3 Year-Old Deaf Boy Forced to Sign Name Differently

[Solid Lifters]

http://m.now.msn.com/school-says-deaf-boys-name-sign-looks-too-much-like-a-gun

Brace yourselves, because this is the dumbest thing you'll hear all day. The Grand Island (Neb.) school district is forcing a 3-year-old deaf boy to change the way he signs his name, because they say his gestures violate their weapons policy. Preschooler Hunter Spanjer's personalized name sign is a registered sign with Signing Exact English -- a modified form of American Sign Language -- and involves extended index fingers that the district says resembles a gun. (And that sound you just heard was our heads exploding from all the stupid.) "We are working with the parents to come to the best solution we can for the child," a school spokesperson said. Um, how about letting him keep his own name?

Seriously, the anti-gunners running our schools have got to be stopped! This is just insane. Despicable people.

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

My reaction..:

 

[Liquid]

I wouldn't call it 'despicable', but I would call it hella, hella stupid.

 

[niky]

1. He's just three. If you're going to change it, it's early enough that it won't be difficult.

2. They're changing the name sign, not his name. That's like changing the kid's nickname.

3. The way people sign their name stays with them their entire life. If a deaf boy is trying to communicate in public and his name sign is "gun... bang bang", then that could cause even bigger problems down the line.

-

The funny thing is the sign for "G" in Ameslan is... a gun. Which kind of explains it all.

 

[lintels123]

One word... absurd. Oh the things they do to make everyones lives just that much more rediculous.

 

[Carbonox]

Soon they'll ban the name Hunter completely, because you know, it sounds so VIOLENT.

 

[Dean]

I'm almost certain they're talking about something like the letter H;

.

Small children could see that as the sign for a gun, I guess.

Edit:
This could be the correct explanation, as it, apparently is from this exact story:

 

[Liquid]

BSL H is different.

 

[Grayfox]

Get rid of regional sign langauge and just use one all people can understand so if you go on a holiday you can use sign language and be understood.

 

[Dean]

There's actually already an [wikipedia]International Sign Language[/wikipedia] 👍. I'm not really sure how many "speakers" (or users) it have, to be honest.

 

[BobK]

If I were the father of that kid I'd be extending my middle finger to those idiots. See how they like that sign.

 

[R5]

I'm just gonna sit here and wonder why society hasn't been put into a car crusher by the smarter monkeys yet...

 

[ZohsixGT5]

This makes me sick. I can't imagine being able to control my anger if I was the parent.

 

[Famine]

Kid's at least four by now...

28th August 2012

 

[niky]

Linkdig?

I'm almost certain they're talking about something like the letter H;

.

Small children could see that as the sign for a gun, I guess.

Edit:
This could be the correct explanation, as it, apparently is from this exact story:

Ah. Interesting. Not quite as compelling as having his symbol be "H" pointed at someone else's head... ...Over-reacting, definitely.

 

[Zenith]

For the sake of conversation let's imagine his name actually looks like a gun and could be pointed at somebody. Should it be changed then? It seems like changing style in which he communicates because other people choose to find it offensive is silly.

 

[R5]

For the sake of conversation let's imagine his name actually looks like a gun and could be pointed at somebody. Should it be changed then? It seems like changing style in which he communicates because other people choose to find it offensive is silly.

This is pretty much my reaction.

 

[Slash]

What the hell is wrong with this country.

 

[TB]

The kids' name is Hunter. Of course he has a gun-shaped symbol in his name.

The overreacting to things like this is absolutely stupid. Maybe we should ban names like Hunter, Colton and Gunner while we're at it.

 

[Zenith]

The kids' name is Hunter. Of course he has a gun-shaped symbol in his name.

The overreacting to things like this is absolutely stupid. Maybe we should ban names like Hunter, Colton and Gunner while we're at it.

Bro, all rights have limits. You can't yell "fire" in a crowded theater.

 

[Slash]

Bro, all rights have limits. You can't yell "fire" in a crowded theater.

Well you could, but there would be consequences.

 

[Zenith]

Well you could, but there would be consequences.

That comment was facetious. It is illegal to yell "fire" in a crowded movie theater. People use it as an example to justify how their ideas of how your rights should be limited in idiotic ways is the way things should be.

 

[Slash]

That comment was facetious. It is illegal to yell "fire" in a crowded movie theater. People use it as an example to justify how their ideas of how your rights should be limited in idiotic ways is the way things should be.

It's illegal? I actually didn't know that. I thought it was just frowned upon because it's stupid to do. Thanks for the insight. Learn something new everyday.

 

[Carbonox]

The kids' name is Hunter. Of course he has a gun-shaped symbol in his name.

The overreacting to things like this is absolutely stupid. Maybe we should ban names like Hunter, Colton and Gunner while we're at it.

Let's not forget the violent surnames like Springfield and Thompson...

I mean geez, some people in America just can't get enough of anti-gun mongering, can they?

 

[Zenith]

Let's not forget the violent surnames like Springfield and Thompson...

I mean geez, some people in America just can't get enough of anti-gun mongering, can they?

Never met a single human named "Springfield"

 

[Carbonox]

Never met a single human named "Springfield"

Well, the founder of Simpsons' Springfield had that name.

 

[Wolfe]

Bro, all rights have limits. You can't yell "fire" in a crowded theater.

But you can sign "fire" in a crowded theater. Others would just tell you to sit down and stop waving your arms.

 

[Zenith]

Brilliant. The obvious course of action is to ban the word "Hunter" but not the sign language version.

 

[Dean]

But you can sign "fire" in a crowded theater. Others would just tell you to sit down and stop waving your arms.

It's really a shame, there's so few people who understand a sign language.

Here's the word "fire" (flames) in ASL, if anyone needs - or wants - to use it:

Or simpler:

👍.

 

[Joel]

I always thought it was "how much did those breast implants cost you"?