. I have never failed to make myself a part of other cultures that way, but it takes determination and an ability to be the butt of a lot of jokes! In the end, I've succeeded. Don't make the mistake of thinking that everything they do or don't do is about you. Do you have any idea how many people take one semester of ASL and then act like they have automatic entry into an entire other world? Deaf people have to put up with so much crap from the hearing world. I have found them to be very cautious, and even suspicious about hearing people, and I can really understand why. So don't give up, don't take it personally, and look at this as a fantastic opportunity to really learn something new and different. If you show that you are not one of these one-semester wonders, and that you are not someone who walks around with a sense of entitlement about what the deaf community should be doing for you, you'll find that bit by bit, you will be accepted. Good luck!