# I hate movies/TV shows with deaf people **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2002, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036 "2002-12-11T17:22:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BZ00000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@BZ00000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BZ00000)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/1 "2002-12-11T17:22:48Z")
Whenever I watch a movie with a deaf person, when they sign something to someone, the hearing person repeats what they say out loud. For example they sign, “Hey I want to get some pizza.” And the other person will say, “What, you want to get some pizza…” then go on with what they want to say. This is so stupid. God just use subtitles or something. This dumb tactic completely destroys Children of a Lesser God. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/2 "2002-12-11T17:52:48Z")
So, actually, you hate movies/TV shows with mute people. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/3 "2002-12-11T17:54:17Z")
What’s that, Lassie? BZ00000 fell in the well again? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/4 "2002-12-11T17:58:17Z")
Maybe they’re repeating things back because they’ve seen those Sprint wireless commercials. “I thought you wanted me to buy a monkey with a cold!” ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/5 "2002-12-11T18:10:44Z")
Hey, I want to get some pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/6 "2002-12-11T18:23:28Z")
**Lego** , you say you want to get some pizza? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/7 "2002-12-11T18:29:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BZ00000 \* > \*\*Whenever I watch a movie with a deaf person, when they sign something to someone, the hearing person repeats what they say out loud. For example they sign, “Hey I want to get some pizza.” And the other person will say, “What, you want to get some pizza…” then go on with what they want to say. This is so stupid. God just use subtitles or something. This dumb tactic completely destroys Children of a Lesser God. \*\* When I worked with a child that signed, I never held up cue cards to tell people what she said, so I don’t see how subtitles would be more realistic. In reality people translating for a person who doesn’t speak actually do tell the audience what the signer said, go figure.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/8 "2002-12-11T19:08:06Z")
I think **BZ** is talking about these stupid “translations” when the speakers are supposed to be having a private conversation. It would be like having a friend sitting in my living room and saying she’d like to watch Iron Chef, and me saying, “Oh, you’d like to watch Iron Chef? It’s on channel 40, you say? OK!” Now, if my friend was speaking German and a second, non-German-speaking friend was there, I’d translate for them. Subtitles make much more sense for communicating any conversation that doesn’t take place in spoken English in American TV & movies. ---
**Author:** ![BZ00000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@BZ00000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BZ00000)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/9 "2002-12-11T19:10:45Z")
I was talking about a scene with just to people, where nobody else in the scene. I don’t think in real life a person would repeat everything back to the mute person. I think subtitles would be better because it would be similiar to one character speaking French, it is just another language that most of the audience would not understand. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/10 "2002-12-11T19:16:11Z")
> [@](#): > > When I worked with a child that signed, I never held up cue cards to tell people what she said, so I don’t see how subtitles would be more realistic. In reality people translating for a person who doesn’t speak actually do tell the audience what the signer said, go figure. I think the OP means in a conversation between just the deaf person and one other person. Where repeating stuff is totally unrealistic. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/11 "2002-12-11T20:20:11Z")
Well, on TV people do this on the phone too. “Oh, Bob’s bringing the kids over for dinner? No problem. What?! He’s bringing his WIFE too?!?!? Yes, I know he told you that he has to bring her because of Grandpa’s will.” ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/12 "2002-12-11T22:13:55Z")
**Lemur866** said what I was going to say. It’s merely a storytelling convention, nothing more. It’s exactly like how foreigners speak English in American movies (but the accent signals they’re not speaking English), or how there’s always a parking space right in front of where the hero needs to go, or there’s a loaf of bread sticking out of the grocery bag so you know what’s in it, or whatever. It’s a piece of storytelling shorthand that’s easier and more streamlined than trying to treat the material “realistically,” as it allows you to zip through exposition and get to what the story is _really_ about. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/13 "2002-12-11T22:16:17Z")
I think “I hate expository echolalia” would have been a cooler thread title. But then, I’m heavily medicated. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/14 "2002-12-11T22:21:24Z")
If Superman were deaf…and a robot…and a dog…and could go back in time…oh nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![BZ00000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@BZ00000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BZ00000)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/15 "2002-12-11T22:22:02Z")
Actually, it the specific practice with people who sign. It just comes across as the speaking character is treating the person signing as an idoit or a child. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/16 "2002-12-11T22:35:47Z")
I have a friend with a sever speech impediment, and I repeat what he says for confirmation. Could that possibly be the case here? It’s been a while since I’ve seen that movie… was he slow at reading sign? I figure the reason why one would talk while sighing would be for lip reading. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/17 "2002-12-11T22:36:10Z")
The one-sided TV phone conversation always bugs me when the person dialing begins the conversation by identifying the peson called, such as: “Hello, 9-1-1? Yes, I’d like to report an emergency…” “Hello, Bob’s Butcher Shop? I’d like to place an order for…” ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/18 "2002-12-11T22:47:29Z")
You’d REALLY hate old Lassie episodes. ---
**Author:** ![YPOD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e99b99/32.png) [@YPOD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YPOD)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/19 "2002-12-11T23:28:44Z")
If you guys go out for pizza, can we get sausage and pepperoni on it? ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036/20 "2002-12-11T23:45:28Z")
This always bothered me about Star Wars. R2-D2: ::Beep boop tweet:: C-3PO: No, Artoo, I will not hop up and down on one leg while singing the Imperial Anthem in falsetto and holding a chicken under my arm. Try this kind of conversation at home, or around the office. Just pretend every other line isn’t there, and see how far you get. Friend: Are you hungry? Brahe: Yes, I’m a little hungry. F: I’ve got a microwave pizza, or we could go get some Carl’s. B: Both of your suggestions are fine. We could have the microwavable pizza, or we could go get Carl’s. F: I just said that. B: Yes, you did just say that. F: Stop that! B: “Stop that!”? Stop what? F: You’re acting like a five-year-old. B: I am not acting like a five-year-old. F: Don’t make me smack you. B: Are you threatening to smack me? F: ::Smacks Brahe:: B: Ow! You smacked me! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-movies-tv-shows-with-deaf-people/142036.md?page=2)