Today, a deaf customer came to my work. In an attempt to connect with him I introduced myself in sign language. He just rolled his eyes and pointed at my name tag. FML
Collection
Halloween
A failed costume, stolen candy and a very real scare: Halloween, the one night when fear is allowed.
Today, I pretended to be deaf to a door to door salesman. He knew sign language. FML
Today, my boss yelled at me in front of several customers for gesturing too much while I talk, because it's "unprofessional". I was using sign language. FML
Today, I realized the guy I like is not deaf. This would normally be good news. However, for the past two weeks I assumed he was deaf after seeing him use sign language. I've been openly talking about him within earshot. FML
Today, I was so desperate for human interaction that I asked a deaf girl in my class if she liked music. I actually signed it to her. FML
Today, I was at the airport, when a lady came up and loudly asked if she could sit next to me. I have serious social issues, so to avoid having to talk to her, I pretended I was deaf and couldn't hear her. She immediately broke out her sign language skills. FML
Today, I tried helping an old lady with her groceries. When I asked if she needed help she smiled. When I took one of her bags she yelled. I didn't know she was deaf. FML
Today, my sister introduced me to her new, deaf boyfriend. She proudly proclaimed that she was trying to learn sign language for his sake, so he wouldn't have to read her lips. I'm also deaf and have been trying to get her to do the same for me for 20 goddamn years. FML
Today, someone came into the store I work at, laughed at my name on my name-tag, and left without even buying anything. FML
Today, I was signing with my deaf brother at a local McDonald's. We were having a laugh about a game we played last night when this morbidly obese woman waddled over to us. She was utterly convinced we were "talking shit" about her and made a scene about our "hand gestures." Seriously? FML
Today, I was texting a guy that one of my friends told me about. She gave me his number and told me about how he was deaf. Three hours into great conversation I forgot and asked him what his favorite music was. FML
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Top comments
Nicole1225 14
can't he see you were trying to be nice?
MrsPegg 45
And thats when Id show him another bit of sign language... With my middle finger. Yea, yea. Customer service...
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Comments (114)
ks47 5
Lol, that's funny shit. Smart asses come in all forms.
HeadlessSparrow 20
I wish I knew sign language. Good for you for trying to connect with the customer.
ladytigerhunts 20
I hope that FML post didn't discourage you from taking a class and learn our language. :)
MissWhitneyB 17
Someone people are so unappreciative and cant see a good gesture
botanistjessica 24
My brain couldn't possibly carry on two conversations at once. More power to the people who can multitask enough to pull this off.
laurenasabutton 26
Am I the only one that doesn't understand what pointing at OP's nametag would achieve?
crazytwinsmom 25
He was probably telling OP that he already knew his name.
MissMae93 23
Yes, 18, you are definitely the only one.
TheNewGuy03 29
Then you shove the name tag in his eyeballs so that he's both deaf and blind. (No, I'm not actually advocating this, but he shouldn't be a penis when you're trying to be nice.)
gracehi 33
He he... "Penis."
perdix 31
I hope you know the sign language gesture for "asshole."
karlcolt45 19
I think that's just that one finger...but my sign language is sloppy
karlcolt45 19
I think that's just that one finger...but my sign language is sloppy...
perdix 31
#30, I looked it up. It's the OK sign at chest level, or tap the side of your head twice with the letter A. I'm glad I double-checked that one. I thought it was turn around, bend over and spread your cheeks.
gracehi 33
I learned the sign for "ass hole" when I saw "The Replacements." I can now call deaf people ass holes. :)
perdix 31
#30, 35, are you sure you are not confused with the sign for "The Shocker?" I don't think "Two in the pink, one in the stink" is officially part of ASL.
Teddzz 19
Lol. maybe he's tired of people trying to figure out how to communicate with him
o76923 8
I agree that the OP was probably just trying to be nice but to the (admittedly few) people I know that regularly use sign language, finger spelling is annoying except when absolutely necessary. Many of us learn that 26 character alphabet but most signing is actually based on gestures for words, not letters. The main use of letters is actually proper nouns where it's a letter combined with a gesture (for example Michael Jordan might be making an m shape with your fingers while doing the gesture for basketball). So while I understand that you were trying to be nice, there is a reason that he was annoyed. I guess I'm just trying to say there are two sides to the issue and hopefully other people can learn from the OP's accident.
lysx84 24
Surely op would have to finger spell their name (having forgotten about the name tag), what with them presumably not being a famous basketball star?
Jamerina3 10
Still isn't an excuse for him to be a dick about it.
Mossears133 15
Regardless of how "annoying" it is, that guy should've been grateful that OP was able and willing to use sign language to communicate with him!
morella_xx 29
I'm sure that if OP was confident enough in his/her skills in sign language to talk to a customer using it, s/he wasn't spelling out "h-e-l-l-o w-e-l-c-o-m-e t-o _____ I-m _______." OP was probably using the proper gestures for those words. This guy was just a dick.
Iknoweverything 29
Actually, I agree with 23. As someone who IS partially deaf, you wouldn't believe how many people think spelling their name in introduction is supposed to brighten my day. And 99% of the time, that's the ONLY sign they know. (other than flipping people off.) OP didn't say they knew more sign language, just that they introduced themselves. If the customer was trying to get stuff done, (get in and get out) the interaction was not only unnecessary, but also time consuming and annoying. It's just like in foreign countries, where it takes too long to communicate via whatever language you know, and the locals start speaking in English. Sometimes it's just easier to read lips. Go ahead and thumb me down like 23, I expect anyone who is NOT deaf would disagree, because they don't have the experience to understand.
RedPillSucks 33
Well, we don't know that OP was finger spelling anything other than their name. Perhaps they were fluent (enough) but it's hard to avoid spelling your name.
shak1273 2
I can see where you're coming from. But still, OP was trying to be polite. Instead of rolling his eyes and being a dick, he could have just pointed at her nametag and maybe smiled, to show that it wasn't necessary but it was nice to try. Even if he was in a hurry, there was no need for the eye-rolling. OP didn't give much information, but I'm just assuming that she knew sign language pretty well, but I guess there's no way to tell if that's true.
shineelover01 10
Some Deaf people are rude. I know, still not an excuse, but you have to try and understand it from a deaf person's pov.
Rana16 4
The amount of creativity in this comment is so damn high!