Billy said:
I must have missed this. Who said these are accepted signs for ASL public usage? I mean, "sh!t" is a commonly understood English word, but it's not acceptible for public usage.
You and many others must've missed it, as this was discussed about 5 days ago by those with actual experience in ASL (being interpreters, like moderator Lady Lee, or those who actually are hearing-impaired, like posters jeanpicard, MC Mallet, LAMallcool). Unfortunately, those posters' comments have been shouted down by people with their agenda and ignorance: THEIR voices, which is sad. Pay particular attention to the mod's comments (jgnat and Lady Lee).
Read the entire thread, but if you must read only one page, here's a link to page 8, where jeanpicard provides answers to many of the ignorant statements made even in this thread explaining why ASL is a different language than English, why reading is harder for the deaf (but note, not impossible), that the translators in the video ARE deaf, etc.
You guys ARE laughing at two actual hearing-impaired translators, who are REAL PEOPLE, who have real human feelings. Nice work!
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/235152/8/wts-made-a-video-about-masturbation-IN-SIGN-LANGUAGE-WITH-GESTURES
I worked as a doctor, and some of the most memorable patients I encountered and had the privilege of helping were those brave young patients with smiles and strong spirits who had physical disabilities (amblyopia, crossed eyes, blindness, multi-sensory processing defects, hearing-impaired, developmentally-delayed, suffering from physical abuse/neglect, failure to thrive, learning disabilities, Down's syndrome, etc). You have NO idea what it's like for their parents, who will do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING possible to provide the best lives possible for their children, even when they know their child will often never be completely 'normal', but always 'different' from the rest of the World, and looked down upon. You'd THINK ex-JWs would understand what that's like to be the outcast, except to be different for other reasons than retarded social development. You can LEAVE the JWs; you cannot leave deafness or Downs Symdrome. You'd think some would understand Jesus' commands to take care of the blind and crippled, but appraently that's be left back at the KH, too.
If there WERE karma or justice, the fate deserved by some here would to be FORCED to deal with the difficulties encountered in the lives of these brave children, or perhaps be blessed with a child born with some of these conditions. I guarantee you there'd be a crash-course in empathy and human decency, and the light would instantly turn on in some heads (not all: some parents can't handle it, and leave the child and spouse behind). Some would be FORCED to deal with the challenges encountered by these kids in obtaining for their special educational needs and services, the basics needed just to make it in the World where they are 'different' (if not bullied, teased, taunted, by the other kids).