Forehead Peace Sign going Viral

[Calvin]

Just don't do it. It will make yourself look stupid as it says in ASL.

Forehead Peace Sign is new to the viral scene, but it is stirring up a lot of controversy between two communities none the less.

On Instagram there are a group of people taking selfies of themselves, or of their friends, with the peace sign (the one you make with your fingers) held up to their foreheads. This is causing a lot of commotion in the Deaf community. However, before I touch on that subject, I just want to ask one question. Why are people putting the peace sign on their forehead? What sense does that make? I would understand putting it over lets say, your heart, but what on earth does it mean by putting it on your face? Okay, so more than one question.

With that small rant complete, lets get to the meat in this article.

This is causing a ton of frustration in the Deaf community because this symbol is actually a sign in American Sign Language. Those of you who have taken even a basic ASL (American Sign Language) class, or even know someone who is deaf, will know very well that by putting the peace sign on your forehead it means “stupid”. So essentially, the people in the pictures are either A) calling themselves stupid or B) calling you and I stupid. I’m not going to go as far as to say that choice ‘A’ is correct, because I know that most people have no clue that it is actually a sign that has a meaning, but I will say that once the Instagrammers found out (and believe me, those in the Deaf community, and hearing, have made them fully aware) they should probably change the location of the peace sign, that way they don’t look so silly.

The people in the Deaf community have come a long way fighting for equality and fighting against discrimination. They faced many, many challenges over the years trying to be heard, but us hearing people always thought of them as “deaf and dumb”. In recent days, things have gotten better, but there is still a long way to go to wipe out Audism all together (audism is the term used to describe discrimination against those who are deaf/hard of hearing).

The reactions from the Deaf community have been mixed. Some are laughing as sort of an inside joke that only they, and those who know sign, are privy too, and others are a little appalled and don’t want to see it. The Deaf community are an extremely proud group of people that don’t want to see their language being misrepresented or used inappropriately, and rightfully so.

Personally, I don’t see ‘ForeheadPeaceSign’ breaking the internet like Kim Kardashian’s spread with Paper magazine, but I can’t help but to laugh at the people doing it. It seems to have started out as a way to promote peace in America, but it has done the opposite and since grown into something of a joke. For the sake of those a part of the Deaf community, lets put this to rest and let them have their sign back.

http://dailymend.com/forehead-peace-sign-going-viral/

 

[caz]

look like got headache...not for me

 

[Bebonang]

look like got headache...not for me

 

[whatdidyousay!]

I don't use ASL but I knew that mean stupid . What brought this all on ???

 

[rockin'robin]

I'm an ASL'er...and if a hearie does this to me......I'd say..."Oh really"?....

 

[deafdrummer]

Just don't do it. It will make yourself look stupid as it says in ASL.

Namaste Calvin,

I just occurred to me the point that you are making about the "stupid" sign. Pardon the pun, or double entendre?

Indians from India are experiencing this. What you are referring to is cultural appropriation. What happens is:

An interested person goes to a deaf person and learns that sign (or just saw it).
He doesn't understand it fully, never mind the rest of it (if it were a westerner looking at India, this would mean I like this, I like that, but this?? No way!)
He changes the sign to mean "Think Victory!" or whatever the intended message is. (India situation - a Christian or Westerner finds a really neat concept from the scriptures of Hinduism or Buddhism and puts it into his Christian/Western framework. "Christian yoga," forehead bindis on music and movie stars, wearing traditional Indian clothes even though one is not Indian, not even Hindu, etc.)
And then, fourth step, watch out for this one, he tries to "delete" YOU and your culture by hiding where he got the sign and claiming credit for it (if that's what really happened - sometimes, you say the F-word, and it means something else in another language, so it might have been sheer coincidence) (In the India situation, the deletion of the source of this knowledge gets erased, and people like Carl Jung, Emerson, and many scholar professionals in different areas don't acknowledge this source and instead appears to have created it themselves).

This was coined by Rajiv Malhotra as the U-turn. It means you go to the culture, you learn from it, you copy the information, and then you delete the source.

The situations regarding Deaf and Indian cultures are very different. In America, I'm sure that a large majority of Deaf people are Christians, so it is not a case of attempting to "digest" Deafness into the Hearing World. However, it can be a problem if people start to misunderstand each other because the signs copied have gotten digested into Hearing signs. There's that.

The India situation is entirely different because it is along race, culture, linguistic, and more importantly religious lines. It comes down to the survival of Indian culture. The Deaf situation is not this, but a pain when more and more signs get appropriated, not to mention a small (or large, I don't know) possibility that the more signs get appropriated, the larger the divide between Deaf and Hearing becomes in the attempt to reduce confusing communications and reduce interaction with Hearing people using signs like this in favor of more closer contact with Deaf community members.

This process of appropriation, I studied in Rajiv Malhotra's books.

 

[Calvin]

This has been posted in social media. I didn't make this one... as for the source... it's there. Just had to remove one photo that is from the source.

It offends Deaf Community... as in mocking them "stupid" The culture may be different between but I don't see Indians in those photos? Hmm

Just don't do it. It will make yourself look stupid as it says in ASL.

Namaste Calvin,

I just occurred to me the point that you are making about the "stupid" sign. Pardon the pun, or double entendre?

Indians from India are experiencing this. What you are referring to is cultural appropriation. What happens is:

An interested person goes to a deaf person and learns that sign (or just saw it).
He doesn't understand it fully, never mind the rest of it (if it were a westerner looking at India, this would mean I like this, I like that, but this?? No way!)
He changes the sign to mean "Think Victory!" or whatever the intended message is. (India situation - a Christian or Westerner finds a really neat concept from the scriptures of Hinduism or Buddhism and puts it into his Christian/Western framework. "Christian yoga," forehead bindis on music and movie stars, wearing traditional Indian clothes even though one is not Indian, not even Hindu, etc.)
And then, fourth step, watch out for this one, he tries to "delete" YOU and your culture by hiding where he got the sign and claiming credit for it (if that's what really happened - sometimes, you say the F-word, and it means something else in another language, so it might have been sheer coincidence) (In the India situation, the deletion of the source of this knowledge gets erased, and people like Carl Jung, Emerson, and many scholar professionals in different areas don't acknowledge this source and instead appears to have created it themselves).

This was coined by Rajiv Malhotra as the U-turn. It means you go to the culture, you learn from it, you copy the information, and then you delete the source.

The situations regarding Deaf and Indian cultures are very different. In America, I'm sure that a large majority of Deaf people are Christians, so it is not a case of attempting to "digest" Deafness into the Hearing World. However, it can be a problem if people start to misunderstand each other because the signs copied have gotten digested into Hearing signs. There's that.

The India situation is entirely different because it is along race, culture, linguistic, and more importantly religious lines. It comes down to the survival of Indian culture. The Deaf situation is not this, but a pain when more and more signs get appropriated, not to mention a small (or large, I don't know) possibility that the more signs get appropriated, the larger the divide between Deaf and Hearing becomes in the attempt to reduce confusing communications and reduce interaction with Hearing people using signs like this in favor of more closer contact with Deaf community members.

This process of appropriation, I studied in Rajiv Malhotra's books.

 

[hoichi]

I wouldnt equat the hesrie peace sign on forhead to be a cultural approbration.
Its peob more silly hearies un aware as to what it means to us..it looks cool in thwie eyes as a gimmick so theybrwn with it...
I doubt they where told ofd with it by ine of us..then didnt underswnd wnd thoufht it was cool and hence used and ran with it...that would be cultural apropration.

 

[KarissaMann05]

Forget #ForeheadPeaceSign!

Let's support #NosePeaceSign!