What's wrong with Robin Williams and the Today cast?

[Alina]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...ion=Arts&pos=2

There are no words.

[CelineChic]

Apparently they think it is funny when the hearing impaired try to communicate.

I felt the urge to smack them all across the face while watching that clip. They're morons if they really think that is funny. Jerks!

[masquerade]

he is so witty for making fun of people who don't speak perfectly. lets see him try to speak a foreign language with a perfect accent or be able to speak at all without being able to hear what he is saying, then we'll see if he has a right to make fun of others for it

[softgrey]

that joke has been part of his 'bag of tricks' for years...
why is this news?...

...

[justlooking]

what was the joke? i can't open the clip...

[Alina]

Originally Posted by justlooking

what was the joke? i can't open the clip...

He was joking about how loud it was in an Iraqi airport or something where he was performing for troops. He said it was so loud that even a deaf person thought it was loud. All the while he was making inappropriate hand gestures.

It's hard enough going through life with a disability and having to conform for a society that seems to think you're dumb. Deaf people don't need Williams to exacerbate the problem.

[Ferdinanda]

Who even cares what Robin Williams has to say? Seriosuly why do the press pay him any attention?

[Alina]

Originally Posted by Ferdinanda

Who even cares what Robin Williams has to say? Seriosuly why do the press pay him any attention?

unfortunately, people do listen to him.

[mellowdrama]

Those I know in the deaf culture hardly see themselves as disabled, weaker, or disadvantaged in any way, thus using their difference as a point of humor, "It was so loud that...", isn't really knocking them. It's not so tragic that even deaf people are unable to laugh at themselves. We're all just people, here. I see Williams' doing a comedic impression of a deaf person complaining about the noise as akin to his putting on various language accents---which hopefully no one sees as offensive. He's being silly. That's what comedians do.

[softgrey]

karma for you for adding some perspective to this topic mellow...

too many people try to create drama where there isn't any imo...

[misssakura]

People want to find drama : D

[Erin]

I agree, thank you mellowdrama... though I would never make such comments myself, coming from Robin Williams, you know that it's entirely a joke... he's just poking fun.