A Youtube commenter posted a link to a famous singer posing for a picture.
In the picture the singer (Christina Aguilera) was holding a circled thumb
and index finger over her right eye and a flat hand (with thumb extended) over
her chin.
The Youtube commenter asked me, "What do those signs mean?"
I (jokingly) replied that the closest signs to what she is doing would be a
regional version of "pineapple" and a general version of "napkin." So apparently
she is discussing how she ate a juicy pineapple and wiped her chin with a
napkin. (Or...more likely, she is not doing American Sign Language at all
and is just doing some cool, sexy gestures that have no direct connection to the
communication done in the American Deaf Community.)
Just because a person makes a gesture doesn't mean they are doing ASL.
The Youtube commenter replied back with a "whatever" and stated "nobody can
explain the stars's signs." The commenter tried to indicate some sort of
connection between "occult"-related hand gestures to sign language by stating
that the "horns" sign is used in ASL.
I replied: As "you" probably already know: The circled index finger &
thumb over the eye is used by some groups to mean "The mark of the beast (666)."
If you look at the shape made by the middle finger, the index finger, and the
thumb -- it forms a "6."
While the "horns" handshape (the extended index and pinkie fingers) exists in
ASL it is NOT used to refer to Satan. We have a different sign that is used to
mean "devil" and related terms, (a 3 handshape using the thumb, index, and
middle fingers touching the tip of the thumb to the side of the forehead).
Use of the circled index and thumb to refer to "666" and use of the "horns" sign
to refer to Satan are gestures used by followers of the occult, "rockers," kids
at concerts, divas seeking "edgy" publicity, etc. -- but such usage is NOT
American Sign Language and has nothing to do with the general American Deaf
Community.
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