I am not a fan of the trend of sports or news casters set up in a public place with a background of passersby. I think they’re noisy, distracting, and gimmicky. They also tend to bring out ape-like behavior on those in the background. Both CNN and MSNBC have done this for major campaign events, in particular the debates.

Onlookers have used the ability to “get on TV” to display various signs advertising their political or social views. During the third debate, at UNLV, I got a kick out of a sign someone had made about “Daef people”…

I wasn’t sure who “Daef people” were, but apparently they need equal access (to something; couldn’t tell at this point).

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Obviously, the sign maker meant deaf people, and as someone born with a serious hearing deficit (and who is progressively becoming deaf in my older age), I certainly sympathize with the cause.

But I am going to mock someone who apparently cares a great deal about an issue, but [a] not their spelling of the key word of that issue, or [2] their own precision in putting forth their point.

If you can’t even spell the key word of your issue, why should I take you seriously?

Apparently someone clued them in at some point, and they tried to correct the sign:

And now we can sort of see what deaf people need access to: Jobs.

I guess they ran out of ink in their Sharpie to fill in the lower words or do a good correction to the all-important key word.

Why am I picking on someone trying to make a good point (and a point I support)?

Cause [1] I’m an asshole (never denied that), and [b] I’m so god-damned sick and tired of living in a world filled with wall-to-wall fuckups and half-assary. How is it even possible for someone to misspell the central word of their whole deal?

Gives us daef people a bad name, it does. (One might think that text would be all the more cherished by those who can’t hear speech.)

Note to everyone: Check your work. Twice.

Especially if you’re going to advertise it on the TV machine.

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Reminds me a bit of an old bathroom wall graffiti joke:

First writer: I like grils!

Second writer: You mean girls!

Third writer: Hey, what about us grils?!

Check your work! Check it twice!

Spelling matters.