Every
American Needs To Hear This !!!
It Appears There Are Very Few
American
Politicians Willing To Take A Stand
For Our Great Country...
We Are So Concerned With Being Politically
Correct, We Are Destroying The Greatest
Country In The World.
This Englishman Makes More Sense Than
Most Of Our Politically Correct
Politicians.
It is Time To Wake Up America!!!
Listen To This and Demand Better From Our
Elected Representatives.
EVERYONE
IN
AMERICA
NEEDS
TO
VIEW
THIS
VIDEO......
this
guy
has
more
SPINE
than
our
535
Federal
House
members...
|
SAY Thank YOU...
To Our Troops With A GESTURE
Have you ever seen one of our military walking past you and
wanted to convey to them your thanks, but weren't sure how
or it felt awkward?
Recently, a gentleman from Seattle created a gesture which
could be used and has started a movement to get the word out.
Please everybody take just a moment to watch...
The Gratitude Campaign....
THEN START USING THE SIGN.
http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/shortmovie.php
Special
Articles
Those Born 1920-1979
To Kill An
American
Professor
Wichman Email
Baker Company U.S. Marine Corps
9-11 Trucker
You Could Have
Heard A Pin Drop
Mike
Monsoor An American Hero
How to Sign
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart":
The sign we are using is intended to communicate "thank you from the bottom of my heart."
To make the sign simply place your hand on your heart as though you're saying the Pledge of Allegiance.
Then pull your hand down and out, bending at the elbow (not the wrist), stopping for a moment at about
the belly button with your hand flat, palm up, angled toward the person you're thanking.
According to Norman Heimgartner, Ed.D., author of "Behavioral Traits of Deaf Children" and former
Professor of Education at the University of Puget Sound, this sign originated in France in the late 1700's,
and was published in "Theorie des Signes", a dictionary of signs by the Abbe Sicard. The sign was brought
to the United States in 1816 by the Reverend Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, founder of the American School
for the Deaf, who later modified it to start at the chin rather than at the heart. That sign is now the standard
sign for "thank you" in American Sign Language (ASL). The original sign, starting at the heart, is less
commonly known today and might now be considered "slang".
For more information on American Sign Language, please see www.aslta.org.
Using the standard ASL sign for "Thank You" was our original plan for this campaign. We loved the idea
that our campaign, in addition to thanking those who serve, might also bring some awareness to the hearing
impared, just as an added bonus. But when we considered the context in which this will be used we had some
concerns. Unlike other situations where people are using ASL conversationally in public, our sign is used
largely at random from one passing stranger to another. It is the only sign being used - there isn't any other
use of Sign to give the receiver a context for the sender using "sign language". So this sign will come off as a
passing gesture all on its own. Our concern was that, if the receiver is not familiar with ASL (which is more
likely than not going to be the case) they might mistake the ASL sign for Thank You for another well-known
gesture that also uses one hand just under the chin - a rather offensive gesture. We didn't want those who
serve to think that people were telling them to "_____ off." This is especially of concern because there are
those who, even in this day and age, will spit on our Troops or call them offensive names if they disagree with
something our Troops have been tasked with doing by our politicians.
So, instead, we chose this sign because it starts at the heart. So even if the receiver doesn't know exactly
what it means yet, they'll know it comes from your heart, and that it is likely a good thing. And, although the
down side is that we are not teaching anyone ASL, the up side is that we are teaching a completely unique sign,
with a unique message for a unique audience.
We hope that makes sense...
The Story of
HOW IT BEGAN:
For the past several years as I've been traveling
on business, I've been approaching military
personnel in airports and thanking them for serving
for us. The vast majority of the times that I've
done this it has been a wonderful experience.
However, I am not proud to admit that there have
been times when I couldn't muster up the nerve to
approach a stranger. On a few occasions I noticed
that it felt a little awkward for both of us. There
are several reasons for this, some of which I am
even just now learning as I produce this film and
talk to more Service Men & Women and Veterans. Upon
further reflection, I suppose it shouldn't be
surprising that it is sometimes awkward to approach
a stranger when most of us have been socialized
since childhood not to talk to strangers. So if we
resist talking to strangers at all, it's not
surprising that we sometimes find it difficult to
open our hearts to one to the extent of thanking
them for our very Freedom. But I learned to resist
my conditioning, and thank them anyway. They have
always appreciated being thanked, and I have always
felt better having expressed my gratitude.
The few awkward times and the times that I just
couldn't do it for whatever reason got me thinking
that it would be nice if civilians had a gesture or
sign, similar to a military salute, that they could
use to express their gratitude quickly and easily
without even having to approach. I did some research
and found this sign, originating in 18th century
France which, fully translated, means "thank you
from the bottom of my heart."
My next challenge was, how do I spread this
message? I called a client, The Seattle Seahawks,
and I told them that I wanted to share this sign
with people as a means of expressing their gratitude
when circumstances did not allow for a verbal "thank
you", or when they weren't comfortable approaching a
stranger. The Seahawks suggested that I make a video
about this that they could air at their games. I
partnered with Amy Sedgwick of Mousehouse
Productions, and we made this video. It aired for
the first time at a Seattle Seahawks game on
September 23rd, 2007. Since then the video has
spread, and millions of people have seen it and are
now using The Sign.
Is this limited to the military? Not at all. If
you look around you I'm sure that you'll find lots
of people who are serving their communities, from
local to global. If you appreciate their service,
give them a sign. Say "thank you from the bottom of
my heart."
- Scott Truitt,
FOUNDER,
thegratitudecampaign
