A few weeks ago, I put up two posts that dealt specifically with the use of ASL in a music video – the “One Prayer” video featuring Karl and Jeanne Anthony. In my ASL On a Pedestal post, I asked my readers to give their views on this video and what they thought about the inclusion of sign language; and in my The Sign and the Music post, I shared some of my own thoughts.
In response, Jeanne Anthony – the woman who interprets in this video – posted a comment in which she shares her own thoughts to the feedback received from individuals who left comments. Because of my concern that readers would likely miss her comment, I emailed Jeanne to ask for her permission to post it. She responded give her permission, and made the following statements:
From my studies of Deaf Culture and experience within the culture, I am aware of some of the long standing issues that are behind the sensitivity and the strong need to protect one’s culture and language. Makes sense to me. I draw a parallel to the Native Americans, who had their traditions, land and dignity stripped from them and then “new agers” made it popular to lead sweat lodges.
I would like to make a positive contribution to the Deaf Community in a way that I can. There was a time when Karl and I were involved in the development of TV show and I was advocating for deaf access and representation. Even though I’m not deaf, nor have family members who are deaf, I do believe that when cultural differences are honored that we have a richer society as a result.
Below is Jeanne’s comment:
Ocean,
Thank you for the feedback you and others who have written on your blog have given us about our use of ASL in our music video. We are grateful to each of you who has written, and for initiating this dialog about ASL and music videos. We welcome the chance to communicate with you and your readers. We have read every comment on the blog and have given much thought to them all. Thank you.
As is obvious to most of you, The One Prayer video was not created as an ASL video and thus did not meet the full viewing needs for the deaf. We certainly can understand any frustration, disengagement and separation you felt, and we sincerely apologize for that. We have learned that even though our intentions were well meaning that some people were hurt. Although it is painful for us to see this, it gives us a chance to grow, and we thank you for this.
We have had conversations about creating an ASL version of this video as well as versions in several other languages. We are also discussing how we might make future videos fully accessible to the deaf in new and innovative ways.
You might wonder why we included signing in this video (our first video) and why we include it in all of our live performances. Our goal has been to introduce people to ASL who might not ever be exposed to the language, and to encourage people to learn the language and perhaps be inspired to learn more about the deaf community. It has been gratifying to us that through our performances many people have been inspired to learn ASL. Some have learned basic conversational sign and others have gone on to become interpreters.
I am sorry for the ways that this, our first music video, was disappointing to some members of the deaf community, and am grateful for the opportunity to learn and do better in the future. I have put time into studying ASL at universities, have attended deaf gatherings, deaf retreats and work with more experienced theatrical signers to try to assure the accuracy of each song. Respecting the language is very important to me, and I will be far more aware of these issues from now on.
It is our intention to grow as artists with every new project, and all the feedback we are receiving from you and the many who have taken the time to communicate with us through your blog is helping us to do just that .
With much respect,
Jeanne
Ocean’s response:
I commend Jeanne for her willingness to come forward and leave a comment here at the Crossroads, as difficult as that might have been. I’m sure it could not have been easy for her and Karl to read these posts, or some of the feedback which was left by various readers.
I don’t think it was the intention of anyone to be mean or hurtful, but simply to be direct and honest regarding our thoughts and feelings. I believe this can be seen as an example of that “intelligent discourse” that has been mentioned by a number of vloggers/bloggers, and how we can in fact use the Deaf V/Blogosphere as a powerful medium for engaging in a positive exchange of ideas… which hopefully can help bring about an increased understanding and honoring of those cultural differences, leading to that richer society.
I’m happy to see Jeanne and Karl acknowledge that the One Prayer video was never really intended to be an ASL video, but that in the process of creating it some people may indeed have felt hurt. I encourage them to continue exploring ways to make future videos fully accessible to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community.
In addition, I encourage all of us to continue to share our thoughts and ideas and feedback, as a way of helping Jeanne and Karl to gain greater insight into the Deaf Culture and how we can work together to enhance their projects and help them grow as artists. By doing so, perhaps we will be helping ourselves as well.
Thus if possible, please take a moment to leave any thoughts that you have to Jeanne’s comments above and any ideas you have for further projects. You might also want to consider leaving some feedback on how Jeanne could improve her interpretation of the music to make it more comprehensible for a Deaf audience.
Let’s get some positive communication going…
Thank you.
This sculpture shows the sign for "connect"...and that is what Deaf Pagan Crossroads is all about - making connections. Connections between Deafhood and Paganism, connections between the Deaf Community and the Hearing Community, connections between myself as the writer and you as the reader. I hope you will take the time to read my various posts, some of which are listed below. Welcome to the Crossroads, and I hope you make some connections here!
A very eloquent apology and explaination.
It was interesting to learn the purpose of the video and how they saw ASL playing a role in their creative projects. It certainly cleared up half the questions I had after I saw it.
But, somehow I’m left wondering why they don’t simply caption it? It may not be the final or best solution for Deaf access but it’s not even listed as one of the potential options they’re looking into?
Well, at least they are seriously considering this issue.
Wow. First of all, I’m surprised she commented on your blog! I guess the internet does truly shrink the world.
If people want to incorporate ASL respectfully in their music videos, then I suggest having those who are native or near-native signers in the videos. Don’t cut away after just a snippet of a line. Let them finish the line they’re signing/singing.
If you really want to wow people, have them next to the singer. I remember one Superbowl where there was a black deaf choir signing the Star Spangled Banner, and they did such a job signing it that it actually got as much attention as the singer. It was really cool. Wish I could remember which year that was…
like last comment i made… i enjoyed the music video even though signing was kinda spotty. it is a good start i can see there is a room for improvement. i appreciate jeanne’s response. i had a hunch that karl and jeanne meant well. it was not their attempt to degrade us deafies. i appreciate their willingness and courage to see the needs for improvement in your future signing videos if they plan to make.
native americans disliked some non-native artists made copies of their artworks. some well-meaning artists put labels on their artworks indicating it was not made by native americans.
people appreciate respect for their own culture not exploiting/degrading them.
h…
I don’t know…
I don’t want to sound argumentative or pessimistic here, but I guess I just feel skeptical about this whole thing.
I am sure the Anthonys did mean well, and it probably was painful to read those comments.
But there is this little voice inside me that just keeps saying that there’s something wrong with this whole picture.
To begin with, I am having a hard time understanding how, if this woman has spent this time studying ASL and interacting with Deaf people, etc. how it is possible that she would even consider creating a video like this, or at the very least wouldn’t have solicited a bit more input from the Deaf Community in the creative process. I can’t imagine that had she done so, those Deaf individuals wouldn’t have said things similar to what was stated in those posts – why the video wasn’t being captioned, why the signing wasn’t being shown all the way through, that her signing wasn’t all that clear and comprehensible.
Truthfully, I’m not convinced. I don’t think she really “gets it.” Frankly I don’t think Karl and Jeanne ever made any real sincere attempt to gather any feedback from the Deaf Community and probably didn’t give a shit what they thought when they were creating this video. Now suddenly it’s been posted on the internet, people are seeing it and reading not-so-positive feedback from the Deaf Community, and these folks are left to do damage control.
As for this whole idea of wanting to “expose the masses to ASL and inspire them to learn the language”… gimme a break! Sorry, but it’s not your place to be inspiring people to learn ASL – it’s not your language.
What you’re really do is creating a major conflict here… you’re taking what IS a language and turning it into an artistic medium as a prop for your music, and then trying to justify doing so by saying you’re encouraging people to go and learn it as a language. But you’re not really using it as a language yourself, so how can you state you’re encouraging others to learn it as a language? All you’re really doing is encouraging people to see it as that artistic medium that makes the song look so pretty.
Sorry, I want to believe these people, I really do. Call me a cynic, but this apology and explanation really just raises more questions for me than it answers.
J, I understand where you’re coming from, but I have to say that I’ve met so many hearing people, who have been in the deaf community for years, and they still stay clueless.
So it is possible, and does happen. It also depends on the deaf community she’s been in. My local deaf community probably would’ve thought the video was great. They’re easily impressed by a hearing person who doesn’t sign herky-jerky. 😛
So.. I get it. I am supposed to bow over backwards and be so grateful that you produced a poorly made video with weak signing skills, and didn’t even bother to caption it, provide a transcript or even solicit for feedback.
Then after Ms. Ocean gets in touch with, you STILL haven’t provided a transcript or captions on your website. Seriously, how HARD is it to copy and paste the lyrics and post it on a website? I’m sure your husband had SOMETHING typed up and saved on the computer so he could practice singing the song.
Color me unimpressed.
Oh, and who is this “WE”? You and your husband, correct? It’s not as if a deaf person was actually involved at all in the making of this video, was it? I find it hilarious you have to sit down and “discuss” this when we have been very clear to you what is needed. We don’t need new and innovative ways. We know what works. You could have asked.
So, their first introduction is to a poorly produced video that is not deaf friendly, that had nothing whatsoever to do with what deaf people actually need and want? Gee, thanks.
If you really want to honor cultural differences, then you don’t speak for deaf people. If you want to advocate for deaf people, tell that damn producer on the TV show you’ll find a deaf person to come in and give their own feedback. Even if it’s just something in writing, just a quick meet and greet, that is 30 times more effective than “speaking for us” without our permission.
You know, I am an ASL teacher, and I had to put up with crap last week from my boss about letting an third year ASL student interpret at the Special Olympics, and I’m fed up with this crap. But hey, it was okay because it doesn’t have to be “perfect”. Ms. Boss would have NEVER done that for any other language, but it’s ok with ASL!
STOP.
We’re here to offer you advice. We know. We have the expertise. We have the skills. We are the deaf people. Not you. Quit nattering about what wonderful things you do for us, and for a change, get off that damn stage/high horse and let us have at it. Work with us, not for us.
I’m asking you to either work WITH us or don’t do anything at all. It would be much more respectful that way. I don’t want to hear about two hearing people “discussing” what two deaf people need, when there are a whole lot of us out here, including myself, who are willing to give advice, and by the way, am very accomodating when I’m not pissed off at this type of crap.
Oh, oh, and I’d like to add a peace offering.
If you do make another video with sign language set to music, please feel free to ask me for advice. I’m dead serious, I’d like to help you make a better video. I’m sure a lot of us would love to offer you advice. It is possible to make a very lovely video with ASL, we’ve all done it.
The thing is, you need to respect that we know better than you do and that you should be consulting us, not doing it “For us”.
Mm-kay?
Oh- and one free piece of advice. POST A TRANSCRIPT! That’s the very LEAST you could do.
This reminds me alot of the Amos and Andy controversies which appeared around the time TV was born. It has been suggested the show was culturally insensitive, but if you hear the actors and many people in the black community speak about it (Those old enouogh to remember) it was not seen as degrading on insensitive, but rather an opprotunity which opened the door for not only African American Actors but other Ethnic actors as well. It was accepted this was a metaphor of the black community and not a true representation. Thus you have the function of art, to express as opposed to be the reality. Theater is the same way, it is a metaphor of reality.
I would be concerned if Jeanne had said something along the lines, this was meant to be an actual conversation in ASL to the deaf and hoh community, but she clearly stated that was not their intent-their intent was a theatrical expression(the medium used was ASL-which is no different than Chaucer being translated into modern English-the message of Chaucer is the same but the medium in which that message is carried is different) as opposed to holding an actual conversation, singing a song etc. accurately. In that light, I have a better understanding of the video’s purpose. As theatrical, it was very expressive and beautiful, as sign language goes it sucked because the attention to it being ASL as opposed to art was not pursued because that was not the intent of the video.
Since art/theater is a subjective expierence, people will perceive it as they wish to see it (For whatever reasons) and sometimes that means it unearths burried material in our psyches we may not be aware of
Oh, please.
I guess it’s okay, then if we hire someone to slap on blackface and jump around on a video saying “dem”, “dose” and being the happy little nigger. Hey, it’s art, it’s a subjective experience!
And I’m too sensitive? Fuck that.
Even if the purpose was JUST theaterical, I would have been okay with that, but It has not escaped my attention that despite all this uproar and all the responses, the lovely graceful Jeanne and her oh-so-caring husband STILL has not posted a transcript…
And what kind of opportunities are you talking about? It’s not 1960. I’m deaf, and I teach ASL at the local high school. I can create opportunities for myself, thank you very much. We are WAY beyond the point where we should be grateful that people are even signing at all. You know, these days, there are deaf people who are deparment chairs of college programs where people learn how to sign ASL correctly. *gasp* Oh, and just type “ASL” in YouTube and there are hundreds of videos where people DO sign correctly, at least mostly so.
Look, the bottom line here is that not only did they produce a video that wasn’t deaf friendly, they are not taking responsiblity for their error or even making any steps to rectify their mistake. On top of it, they’ve been telling us about how they are trying to do something good for deaf people and how beautiful ASL is. All this without even bothering to check with deaf people first about what they really need and want.
Now it seems people are getting all huffy because we deaf people, who should be so grateful for their charity, actually have the cojones to say, “Hey, thanks, but you weren’t really thinking of us in the first place, if you couldn’t even bother to make it accessible.” It takes LESS than 2 minutes to post a transcript on the web!
Here’s a tip – shut up and start listening to us, and we’ll give you all the advice you need. Look – if you just wanted to put the signs in the video in the first place because it was pretty, own up to it. At least that would have been honest, and we do understand that impulse.
I teach ASL, and my kids want to sign songs ALL the time, and I help them every single time, and I go and cheer them along if I can, because it does look really cool, and I’m 100% for a little beauty in the world.
But you know what? Every time, those kids COME TO ME and ask me to help. They valued my opinion and wanted my help. They ask me how to translate it correctly. They bring me the lyrics, they underline the words they don’t know and practice, then they come again and sign to me so I can check on their progress. They just really wanna sign a song, and it makes them happy. They show me respect by inviting me to participate in creating the opportunity.
Sigh. An “oops, we didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. What can we do? Can we post a transcript or something? Do you know where we could get someone to help us sign better? What’s your feedback?” would have gone a long way. That, in the end, is what really is bugging me. I don’t want excuses and justifications. I want some respect.
Okay, let me walk in a hearing person’s shoes…especially a person who has never seen an ASL deaf person. I’d be struck by the beauty of hand gestures and that would lead me to want to learn more about it, that would lead me to take classes, to meet more people, etc. By then I’d have learned a lot about deaf culture, ASL, etc. And I’d have the “One Prayer” video to thank for.
Who knows how many hearing people this video has touched and inspired to learn more about us? So let’s look at this way…one drop into a pool of water creates ripples onward, touching everything, inspring them. So we have in a way to be thankful for this video, however the signs appear not proficient in it.
Lots of good points here from both views points.
Primary for me is – can we caption this or post a transcript? That takes care of the immediate need for people to understand and to make it accessible.
The next point is Theatrical Expression.
ASL as a stage prop as someone said. This is surely not the first time I have seen this. I have seen choirs, churches, children’s groups, and individuals (many of whom had no ASL experience or knowledge) use signs/ASL as a stage prop. It looks good and impresses audiences.
ASL is not the only language this is done with. Modern musicians have recorded music in French, Spanish, and other languages in which they were not fluent. The 1960’s and 70’s have many popular examples. We can choose to be pleased at the exposure this gives our beautiful language or we can be pissed. It has been said that, “all publicity is good publicity.”
Shou gai kyou iku,
(Never stop learning – Japanese)
SW
I don’t mind if people use it as a stage prop, as long they use it PROPERLY! I’m sorry, but I just don’t think it’s appropriate for Jeanne to sign ASL in the video, since she did badly. If she and her husband want to do it, have deaf people do it.
I have to side with some commenters like WildStarryEyes who have been straightforward and blunt. No BS involved which is what appeals to me. You really said it all but let me throw in my two cents worth if you will.
First of all, I appreciate Jeanne for coming forward to engage in this discussion in which I imagine not an easy position to be in but it shows me that she is opening her mind about this learning experience.
Secondly, like the others, I am still questioning why can’t there be a quick posting of the transcript which only takes a few minutes. If the Anthonys really have respect for deaf people, they should be in their consideration to make it more accessible for people like us especially when they played peek-a-boo using ASL in the video. Some of us v/bloggers made an additional effort to add captions and transcripts (I do the transcripts for most of the time in my vlog) because we have this consideration to include non-signers.
Thirdly, the Anthonys are exploiting Deaf people’s art of expression, ASL, that is; that they were a bit too late asking for feedback AFTER the video clip release. I have been involved in performing signing songs for years during my heydays in college and still do from time to time. Although I am deaf myself, I always ask my deaf boyfriend (and deaf people before I met him) who is an expert in not only signing songs but producing music (he is a member of Beethoven’s Nightmare band (beethovensnightmare.com). He, as a deaf person, produces music based on hearing people’s feedback as well. Can you imagine a deaf person singing songs? He or she may sing but it is rare for one to do it really well. It is all about being natural and natural comes from birth when one grows up doing it including signing ASL. Anyways, he gives me suggestions and I do to him. It is all about sharing and learning and improving.
So Jeanne and Karl, take this as a learning experience and continue to develop beautiful videos with your music but it would be better if you include experienced deaf signers (there are a lot out there!) if you want to win the deaf audience.
One more word of advice that echoes Wolf Wind’s comments, just don’t repeat history like the Amos and Andy era and just include real deaf signers in the video and make it more accessible. It is simple as that as it comes with common sense.
As a hearing person, I have a question for you deafies. If she is just learning ASL, isn’t practice good for her? You guys saying she shouldn’t use it in the video, is like saying someone that is just learning English shouldn’t speak it until they are fluent. So, she was using is as creative expression. So what? Artists have always integrated different languages into their art form, and it is always excepted. Someone quotes a Spanish phrase incorrectly and everyone is like, yeah, I get it. Someone signs incorrectly and you guys get all offended. I’m sorry, but some of you need to get over it. That is one of the reasons the world is so crappy now. Someone does something not meaning to offend, apologizes for it, and you still don’t believe them. Give me a break.
Interesting discussion.
I don’t know how far I’d go in characterizing this as a blackface type of thing, but here’s this:
I am astonished that in her reply she didn’t include something along the lines of “Here’s a transcript.”
We’ve got someone sigining in a video, so presumably there’s SOME awareness that deaf people aren’t going to be able to hear the nonsigned portions. So, WHY on earth no captions or transcripts?
OK, so if produced for the hearing community, then maybe. But IN THE REPLY TO THE CRITICISMS, why not include a transcript while you’re at it?
Being an insensitive or thoughtless clog is part and parcel of being in the majority, and I realize that. But that won’t shut me up in pointing out the shortcomings, either.
Sunflowerwoman, I’m going to assume that you’re hearing but a pagan. OK, let’s say you see a video clip of something that takes one or two very basic concepts in paganism, uses the concepts in the clip in such a way that it’s clear that the person knows nothing about the history or concepts underlying them, merely to make a “cool” videoclip. Then when you write to them asking about what on earth is going on, perhaps they apologize, but they make no real move to educate themselves about the concepts. And given that it would have been ridiculously easy to contact you (or other people in paganism) for feedback first, it could make you wonder about their motivations or perspective or even sensitivity.
Now imagine that this attitude somehow affects much more than simply your religion, but also your entire educational upbringing (due to the choices that similar people make, on the basis of the limited understanding of those concepts, on your behalf when you have no say in the matter) and I think maybe you can start seeing why it gets annoying to see this time after time. Something like the constant linking of paganism to satanism or something; I’m sure you can come up with something better than I can.
Erm. “clog” should be “clod”… Although clog almost works 🙂
She can practice all she wants, but the implication of her message was, ‘We’re showing how gorgeous ASL is!’ when she can’t even sign it properly. If she wants to do that, then use deaf signers who are proficient in ASL. I think it’s nice that she thinks ASL is great, but is it a language that is equal to English in their eyes? I admit, that does make me wonder a bit.
The video was different than just one or two lines in Spanish in an English song, like Ricky Martin’s Livin’ La Vida Loca. But even then, people wouldn’t like it if the singer mangled the Spanish so badly that the native users had to fill in the blanks repeatedly.
I’m not sure you understand, Sunflowerwoman.
Trying to compare this video to the idea of a signing student who makes a blooper while talking to a bunch of Deafies in a bar is like comparing apples and oranges.
This isn’t just a cute little home video that these people have made so that Jeanne can “practice her signing skills.”
THEY ARE MAKING MONEY OFF OF THIS.
This video was made to promote their musical CD, and I’m sure they charge an entry fee for their concerts.
Under such circumstances, I think we have the right to expect that the signing would be of the appropriate caliber to properly convey the lyrics of the song… otherwise why include it?
Your comment seems to convey the attitude that you feel we should be nice and sweet and loving and understanding and forgiving and accepting people who can go along with the idea of someone taking OUR language, using it for THEIR purposes, NEGLECTING to give us any consideration whatsoever in their doing so, and then telling us that it’s okay, since they didn’t intend usage of our language to be for our purposes in the first place.
And we are expected to “get over it?”
This isn’t just about signing incorrectly – it’s about the whole attitude that hearing people have that sign language is just up for grabs and they should have the right to use it any damn way they please.
Hello??? Give ME a break, sweetheart!
Yes, if someone is learning English, I would NOT expect them to go out and create a musical video utilizing it until they have solicited some input from native speakers of the language to make DAMN SURE that they are in fact utilizing it properly… to do otherwise is not merely disrespectful, it’s also making a fool out of yourself.
As for this apology, it’s all fine and good… but we haven’t really seen Jeanne show us what she is truly going to do to rectify this situation. She talks about how she is “discussing” the creation of an ASL video and utilizing “new and innovative ways” to make future videos fully accessible, but where has she actually asked for our input? Asked us what she could have done differently, or what we would suggest as improvements for the future?
One gets the feeling she doesn’t really want to know, or doesn’t really care – she simply wants to say “oops, sorry if we hurt your feelings…” and expect us to let it go at that.
Sorry, but that’s not good enough.
By the way, maybe you need to improve your own English skills – the word is ACCEPTED, not “excepted.” There’s a big difference between the two.
Ohhhh…but we are supposed to forgive the fact that you made an error that makes a significant difference in the meaning of the sentence, right?
May I? I would like to share my thoughts about ASL and music. I think if music supports ASL, then it may be the tremendous heterogeneity of our society because we have been cautious in our interpretations of cultural behavior. Music is to be heard or listened to with ears whereas ASL is to be seen or listened to with eyes.
If I understand correctly music is a language in 2.5 dimensions wherein it supports meaning of the words in songs (from any spoken language). Although I don’t hear (never hear) music, I feel its vibrations which are so very entertaining I could dance to it and stop shortly after it gets done (why I always do that). To apply ASL to the spoken words supported by music does seem odd to me.
At Gallaudet University, we use drum beats for the Bison song, and it is “music” that is completely incomprehensible to language/culture interlopers. Deaf family friends of mine got inspired to use drum beats for the national athemn and it was not well-received…it’s a culture clash, I guess.
Yes, I would expect your forgiveness for my error. But, maybe that is my error in thinking that people in this day and age shouldn’t get their underwear twisted over every little thing that someone does “wrong” in their opinion. I DO understand your position that she SHOULD have done this or done that and maybe isn’t even doing anything to correct the situation. My OPINION is that this isn’t a big deal as compared to the state of the world today, so why MAKE such a big deal over it? Have you ever heard of “Don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff?” I try to live like that, and I was just stating that some of you aren’t cutting her any slack at all, even though she apologized. But, hey, that’s just my opinion, and we all know what opinions are like. Besides, when did it become us (hearing), against you (deafies)? We are all PEOPLE. WE all make mistakes. That is my point.
On the other hand, maybe I just don’t get offended enough. If someone does something out of ignorance, I just shrug my shoulders and say “oh, well”. Maybe I should get all pissed off and mad and have migraines.
Obviously this has struck some very strong emotions and hit close to home for alot of people, myself included. Not that it matter, but I am HOH myself so believe me I understand the conflict and concerns.
Sticking with the Amos and Andy analogy and the reference to black face-I wasn’t saying be greatful there were some misreprensentations etc. But to look at this a part of an evolutionary process and a step in the right direction of actually creating positive gateways to the deaf and hoh culture. Despite the prevailing community of the Amos and Andy era, great strides were made by those in the black community who suffered constantly. Louis Armstrong was never let in the front door of the clubs he played at, always the back doors. Yet he continued to play and in so doing continued building inroads for the black community. This meant also that sometimes the more talented black artists stood in the shadow of less talented white artists. It wasn’t right, it was not ethical, it was a caputulation to the prevailing cultural sentiment-yet the continued presence of the black artist evolved along with the civil rights movement into a more equal footing (which by the way still has some ways to go). Amos and Andy progress into Star Trek which was one of the first Networks to have a black actor-and a woman to boot. Gene Rodenberry(sp) talked about the big controversie this caused. We see a progression-Blackface was recognized as negative and was dropped as an acceptable form of theater-although interestingly enough it is not illegal to this day to perform blackface-at least in California.
I agree a transcript or close captioned would have gone a long way in difusing much of the turmoil. However, for me the reality has been as a HOH person I have had to pull myself by my own bootstraps because that was the situation I found myself in, and for the most part still do today-so in a sense I tend to be more attuned to when someone makes an effort-and take it in the spirit it is offered. I have been HOH since kindergarten, and only until a year ago finally convinced doctors and insurance I could benefit from a hearing aid even though I had over 30 years worth of documentation prior to now. Then, living in a deaf community I was looked at as sub standarded-a false deafie if you will and so could not benefit from what that community could help with. So believe me, I understand the struggle all too well and while I can easily point fingers at the hearing culture as being failing, I can also turn the finger on deaf/hoh community as well. No one is immune to being insensitive and not understanding and misguided attempts to make things “right”.
An interesting comment was made about paganism representation in the media. Again I ha see this as an evolutionary process. Paganism has gone from depictions of being Satanic, to having positive role models (albiet not 100 %accurate but it is a step in the right direction). Of all people, Sandra Bullock’s movie-Practical Magic had some very sound pagan concepts in it (such as Karma, letting our own desires override our common sense, be careful what you wish for, etc.) Was this movie destructive to the pagan community? There is no definite reply to this because each person saw it different. Was this meant to be an portrayal of the Pagan community? Of course not. But regardless of the inaccuracies, it did spawn an interest in a non-mainstream culture, just as Bruce Lee’s movies spawned an increased interest in martial arts (another culture and spiritual discipline).
While Jeanne’s movie was not perfect, and again I agree the closed caption or a transcript whould have moved it farther along the line (not the only thing which could have but one of several means), never the less it has served a positive purpose on many fronts-it has stimulated a discussion which would have never happened, and it has made a step forward in the process of the deaf and hoh communities to finally be heard more loudly and have more input into the process. At this point my concern is people become so tied into being “right”, they miss the more subtle currents which can bring them to a new shore.
Wolf Wind, this is well said, and so much better stated than I could have. This was part of my point, as well.
You know… as I read these comments, I cannot help but think about Ocean’s post just prior to this one, in which she talks about The Ethics of Helping.
I find myself thinking that at the heart and soul of what this is all about isn’t really the issue of the ASL in the music video, but the bigger picture of what it means to “help” someone.
Traditionally, the Deaf Community has a long history of well-meaning but woefully ignorant hearing individuals who attempt in some misguided way to do something which they perceive as being “helpful” to Deaf people – such as attempting to expose the public to sign language, or educating people about deafness, or advocating for Deaf people.
And then when the Deaf Community revolts and gets upset, we hearing people sit around scratching our heads and trying to figure out what it is that we have done that was so terrible in the first place.
It’s what we DIDN’T do… we didn’t ask. We didn’t take into consideration that maybe the Deaf Community feels it has reached a point where its perfectly capable of exposing the public to its own language itself, perfectly capable of educating people about its culture, and perfectly capable of advocating for itself.
So when someone like Jeanne makes a well meaning and well intended effort, and then attempts to justify such actions by saying “but I was only trying to help the Deaf Community!” (or as Jeanne puts it “make a positive contribution”), when the results appear to suggest that there wasn’t that appropriate exchange of communication that demonstrates that this was in fact the desire of the community, well… one can appreciate why these commenters would feel as they do.
If we go back and look at Ocean’s post on this subject, she says:
When I read Jeanne’s comment, what strikes me is that here is a person who decided to incorporate ASL in her video, and then when asked why she did so, explains it by saying that
That’s great, Jeanne… but did you ask the Deaf Community if they wanted you doing that? Did you ask them how to go about doing it in the most effective manner?
Going back to The Ethics of Helping again, Ocean continues by saying:
I can’t help feeling that this is what is upsetting the Deaf Community more than anything… a feeling that Jeanne is using the “Help Card” to justify her actions, and these Deaf commenters are coming back with “HUH?”
Jeanne, is it at all possible that what you viewed as being “helpful” was in reality…butting in? Was it polite? Was it responsible? And is it your job?
Maybe now is the time for all parties involved to sit back and think… what is the most ethical way for us to approach this whole issue?
Something to think about.
Here is the lyric
ONE PRAYER
by Karl Anthony
If I had one prayer, I’d pray for people who hate
Maybe I’m out of my mind …or deep in my faith
A man grows old …when his souls in pain
Only love can loosen that chain
But if I offer you grace, will it cause any change
And do I appear weak, if I calm my rage
I think of revenge, but will I become
The thing I despise, when a heart goes numb
I’ll say a prayer, hoping it finds …people who hate
I send it now, to heal the hearts …of people who hate
If only one song …could silence hate
And end all the war …before its too late
If a cold mind …could begin to feel
Then the fear in our world …has a chance to heal
I’ll say a prayer, knowing it finds …people who hate
I send it now, to heal the hearts …of people who hate
……pray for people who hate
All of our thoughts …can set the stage
For the power of love …is larger than rage
When we take revenge …we will become
The hate we despise …as our soul goes numb
I have One Prayer …for the world to hear
It’s a cry for mercy …the last of our tears
Let hate dissolve … let the past reveal
That love has shown us what is real
Angels above, quiet the pain …in people who hate
I’m sending One Prayer, to heal the hearts …in people who hate
One prayer…..Pray!
(May all be loved, may all be blessed, may all feel peace….pray for people who hate)
I’m sending love to people who hate
I must be out of my mind …or deep in my faith
Taken from http://www.karlanthony.com/category/multimedia.lyrics/
My opinion on this? I think it’s neat. Why is it such a big deal for her to sign in the video? It’s a free country. I really thought it was cool. I guess one would have to understand the music world and the videos that are made.
How about looking at the message in the lyric of that song.
I thought she signed gracefully and in tune with the song. Even though she did not sign the whole song, I don’t think that it was their purpose to do it.
What are the criteria for hearings to sign in a musical video? That, I’m real curious about.
The point is… the members of the Deaf Community never got the chance at the message, because the lyrics were not made accessible to them to begin with.
Hell, I could have posted a comment with the lyrics myself – I’m a hearing CODA interpreter. But I didn’t, because I didn’t feel it was my place to do so – the Anthonys created this video, and it was up to THEM to make it accessible.
And even when several people indicated that they were unable to understand the lyrics and were wondering where they could find them, Jeanne still does NOT include such information in her comment. How difficult could it have been for her to copy and paste such, or at least to send it to Ocean so it could have been included in this post? Or even a link to where the lyrics could have been found?
But no… we had to wait until someone such as yourself came along and provided the lyrics for us. By the way, thanks for doing so.
If this had been simple case of a single word or a single line being repetitively signed or just quickly signed once to just show ASL in a “short and sweet” manner, I wouldn’t kick up a big fuss. But it wasn’t. The signs come in, they go out, they come back in again, they go back out again, and then they return yet again. All that does is increase one’s frustration level and leave you wondering first what’s being said during the gaps in between, and secondly what is being said when you’re having a hard time understanding the signs. It’s not enough just to be “graceful and in tune with the song” – as Ocean said in an earlier post on theatrical interpretation, you still have to be comprehensible.
No, as Jeanne explains… it wasn’t their purpose to make the song an ASL video for Deaf audiences. Nevertheless, the fact that ASL is used on and off throughout this video as part of the expression of the song should have encouraged a level of respect and sensitivity for the Deaf Community that I found lacking.
comes and goes…that is the idea of music videos. Have you ever watch music videos on MTV? lots of them are captioned, watch it. You’ll understand.
All of you commenters said it well so it is not necessary for me to repeat it but let me emphasize that it has to do with how a signer expresses using selective choices of signs along with the use of non-manual signals and how he or she acquires the language. Remember to acquire is a natural form not taught.
I can easily tell if a signer has acquired the language naturally or been taught and that is where the problem is when a hearing person sign a song. I have seen plenty of ’em even by some deaf signers themselves who may not do well, too. To practice using vlogs via you tube may be a fun, yet beneficial way to improve especially when asking for feedback but what the Anthonys did was none of above. Money making scheme is involved so that is a completely different ballgame here where an exploition of art from a culture paints a picture.
You know, not all hearing people could qualify to be voice singers as it goes the same that not all PEOPLE could qualify to sign songs. For the deaf to sing, it is at least possible because the key may go off and that the lack of experience to sing when growing up. For the hearing to sign a song, it all depends on how and when he or she acquires ASL. If the hearing signer grows up being exposed naturally to ASL, it is more likely a more quality sign performer will take place. Take a look at Deaf Ninja in YouTube, it was done by a hearing man but he was immersed in an ASL environment when growing up so it became natural for him to do such performance. We would be clueless if it weren’t for the written passage saying that he was hearing (but I happen to know him anyway) because he had displayed a native-like signing skills. It all has to do with doing it naturally.
By the way, the lyrics were not even available when I first viewed the clip so thanks to C, I finally could be able to grasp the message on this very blog.
You see sunflowerwoman, that is not even nice to do especially when including someone’s cultural language and making money off of it, not asking for feedback from the deaf and neglecting to provide access to the transcript or subtitling it for the deaf audience. No, it is not my bag to find it entertaining in this way.
Ah, yes, Hawk. The double edged sword… sit back and do nothing, thus being told we are taking our world for granted, or try to help (even ask if we can), and we are butting our noses in. As Judge Judy says, “No good deed goes unpunished”. LOL Having worked in the social work field, I do know all too well the “you can’t help them if they don’t want it” rule. I have heard a drug addict say “I didn’t know to ask for help”. I think as humans, we do have this feeling of wanting to help, even acting on it, and sometimes making things worse in so doing. (Putting the bird back in the nest, as one example.) No, I am not deaf, and I cannot totally understand all of your viewpoints. I do respect how you feel, though, and was not trying to come across as uncaring. I, too, am just trying to find ways to get along with people in this world.
I do have to agree with Wolf Wind, on the point that it DID get this dialog started, and that, in itself, could be a good thing. Don’t you think?
About the music video, I sorta of expected that there would be something about deaf, the woman using ASL and all that and when there was nothing about deaf, the music video did not make any sense to me. Also there was no captioning as well.
Once someone who wants to use another language/culture, it is a common courtesy to explain briefly why they chose it to let the audience know. I felt that it did not happen in this video. Also why did they use the lyrics and then ASL, are they bothered by deaf people or what??
This is why it is leaving us with an question mark as to why they chose ASL and the lyrics that they used when they did not show a deaf person or whatever.
Wow! I am amazed at the support I’ve gotten for what I brought up. Although I know I came off as very blunt, the whole situation really did bother me. Oh, and I checked. There’s still not a transcript (one that they didn’t post themselves?)!
I admit the blackface comparison was a little extreme, but the idea is the same – they are trying to represent ASL signers, without our permission, and in addition their representation of ASL does not do ASL justice.
This is pretty much what happened here, and I’m not going to mince words about it. If they wanted ASL, then why didn’t they hire/invite us to participate so we could contribute?
Oh, and by the way –
I bet that THOSE musicians reached out to native speakers of the language to make certain they used the language correctly. Right?
Yes, yes, and YES!
darling.. it’s the LITTLE stuff that is the worst. It’s like men who call women “girl”. It seems to be a little thing on the surface, but it is a clear indicator of a whole host of problems.
Honey, did you just compare deaf people to drug addicts?! I’m sorry, but what the fuck? So.. us rejecting Jeanne’s “help” is like a drug addict rejecting a free ride in rehab? Seriously?!!! Or a bird that fell out of a nest?? You seem to be working from the premise that we do need help, and that is the whole problem. You are one step ahead, though, because at least you said that you are not deaf and that you are trying to understand. Ms. Signs-in-a-Video hasn’t even done that.
The positive feedback she gets from non signers simply for waving her hands around in the air is blinding her to the truth – she’s being opportunistic and audistic. Plain and simple.
And I’d like to repeat this for the 100th time people- it is very possible to be awed by ASL, to think it’s very cool, that it’s perfectly fine to want to sign it in a song,. It’s all about giving ASL and deaf people the respect they are entitled to by inviting their participation in the process or at the very least, including them by making the video accessible.
And let me give you a little bit of context people – the SAME thing happened to me two weeks ago – from my boss, who basically told me to fuck off, that my expertise wasn’t needed, despite the fact I was hired to teach ASL in the first place. I had a student up there on stage waving their hands during the Special Olympics as an “interpreter” for over a hour, so yes, I am pretty angry. I’m angry that I had to spend a whole lot of money to get a master’s degree in my field, only to have my boss completely disregard my input in this situation.
So, no, we are not overreacting. This is not the first time it has happened, and it won’t be last. It will happen again.. and again.. and again to infinity, unless we start calling people on this BS.
I’m done being polite. End of story.
Just for clarification ~
It appears that there are TWO different websites involved in this situation…
The Anthonys have their own website, which can be found at
http://www.karlanthony.com
Now, in all fairness to the Anthonys, they DO have the lyrics to all the songs on their latest CD here (click under Multimedia), including the One Prayer song.
However, while they do make mention of “the global phenomenon ONE PRAYER music video” on this site, I was unable to find the video itself. They have audio clips, but no videos. Their audio clips seem to be from a previous CD, and not the one that includes the song in question.
The video that Ocean has posted appears to be on a DIFFERENT website – one that does NOT belong to the Anthonys, but instead is part of the “Blessings Experiment” organization that is run by Kate – the woman who sent the original email Ocean talks about that started this whole thing.
However, as has been mentioned (several times) by commenters – both on this post and on the two previous posts, there is NO transcript available at this site, nor is the video itself captioned.
It is very possible that there IS a copy of this video out there on the web somewhere that DOES include a transcript or perhaps even (although I highly doubt it) captions.
But you would think that if such did exist, Jeanne would have told us about it… and since she didn’t, we are left to conclude that none does exist. For that matter, Jeanne didn’t even bother to tell us that the lyrics for the song ARE AVAILABLE on their website. That was a glaring error on her part.
I do come away from all of this feeling like Jeanne didn’t really hear anything that we said. She tells us that she “has read every comment on the blog and have given much thought to them all,” but you’re left to wonder that if she has truly done so, why she didn’t bother to let it be known that the lyrics are available at such-and-such place, or to ask that the lyrics be added on the page with the “Blessings” version of the video (so people could at least read the lyrics while watching the video), or SOMETHING.
I just get the feeling that she’s more interested in apologizing and trying to sooth our hurt feelings than in actually doing anything to listen to our input and solve the problems. Time and again people have said “Where are the lyrics? How can we gain access to the lyrics? What can be done to allow us to understand all the words to the song?”
And yet, in spite of repeated comments regarding this, all Jeanne says is that they are looking into creating an ASL version of this video, and discussing new and innovative ways to make future videos fully accessible.
That’s great – but it doesn’t resolve the problems we currently have with THIS one. Yes, I realize the video has been made. But if nothing else, why couldn’t you have simply put it up as a page on your website, with the lyrics printed underneath the video so that we could simply go to that site, click the page, watch the video, and read the words under it as the video plays?
That seems to be an easy enough solution, and shouldn’t be too difficult to do.
Should someone have suggested this in the previous posts and comments? Maybe. But while perhaps we did a bit more “venting” than we did actual problem solving, it would seem to me that had the Anthonys really cared about our frustrations with the lack of accessibility to this video they’ve created, they would have read between the lines and thought “gee, maybe we need to do something about making the lyrics available to them – at least tell them where they can be found, or encourage Kate to put the lyrics on her page, or something….”
Jeanne, let this be a learning experience. But next time, instead of bending over backwards trying to tell us how badly you feel, why not consider ASKING what can be done to solve the problem?
Seems if you had done that to begin with, a lot of this could have been prevented.
About my bird out of its nest comment… I think you misunderstood. It is natural to want to help.. put the bird back. But that is the worst thing you can do for a baby bird. And no, I was not comparing you to drug addicts. Obviously, my intended explanation was taken incorrectly. I was simply stating what Ocean had wrote about in her Ethics of Helping blog. If you help when you haven’t been asked, are you helping? That was my point. Gee, I tell you what… Talk about misunderstanding.
I didn’t misunderstand anything. You saw a situation where you think there needs to be help, and so you offered it.
WE DIDN’T NEED YOUR HELP IN THE FIRST PLACE, AND WE DONT’ APPRECIATE YOU THINKING WE NEED HELP JUST BECAUSE WE ARE DEAF.
Get it?
I think everyone here has made some interesting comments, raised some legitimate issues, and stated some valid points.
As Wolf Wind says, obviously this whole subject has struck some very strong emotions and hit close to home for a lot of people.
Some of the comments here clearly reflect that.
That’s okay… but let’s not allow those emotions to overrule the “intelligent discourse” that we hope to engage in here. Let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture, and of the goal of educating others and enhancing our own lives in the process.
I want to thank everyone for sharing their thoughts and feelings. I think there have been some good things said here.
Clearly this situation goes beyond just one woman and one music video. It goes to issues of language, culture, accessibility, attitudes, audism…. and the list could probably go on.
We could debate all of those topics forever, and we probably will. These are not easy questions, nor do they have easy answers.
It is my hope that if nothing else, the Crossroads can serve as a safe forum for the intelligent and respectful discussion of such topics, and the exchange of thoughts, feelings, and ideas.
Thank you, and have a great day! 🙂
~ Ocean
Here are the lyrics as I imagine they would appear to someone who was only reading the signing and not hearing the lyrics…
***
If I had one prayer,
Maybe I’m out of my mind
A man grows old
Only love can loosen
But if I offer you grace,
And do I appear weak,
I think of revenge,
The thing I despise,
I’ll say a prayer, hoping it finds …
I send it now, to heal the hearts …
If only one song …
And end all the war …
If a cold mind …
Then the fear in our world …
I’ll say a prayer, knowing it finds …
I send it now, to heal the hearts …
……pray for people who hate
All of our thoughts …
For the power of love …
When we take revenge …
The hate we despise …
I have One Prayer …
It’s a cry for mercy …
Let hate dissolve …
That love has shown
Angels above, quiet the pain …
I’m sending One Prayer,
One prayer…
(May all be loved, may all be blessed,
I’m sending love to
I must be out of my mind …
***
Y’see? Makes no sense.
I am not a signer or a Deaf person and the sound had disappeared on my PC when I looked at the video, so all I got was some mouth and hand movements…
I always get annoyed when I see TV programmes where foreign languages have been mistranslated by the person doing the captioning, so I can understand the annoyance here.
For example, I once heard a voice-over of a german couple who were telling how they had found the Ice Man (the remains of a Bronze-Age man found frozen in the Alps). The woman said that she said to her husband “Das ist ein Mensch” (that is a person); this was translated as “That is a corpse” which is just plain wrong, and I felt was disrespectful to the woman’s utterance. This might seem “small stuff” but it’s a sign of a general disrespect (either towards Germans or towards language in general). I submit that this desire to help the Deaf community without consulting them is a sign of a generally patronising attitude (even if it only seems like “small stuff”). It’s like the whole “Does he take sugar?” attitude.
Read this poem if you don’t know what the “Does he take sugar?” attitude is:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/poetry/pages/michael_williams.shtml
If you go to YouTube, you can find the video there:
I actually posted a comment expressing my concerns about this video.
Sadly, but not surprisingly…all of the comments made since then have basically scolded me for daring to have the “bloody nerve” to criticize this video.
This just makes me wonder… how can Jeanne say that she is really making a positive contribution to the Deaf Community, when in fact a comment left by a Deaf person gets refuted in this manner as just being a gripe left by “some narrow-minded special interest group with a political agenda.”
I’m sorry, but if this is the attitude that the general public is going to take towards Deaf People who speak up and say “hey, wait a minute!”…
then color me disgusted.
I just thought I’d let you know that they have been deleting my coments since I started posting.
I only said that we don’t really need more sign language videos, that we have plenty of our own resources. If they do include signs, then it is a sign of respect to add captions or transcripts, at the very least.
I haven’t broken any rules of conduct on YouTube, and I’ve been very mild compared to my reaction here.
So, I’ve been deleted 3 times so far.
Just letting you know that my opinion, as a deaf person, is not valued simply because I asked for something that every other disabled person can take for granted – accessiblity. After all, I am sure that they would never deny a paraplegic their wheelchair.
If I had one prayer, I’d pray for all the New Agers who prattle on about love and peace to actually get some insight into how to actually live their values instead of dismissing someone who makes a perfectly legitimate criticism.
Here’s a quote for you which I think sums up the attitude of the people who can’t understand the Deaf point of view on this:
‘Extremists think “communication” means agreeing with them.’ — Leo Rosten
The attitude of some of the posters on YouTube in response to Ocean’s comments really made me angry – “oh the video is all about love and peace and you’re just being nasty” – they should just grow up. Personally I regard the video as exploitative of children, exploitative of ASL, and out to make a fast buck by playing on people’s sentimentality.
Check back on the page – MizRockola’s comments are really good.
***
MizRockola (13 hours ago)
miniqyg, Would you not perhaps feel for a moment hurt, that people will learn your language when it suits them, as in putting bits and pieces in a video, but will not learn it to be fluent enough to reach out to communicate a loving message of acceptance to you directly?
MizRockola (13 hours ago)
I agree, oshginva,
A suggestion would be to take this lovely video, collaborate with a Deaf artist, and have the Deaf performance artist interpret the message/poetry/song.
MizRockola (13 hours ago)
My suggestion towards more cultural relativity, is for the hearing viewers, as well as the musicians themselves, to turn the sound off and then imagine for a moment how difficult it would be to connect with the message of the video.
The spirit of the message is lovely, for those who are able to receive it with their ears. For those who receive it with their eyes, it is indecipherable.
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