goodness me, you are really rude aren't you?

How many deaf/hard of hearing people do you actually know? I can assure you I do not speak slowly, nor do I repeat myself or exaggerate my words. Furthermore, I don't need anyone to speak slowly to me, in fact that's the worst thing you can do when speaking to a deaf person, it makes it harder to understand not easier.

I received numerous text messages after that episode from my deaf friends, all expressing anger at Debra.

I am jumping on no bandwagon. I am stating the truth - that it was offensive. Deafness is not something funny.

Thanks for the welcome from the other person whose name I forgot.

Hear hear...and what is so wrong about being English anyway? I'm sure that all countries have issues they are ashamed of. I don't think we're so different. By making a big fuss of it, people are discriminating against the English...

Too many gin and tonics tonight...but that's probably cos I'm English.

God never thought I'd defend being English, but I've never understood why there's so much fuss about race. I think we should all behave considerately towards everyone anyway, but I think its not very fair that we should only be PC about other countries and cultures.

Who's complaining about the English?

Well there's a few on here who are not happy to be English even if they have been born in England.

Oh I think I know the comment you're referring to - I was bewildered by that too. If you're born and raised in England you're English, people who fail to accept it fail to accept reality.

Nobody, not even Debra, claimed deaf people talk like that.


Nor did Debra say that was a good thing. However, whether it helps you or not, people do sometimes talk more slowly to deaf people, and Lorraine was doing her presentation in a similar manner. That's all Debra meant. It wasn't a slight on deaf people. It was a criticism of Lorraine.


I'm sorry, but they misunderstood what she said.

It took you to your fifth or sixth post to say so after it had been exhaustively explained to you. Now you've got nothing better to do than resort to condescension and personal attack.

Having read all the posts, it seems like we're all fairly divided on whether her comment was offensive or not. When I saw it on Wednesday evening, I felt that it was a stupid thing to say although I don't think Yasmina's motives for saying it were racist.

Nonetheless, I agree with Debra's handling of it. I'm not a Debra fan at all (in fact, the sooner she goes, the better). But I think the panellists on "You're Fired" should at least have acknowledged that it was an inappropriate thing to say, rather than puting all the blame on Debra for reacting to it. If I made that sort of comment in front of a client at my own work then I'd expect a backlash..... so much so, that I'd never say it even if I was thinking it.

Here's to a good series........ hopefully

You are missing the point entirely. There was no need to mention deaf people at all.

Why not simply criticise how she is speaking - my father is a slow speaker and my mother always jokes "where's his key? he needs winding up"...

There was nothing wrong with what she said. People have taken offence only because they misunderstood it.

And she did criticise how she was speaking. There's nothing wrong with her making her language a bit more colourful with a comparison.

It would be more boring if there wasn't any controversy that we couldn't argue about!

I didn't think Yasmina was racist, or that Debra's reaction was necessary. I did think that Yasmina was tactless though!

JesusChrist.

This world has gone too PC

Enough said