Opinion on Super Bowl ASL disasters

This is my opinion, from Alex Abenchuchan, the Daily Moth founder. This is just an opinion video, an ASL editorial.

The Super Bowl ASL performances have been an annual disaster for the Deaf community who are watching on TV. It’s usually a frustrating experience.

It won’t change as long as the NAD is in bed with the NFL and the founder of Love Sign, Alexis Kashar.

The NAD needs Kashar to have access to the NFL.

Kashar has used this power to start a couple of businesses, RosebyANDER, a jewelry company with ILY handshapes, and Love Sign, a new company to sell ILY products on NFL apparel. She also benefits from hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of free advertising on the most-watched TV program of the year, the Super Bowl.

I saw the ASL performers this year and past years wearing Kashar’s business products. It’s not appropriate.

If you go back a few months in October, during the NAD Breakthrough Awards Gala, the NAD awarded Kashar with “Entrepreneur of the Year Award.” This is after Kashar’s Love Sign company was a large sponsor of the gala.

Ah. So if you want to get a big award from the NAD, I suggest you sponsor the NAD! Conflict of interest? Don’t worry. Important, you get to go to the Super Bowl!

The Love Sign logo looks like two ASL handshapes placed next to each other to make it seem blurry. Maybe to signify ILY in a moving manner. But it does make me cross-eyed. It’s like when I’m at an eye exam and I’m trying to figure out what I’m looking at. I’m seeing double.

That’s exactly how I feel when I am trying to watch both the ASL performance and the hearing broadcast at the same time. I’m seeing double. I prefer to just focus on the main broadcast and then watch the ASL performance later.

But last night, when watching the halftime performance by Shaheem, I couldn’t understand what he was signing. Honestly, it was like watching a fake interpreter. After the performance, I saw Howard and Alexis all hyped up, hugging the performers. They said, “Great job!”

Why were they jumping up and celebrating? I feel that they simply don’t care.

I think they probably already orgasmed from seeing the words, “National Association of the Deaf” appear in the pregame ceremonies. Also, Kashar felt satisfied after she saw her business products displayed with free advertising to millions of viewers. It’s worth it. All the hate and the criticism from the Deaf community. It’s worth it. They wipe their tears with a Love Sign jacket.

I feel that they are out of touch with the Deaf community who are watching from home. They don’t understand how we feel. Looking on social media, it’s easy to see the real frustration that Deaf people feel and express. But they don’t get it.

Would I rather have nothing? No ASL at all? Maybe. Maybe nothing is better.

But as long as Howard wants to use the NAD platform to get fun trips to Super Bowls, and as long Kashar is allowed to use her business to get free exposure, we’ll keep on seeing hype and end up getting the short end of the stick.

I’m sad to say this, but nothing will change as long as the NAD is in bed with the NFL and Love Sign. Howard has been the CEO of NAD since 2011. Maybe it’s time for a change? Change the bedsheets? Change the mattress?

Feel free to share your thoughts below, if you agree or disagree or have different thoughts. I’ll select the comments and follow up tomorrow.