Evidence that the entire world has jumped the shark
The sign language interpreter at Mandela’s service was an imposter.
A solemn imposter. Also—fortunately—a safe one, although no one seems to know who he is or how he got there. He was so close to Obama and other world leaders that he could have touched them, but he did them no harm except to pretend to translate their words into sign language, although deaf people immediately recognized that his signs were meaningless gibberish.
That is so absurd, so unbelievably negligent, that it outdoes any Saturday Night Live skit or Onion article. And speaking of Saturday Night Live, this is what almost immediately came to mind:
[ADDENDUM: From a commenter at Ace’s—“Dan Rather said ‘He was fake but accurate.'”]
Aye, but it fits this president and that dead terrorist. It perfectly exemplifies the truth of their falseness.
I see it as a perfect, unspoken, epitaph.
As Clint demonstrated, the chair is empty as our teenage POTUS flirts and selfies with the Denmark PM. It feels like 1929 morphing into 1939 all over again. My how time passes by so swiftly.
The South African sign interpreter correctly translated the President’s remarks: he simply flailed his arms around!
Now that’s brutal honesty, for you.
He, no doubt, had heard it all before.
“If you like your life, you can keep it.”
The security implications are chilling.
Eventually everyone will be glued to the tv to receive their authorizations and commands. But the language on tv will be complete gibberish. Idiocracy would be a better version.
The sign language translator was faking it up for money.
Meanwhile, Obama was partying it up but had to stop when his wife noticed there was a camera looking right at them.
Which one is preferable to have in a world gone mad?
So where was the REAL signer?
South Africa has had years to prepare for this and still screwed it up.
Sound familiar?
Ace’s take on it:
“The Daily Mail has a funny quote from someone who spotted the guy as a fake: he was merely “flapping his arms about.”
‘He translated Barack Obama’s statement that Nelson Mandela was “an unwavering beacon for those seeking the shores of freedom and dignity” by just miming the hand-signals from MC Hammer’s “2 Legit 2 Quit.”
This moment is so postmodern I might pass out.
Check out the moooves….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiyYozeOoKs
“Break signing” then?….
That’s good news Beverly.
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If you were a deaf viewer, you got the better part of the bargain, no doubt.
For the rest of humanity, it’s brutally flapping gums every time… so much worse than rap dancing.
He is saying his actions were brought on by a schizophrenic episode.
I think it was Wretchard who suggested that the S.A. president saw American and European politicians with signers translating them and said, “Hey, I guess that’s what the cool governments do. Get me one of those signers”. Makes as much sense as any other theory and it explains why ANC is getting all defensive about this matter.
Time was when the President of the United States was a respected, sometimes revered, and occasionally feared leader. Someone with at least a little class.
Now we just have a no class street punk; an empty suit, phony from top to bottom, back to front, inside to out; the man who wasn’t there.
How very African! If you can find a way to make a buck (rand) do it. Your cultural responsibility is to your family and clan/tribe not to the nation or to others in general.
This is a great illustration of why the future is not bright for South Africa.
Funny-sad, because it’s just so pathetic. Apparently our Secret Service is more lax than the TSA.
However, it is quite fitting for a president who is so fond of symbols while on stage, including foam columns, the numerous fainters for whom he helpfully coordinated a drink of water, his nifty “office of the president-elect” seal, and his more recent trend of citizen props (white lab coats optional). It’s all just stagecraft and illusion.
Steal third on the bunt …
Neo, that’s the best headline about this entire affair.
Lizzy, you haven’t heard about the sex parties MO and BO are using to condition the loyalty of the new black guards at the SS?
Even if a future American President is patriotic and good, he won’t be nearly as effective. He will, in fact, be ineffective because of what his predecessors did with the power. But the blame and responsibility will still be on the shoulders of the people in the future.
Reminds me of all those barbarian Roman Emperors who tried to fix the Empire. Didn’t work. Nero and Caligula had already poisoned the well.