Clerk Thought Deaf Customer was Rude and Clubbed Him with a Crowbar

1. Leah
   October 9th, 2007 at 8:36 pm

   Good Lord. This is the kind of crazy stuff that I worry will happen to my Deaf son as he gets older and goes out into the hearing world by himself.

2. Miss Cellania
   October 9th, 2007 at 8:43 pm

   Oh, what a mistake! AS IF genuine rudeness justifies a crowbar attack.

3. Lea
   October 9th, 2007 at 8:45 pm

   There's more to this. If he simply thought he was rude, there'd be a helluva lot more people who have been clubbed in the head by this dude.

4. cybele
   October 9th, 2007 at 9:00 pm

   Here's a more complete version of the story:

   http://www.star-telegram.com/629/story/257747.html

   That one doesn't banish it to the "strange" part of the news.

   What I find oddest about the clerk's story is that he says that he thought the customer was going to attack him (that's why he clubbed him). Of course he didn't report it to the police, instead erased the security tape.

5. MoniA
   October 9th, 2007 at 9:26 pm

   This sounds awful. Just terrible. cybele, I read that article. It mentioned that he thought the customer he clubbed had made a racial remark. Maybe he really took offence to it because of that and the fact that it looeked like he was being ignored freaked him out. Maybe it really pushed his buttons that someone ignored him or refused to speak to him. You never know what might set some people off. This may sound weird but I think I'd carry a little card with me to show people I had interaction with that I was deaf. Still, I totally don't blame the deaf man.

6. Ali S.
   October 9th, 2007 at 9:33 pm

   Wow. Are you kidding me? Supposed rudeness justifies an assault? I say they should sue the pantaloons off of that man.

7. Alex
   October 9th, 2007 at 11:32 pm

   Yeah ... he erased the security tape, a sure sign of admitting guilt.

8. kerozene
   October 10th, 2007 at 12:50 am

   Hmmm but was it a $1 crowbar?

9. Gellner
   October 10th, 2007 at 4:14 am

   It's Texas. You guys are surprised?

10. Leah
    October 10th, 2007 at 7:08 am

    Monia said:
    "I think I’d carry a little card with me to show people I had interaction with that I was deaf."

    Some Deaf people carry cards and notes for the hearing.

    For my son (who is also mildly mentally retarded) I put cards in his jacket, backpack, and "trapper keeper" that tell anyone he shows (or if they find him) that he is Deaf, and it provides our contact information. On the back of the card, it says, "I am Deaf, please help me."

11. Sid Morrison
    October 10th, 2007 at 7:40 am

    Rochester, where I (sadly) live, has a huge deaf population on account of a couple deaf schools here. It's very common to have hearing people try to communicate with deaf cashiers and vice versa. People seems to deal with it OK. I don't recall anybody getting clubbed over it, anyhow.

    About the only tension I can recall is from hearing friends who lived in a dorm at college with a lot of deaf people. Everything was peachy except the deaf folks liked to play their music REALLY REALLY loud (even if totally deaf, they stll feel the vibrations) and some of the deaf folks were unaware their amorous adventures in the sack were also very loud.

12. Jonn
    October 10th, 2007 at 10:44 am

    I'm unfortunately not surprised... people are so dumb - the sad consequence of living in a country where education, if not tolerance, is not given quite the emphasis it should be.

    But boy, if he isn't going to get some money...

13. KiM
    October 10th, 2007 at 1:03 pm

    Hej, I'm deaf myself. I can speak well enough to communicate w/ hearing people but need to see their mouth during speaking bec I rely on lip reading in order to understand them.

    I know many deaf people who can only sign but never have witnessed such an idiotic attack on them. Maybe staring bec of the signing, but THAT? That clerk has clearly some mental problems .. I'd say that the clerk is the one who's disabled, not his deaf victim.

14. ted
    October 10th, 2007 at 4:13 pm

    I agree with Lea.

    We are only reading one side of the story. It is possible that he was rude to the clerk, and the clerk way over-reacted.

    Deaf people are human beings, too. How do you know he's not just taking advantage of his impairment now, for sympathy?

    If he could hear, and the clerk attacked him because he mumbled, would this be such big news?

15. david
    October 10th, 2007 at 9:45 pm

    gellner theres no need to go into stereotypes. okay? good.

16. Noelegy
    October 13th, 2007 at 10:53 am

    Thanks, Gellner. There are stupid people everywhere, you know.

    (Texan)

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