Chapter 13 :)

For Hearing People Only Chapter 13 "ILY"                                                                             

Chapter 13 was so interesting!!! It was like I learned something new about the ILY sign in every sentence. I didn't know that ILY wasn't ASL, it is so commonly used I guess I took for granted that it was true ASL. 

Jimmy Carter being in touch with the deaf community is another new concept to me. I think it is awesome that the (former) President of the United States took the time to acknowledge the deaf community in a language that they could understand, and the whole world could see. It is unfortunate however, that VP Walter Mondale attempted to show ILY and accidentally flashed the similar sing for "bullshit." 

http://www.alldeaf.com

Another event described in this chapter involved a soldier during Operation Desert Storm standing on a tank and flashing the "I LOVE YOU" sign. Perhaps my favorite event in this chapter was the one involving a young girl who had learned the I LOVE YOU sign on Sesame Street. Reading this story gave me the chills, this girl saw a deaf couple standing on the side of the road flashing the ILY sing, the girl yelled to her father to stop and help the people they are deaf! Stories like these are amazing, this chapter has made me even more sure that I will never regret my decision of taking ASL.

Not only did this chapter have lots of inspirational (and not so inspirational) stories about the I LOVE YOU sign, but it offered some insightful help about using the ILY sign with deaf people. I did not know that flashing the sign up close as opposed to a longer distance changed the meaning of the sign. But I guess its like the context of the word in English. 

The ILY sign has become commercialized through television and its use by influential people as well as the hearing community in general trying to find a common ground with the deaf community.  When I think about English being commercialized, it becomes a hard concept to grasp. I see English everywhere so I guess in a way every language has some aspect of commercialization.