Erykah Badu is facing backlash for appearing to mock sign language interpreters in a new video
Erykah Badu is no stranger to public scrutiny or criticism over her song choices, the men she dates and the pictures she poses with her daughter, Puma.
This time, the neo-soul singer came under fire after she posted a video on Instagram on Monday, August 29, of herself imitating a split-screen sign language interpreter with CNN’s Erin Burnett.
The audio associated with the Burnett report appears to be a description of a police press conference in 2017 on a serial killer. It appears to be a reference to interpreter Derlene Roberts, who “sat there and waved her arms as if she were singing the bells of a jingle”.
“It happened again. Another sign language interpreter is accused of signing off on complete bullshit. This time it was at the police press conference announcing the arrest of one of the people in the Tampa serial killings, where he stood aside as he… He apparently translates every word.”
The “Next Lifetime” singer took the opportunity to seemingly make a joke out of the report in a way that offended many of Badu’s followers, who lit up her comments section, saying the video was “incredibly disrespectful.”
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In the clip, the chart-topper can be seen flapping her arms and making silly gestures like “cut it off,” scratching her underarms, playing with her hair, and doing robot and King Tut dances.
Many objected to the star because of the insensitive gag inside her comment to divide.
“Ma’am this is not funny. Do you realize that deaf people actually have difficulty accessing American Sign Language? If you don’t then I am willing to teach you. This is very insensitive.”
“It’s not funny.. I hope you know that, right? It’s mockery and hurts the deaf community.”
“It’s not funny. You know what Odyssey is?!”
Hearing is the practice and belief that the ability to hear makes you superior to those who have lost the ability to hear or have lived their lives with deafness. according To Gallaudet University’s public resources.
One comment explained that Badu has no idea how blessed the deaf community is with qualified interpreters. Research from the Deaf Unit Charitable Society He says 1 in 4 people who are deaf (or hard of hearing) experience discrimination in the workplace, especially if an interpreter is not available or there is no technology to assist with communication.
“If there’s a group of deaf people in the comments saying this is garbage…maybe you’ll prioritize them and listen to them. OSD is a serious issue. The lack of trustworthy interpreters can cost people their well-being. Think of an American Sign Language interpreter who messes up in case Medical. Please apologize and read about deaf culture.”
Click here to view the full video.
Others defended Badu, noting that she was mocking those who pretend to know sign language, not the deaf community.
“I cannot accept these comments, because they are not making fun of the hearing impaired, they are making fun of the person in bad faith who stood part of this very serious police press conference and conveyed absolutely nothing to individuals for whom television is a trusted sign language interpreter.” .
“How stupid can you guys be? It’s not making fun of deaf people, it’s making fun of people who fake sign language.”
Although Badu did not make a public statement regarding the video, she did remove it from her profile feed. They can now only be viewed by going to the reels section on her Instagram page.