Is AG Bell Afraid of Something?
This advertisement does not promote sign language but it does showcase deaf culture and show sign language in a positive light. Pepsi has gotten a lot of free publicity from this commercial and no footballs have even been thrown yet. Of course AG Bell noticed, and is concerned that sign language is getting so much positive, free publicity. That much is obvious from AG Bell's choice to respond this way to the Pepsi commercial.
Perhaps a future Pepsi commercial will have little deaf kids as cute as any in an Oscar Mayer commercial, wearing cochlear implants and using sign language with their voices. Will AG Bell object to that? For the record, I don't like to drink soda - any brand of soda.
Deaf Blogs on the AG Bell Response to the Pepsi Ad. Overall, deaf bloggers feel that AG Bell is whining and making much ado about nothing:
- MishkaZena - This blog posting includes a download link for a PDF of the actual letter from AG Bell.
- Children of the Eye
- Tayler Mayer
- Shane Feldman
- John Egbert
- Deaf Chipmunk (vlog)
- Gary Brooks Show
Comments
Where’s the source for this information or is this merely conjecture in the blogging world?
A. G. Bell represents the people who choose to allow children to use spoken language. So it stands to reason that they would suggest to Pepsi that not all deaf individuals utilize sign. And, indeed, they do not. That is a perfectly acceptable message, but it’s not one that many deaf bloggers want to hear, since some apparently want to force parents to use sign in each and every circumstance. Parents know what works best for their own children, and many have found that spoken language IS their child’s natural language.
Amen!
Being a mom of hearing impaired children, the commercial seemed to bring levity to a very heavy hearted subject. Pepsi, in all it’s fattening glory, has given the deaf community reason to feel like they are a part of the world. Not some hidden members only society. 90% of all deaf children are born to hearing parents. That is a statistic that can not be ignored. The use of sign language is an option that only the parents of that particular child can make. We chose to go the whole route. Sign language and speech. I can not say that AG Bell is hiding something, but I can say that they are trying to keep the deaf community as a members only community, and that is a shame in itself. Sign language is a beautiful language and should be shared with everyone.
I felt it was extremely poor sportmanship of AGBell to object to the ASL ads.
ASL language IS the Deaf child’s PURE natural language!
Is AG Bell afraid of something?
My answer: Yes, Reason AGBELL doesn’t want lose their business.
I’m very happy with Pepsi Company created Deaf Commercial. ASL (Sign Languages) is extreme beautiful. I’m Deaf Mother and 4 hearing children who can speak ASL communication with me.
Why don’t you come and see my vlog:
http://thewattsworld.blogspot.com/
Thank you very much for your time readers!
I have mentioned this issue in my blog about my disagreement with Alexander Graham Bell Association of the Deaf’s letter so I issued an email to them about my thoughts.
I have posted about “Deaf Culture and Hard of Hearing Individuals….”. I am hard of hearing and I have explained my experiences with the Deaf culture as well with the “hearing world” along with the “invisible hard of hearing world”.
AGBEll promotes a group of people who choose oralism as their way of communication for their deaf children. AGBell discriminates against anyone who makes an educated choice to learn and sign ASL. All DEAF are equal, and it is our right to choose what language we use. Providing scholarships and monetary benefits to ONLY deaf people who will speak orally is discrimination.
and using sign language with their voices.
what does that mean?
oh and i think the pepsi commercial couldve had deaf kids who speak? is there anything wrong with that?
I read about this, and I checked out AGBell’s website to read the entire letter that they sent to Pepsi. I also used the link on the AGBell website to Pepsi. The purpose for the link was for people to express their dislike for the commercial, but I used it to thank Pepsi for sharing the beautiful language of ASL with so many people.
Denise, it is not discrimination for an organization to choose who they give scholarships to. Is it discrimination for the NAACP to give scholarships only to african americans?
It is sad that no one seem to realize many of deaf children who grew up oral began to use sign language later in life. Looking back, I regret that my parents chose spoken language and would not allow me to learn sign language. The guy in the commercial went to an oral school and has cochlear implant and now he uses sign language. Is AGBell feeling threatened that many deaf adults, formerly oralists, now use sign language? Let it go AGBell!
After reading the AGBell letter (thank you for providing a path to MZ’s website to see the letter), the lack of insight on a letter that must have taken hours to write and re-write amazes me
First, how many deaf issues can be crammed into a 30-60 sec. spot? (for goodness sake!)
Secondly, to have speech occur during the commercial is the opposite of the point being made about enabling. For hearing to have to read a caption with ASL as the language, it’s education, learning, experiencing a bit of the deaf world!! They should have spoken. That’s the POINT of ENABLE!
Lastly, and in my book most importantly, to basically tell Pepsi that they could have spend their superbowl ad money more wisely by buying a gazzillion hearing aids is completely unscrupulous and totally out of line. AGBell can choose to support spoken languange for the Deaf/HOH, which is all good and fine, but to insinuate that ALL Deaf can or want to use hearing aids and THERE way is the THE WAY to support the Deaf community is out of line and shows just plain ignorance.
I’m grew up hearing. Became deaf late in life. I sign. I use a CI when I want. I spend most of my time with only the tinnitus in ringing in my ear, because I like the quiet. If Pepsi bought me a hearing aid, it would be useless, but in AGBells logic, that’s the only way the deaf should be supported. Very wrong.
Deaf people have rights to use sign language. It is good for Pepsi commerical ads gave Deaf people’s chance to join there. In my opinon, AG Bell president is not totally aware about Deaf people use sign language. Remember that we are human beings, which mean hearing and Deaf people respect with each others. We are equality! Got it?
I just thought it was nice that Pepsi had a commercial which featured the Deaf. ASL or not, I thought it was well intended.
The whole point was Pepsico eNabled which teaches DIVERSITY within the Pepsi Corporation.
In fact I tried to teach people here at my work place during our Diversity Day that there is no difference between the Hearing and the Deaf. We, the Deaf can do anything a Hearing person can do. We’re not disabled but we are in fact enabled to function just like everyone else. Bottom line we just can’t hear.
Plus how many Deaf commercials have there been? Maybe a 3 in the last 15 – 20 years. After reading that AG Bell is complaining, maybe it’ll be another 15 yrs before we see another one. Way to go AG Bell!
I am hearing and a student of ASL. I loved the Pepsi ad. I showed it to my husband and even though he doesn’t know much about deaf culture he laughed and got the joke of the ad. As for AGBell, I always felt that Bell never really did anything great for the deaf or hearing community…being of Italian descent I always believed that Antonio Meucci invented the telephone not Bell. He took advantage of a man down on his luck with little money. He made money on someone else’s unfortunate situation and now AGBell is making money on some hearing parents who wish that their deaf children can hear with CI. Why change who a person is? I am the parent of a adult child with autism. The autism is what makes her who she is. But this is just my humble opinion.
I’m a hearing student of ASL and am very proud for the opportunity to learn this beautiful language. I thought the Pepsi ad was great and sent it to all my friends and relatives. Give Deaf people a chance they can do anything hearing can.
AG Bell, and anyone who associates themselves with AG Bell need to realize that the Pepsi commercial had nothing to do with you. Pepsi in their own right decided to do an ad on Deaf Humor. That humor is OLD. It has been passed down from generation to generation. You are right Pepsi left out Oral people. I am sorry about that. I am sure many individuals would have liked to be on that commercial. My point is Pepsi decided to share with the world that Deaf Culture does exist and is doing well. That is ok. We all know your organization is pushing for Cochlear Implants and speech. That is ok too. We dont have to agree. However, we need to appreciate big business like Pepsi do see that Deaf people are just like everyone else. I dont think anyone misunderstood the joke. It has nothing to do with the myth that “All deaf people use ASL”. It has something to do with Deaf culture,not deaf people who want to celebrate hearing and sound. We know the difference. If you don’t know the difference then start getting an education. There are many successful Deaf people who prefer to use ASL. So what! There are many deaf people who prefer to be Oral. So what! Enjoy Pepsi and get on with life. Remember be careful if you drink too much Pepsi you might become deaf.
As a hearing ASL student, I found Pepsi’s ad refreshing. (Pardon the pun). Pepsi was in my opinion doing several things with the ad. 1) DEAF people are just that, people. They can do anything that hearing people can do except hear. They laugh, “drink Pepsi”, go to super bowl parties, work , tell jokes, etc.,. 2) With the ad, they opened the eyes of the hearing to these facts.
I personally applaud Pepsi in this effort.