In a “Useless But True Facts” email I received, one of the “facts” was that Alfred Hitchcock was born without a bellybutton.
Is that true? If not, is it even possible?
Another “fact” is that deaf people, on average, have a safer driving record than hearing people.
I never even realized that deaf people could drive. I would think that being able to hear what is going on around you is essential to being able to drive safely. Then again, when we’ve got hearing people driving with the radio blaring while talking on a cell phone, and eating a Big Mac not being able to hear seems like such a trivial problem.
Yes, it’s true. Fortunately for his fans, Hitch’s life was saved by a timely navel transplant operation at the age of 2. The donor was a child with two bellybuttons.
Nope he was born with a belly button but according to a web site: Karen Black said that Hitch told her he had no belly button, and then proceeded to show her the location where it used to be. Seemed he had so many operations that they stitched it up.
Deaf people can drive. I had several ASL teachers who were nightmares behind the wheel. I ran into them (well almost) on the road all the time on my way to class.
I’m sure they don’t represent the majority though…
My little sister had surgery to fix a hernia in her belly. The surgeons chose to go in through the bellybutton to avoid creating a scar on the surrounding skin. As a result, her formerly “outtie” bellybutton is now an “innie”.
it doesn’t seem like the dmv would let deaf people drive. i don’t know anyone who’s deaf and drives, or anyone who’s deaf and doesn’t drive, come to think of it. but you wouldn’t be able to hear sirens and honks and small children screaming. maybe they have to keep their driving on the dl if the dmv doesn’t give them licenses, so that’s why they’re better drivers - to avoid getting pulled over and getting in trouble? i don’t know.
i know someone who doesn’t have a bellybutton due to a hernia operation. he just has a line. it kind of freaks me out. i think that they’re just as much there for nutrients in the womb and whatnot as they’re there for decoration. because a bellybuttonless stomach doesn’t look right, even if you are a brilliant film person.
Isn’t that why “ambulance” is painted backwards on the front of ambulances? for people who can’t hear the sirens? If it’s right up on you and you can’t see the lights and can’t hear the siren, you can always read the sign in your mirror.
that’s a good point, ZipperJJ. i never thought of that. but that made me think of, why is blasting your music against the law (or well, you can get pulled over for it and fined)? i always thought it was so you wouldn’t make people unable to hear sirens and small children, but if deaf people can drive, maybe it’s just because it’s annoying.
I would find it very surprising if Alfred Hitchcock were born with a belly button, since I don’t know of anyone who was. Most folks are born with an umbilical cord, the severing of which results in a belly button.
In the state where I first got a license, deaf people certainly were allowed to be licensed. They had to use oversized side mirrors, though, like you’d use on a motorhome.
I used to work near the National Tech. Inst. for the Deaf (at Rochester Inst. of Tech.).
A lot of experience around deaf drivers. I don’t think a deaf driver alone in a car is really that much of a problem (how would you tell? Signing to themselves?) but you get a deaf driver and a passenger who signs, Look the Bleep Out. Makes driving while talking on the phone look safe by comparison. Incredibly dangerous situations kept coming up. Out of the ordinary and then some. Sheesh. Not that college kids in general are all that good. (Hmm, the local tech school’s students are notoriously bad. Maybe it’s the “tech”?)
Don’t sign and drive. Passengers, keep your hands down.
What I think the “fact” is referring to is a percentage rather than a literal count of accidents by deaf people.
For example:
In a certain town, there are 20,000 non-hearing impaired drivers.
Of these 20,000 drivers, 400 of them have accidents.
This results in a 2% accident rate.
In the same town, there are 100 deaf drivers.
Of these 100 deaf drivers, 10 of them have accidents.
This results in a 10% accident rate.
Even though the literal count of accidents involving deaf drivers is far less than the literal count of accidents involving non-hearing impaired drivers, the percentage of accidents involving deaf drivers is far greater than the literal count of accidents involving non-hearing impaired drivers.
I think the “fact” is actually reffering to the opposite. The “fact” says (to paraphrase) “Deaf drivers are safer”. Presumeably either this is actually true in terms of % of deaf-driver crashes compared to % of deaf drivers, or it’s (most certainly true) in terms of numbers of deaf-driver crashes verses hearing-driver crashes. The same could be said for domestic animals (please don’t think I’m comparing the hearing impaired with domestic animals), dogs and cats have far fewer car crashes than people and are therefore, safer drivers.
Of course, it could just be that when you can’t hear, you are a very cautious driver.
As for the belly button thing. As was said before, people are born with umbilical cords, not belly buttons.
> In a “Useless But True Facts” email I received . . .
We get people asking about these things all the time, and they’re always such a mixture of lies, half-truths, and true but useless information that I don’t consider them worth our time to think about. I think we should just tell people to send them back to the person who sent them with the comment: “Could you please give me citations for the accuracy of these statements?”.