Good morning/afternoon/evening. Today I have given myself the choice to write about either The Golden Globe Nominations or the now-professed-confessed "fake" Nelson Mandela Memorial Service Sign Language Interpreter. Which one is too easy, and which one could cause trouble for my Up Way Too Early Brain to properly address? C'mon. You guess.
Of course I'll take the challenge of the Interpreter. Why not force the Grey Cells into action and submission to bring substance to a currently blank page where Words Need To Be Written?
I'm also choosing the Interpreter Fiasco because Thamsanqua Jantjie, the Focus of the Embarrassment of watching someone seemingly Sign Language gibberish, has now joined the astute masses and Deaf People in the rising "Boo-Hiss" of WTF was he doing up there on a podium with World Leaders if he didn't know what he was doing, by stating that he is Schizophrenic and was having a rather unusual episode of his illness while on stage.
Imagine, should his claim be true, that you are to be The Sign Language Person for a World Event honoring a personage of Nelson Mandela's stature and spiritual relevance throughout the world, then suddenly discover that you are hallucinating a plethora of angels while in the midst of Mandela tributes? How strange that must have been – which is what Jantjie has stated. And, in a way, how fitting.
If he is indeed ill, and prone to violent outbursts as he has admitted, then Why Was He Chosen To Be There At All? We spend millions all over the world – the U.S. and Other Countries, to provide Security for World Leaders of any ilk to keep potentially unstable people far from close proximity to Our Chosen (or not) Ones. Someone who is Just That – not consistently "all there" – is both a Huge Security Breach as well as fodder for perhaps unkind yet Dark Humour jokes.
But, when one reads the words of this man, you have to wonder once again, WTF? Who hired him? How was he vetted? From an interview with AP, Jantjie said the following about his condition and the violent side-effects of when he is having an "episode" and how aware he was of all of the Heavy Security with Strong Firearms who were standing near his spot on the podium that day.
"Sometimes I react violent on that place. Sometimes I will see things that chase me. And remember those people, the president and everyone, they were armed, there was armed police around me. If I start panicking I'll start being a problem. I have to deal with this in a manner so that I mustn't embarrass my country."
I have compassion and understanding for anyone with a "condition" (except "affluenza" – see yesterday's post). Therefore, without knowing the facts of whether or not his claims are true, I'll simply state that regardless of whatever was going on with him during his job as one who must communicate clearly with their hands, someone made a serious mistake in judgment by hiring anyone with a tendency toward violence, as well as Previous Un-Reliability On The Job. The Mandela Memorial was not the first time Jantjie has received complaints from other Event-Goers and Deaf Organizations for absolutely incomprehensible signing.
They should have hired a Mime. They're quite clear in silent communication and wonderfully entertaining, no?
For the most recent developments on the story, check THIS OUT.
Have a Wonderful Whatever!
Image via: http://images.fineartamerica.com
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