Clapping to be replaced by jazz hands at Manchester student union events

[TigerDrankAllTheWaterInTheTap]

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/clapping-banned-jazz-hands-university-15223965

This is because clapping and whooping are said to be problematic for people with hearing problems and/or anxiety and sensory issues. Jazz hands are to be used instead. I didn't know that was something from British Sign Language.

Is this really a big problem? Is this a proportionate response? Will it catch on in the wider world?

My AIBU was going to be to think this is ludicrous, but reading the bit about students with disabilities I'm not sure now. We need an 'I'm on the fence' emoticon.

I am very cynical about this because I have witnessed it as a form of control.

I went to a meeting where Jazz hands were used. In the same building was a 'safe space' room for LBGT, but mostly ?non-binary?, people who might need to withdraw from hearing "literal violence" and their "erasure".

A good number of the audience - white, well-heeled and privileged - claimed to be non-binary 'victims' of hurty stuff.

To cut a long story short, the meeting started with the idea that we all had to be CAREFUL. Some people didn't like noise. Some people were fragile. Don't be loud. Don't be forthright. Be kind. Watch what you say.

And yet the drama queens made for the exit when someone said something that they didn't like.

Yep. It was a great way of allowing one set of very privileged people to dominate and control, and keep me in my place.

this world is becoming a joke.

I really get the sensory overload objections, im the woman that walks into every room and asks for the lights to be turned off , that avoids my nearest supermarket because it is too loud, echo-y and overlit. I get it.

Jazz hands is sign language for applause that is only really useful when signing a performance that the viewer ISN'T at and cant SEE the audience. Eg signers on TV prog where the stage is filmed like the proms , Glastonbury etc

It is useless as a live expression of appreciation to the person on stage as they can't see the flipping audience. Useless in a lecture theatre or conference hall if the person commenting and receiving the applause/jazz hands has anyone sitting behind them, the wheelchair user WiLL be sitting at the front (fuck em eh ?NUS kids) Useless to those that have vision problems (fuck them too?) The truly noise sensitive won't be at opera, theatre, gig, festival .

Jazz hands is only useful when people are sitting in "the round" well lit, small group and hearing or not be otherwise able-bodied . Like the white, male, wealthy, educated tossers where when the NUS committee came up with this virtue signal.

I've been around woke wankers having these discussions for too many years. Pity me!

Phew feel better now...

Daftness personified ( and I say that as an Aspie) . And now I have the terrifying mental image of a roomful of mimes jazz-handing at me.

I hope they're not going to ban hysterical laughter because I think that might be the outcome of an auditorium full of people trying to do "jazz hands" who have haven't learnt it or used it as part of BSL...

@PolkadotsAndMoonbeams I have a profoundly deaf baby and he does clap. It's just about copying, we applaud them, they like praise and associate clapping with pleasure, so they clap too.

And I believe this gesture by the university isn't about the impact of sensory feedback on deaf people attending events, but just a nod towards those who are culturally Deaf. Which is well intentioned but as I mentioned upthread, having BSL interpreters as standard at events would be genuinely inclusive and actually helpful to deaf audience members.

It’s interesting to note that Student Unions today have the ability to make everyone point and laugh at them as like they did when I was at uni 20 years ago

😂 And even further back....... Earnest at best, hectoring at worst - their main avenues then were posters slapped up on everything, marches all the flaming time ( who are we marching for ? no idea) and sit ins /demos.

Did they actually bother to ask people who are autistic / deaf / anxious / otherwise sensitive or has one terribly-well-meaning-but-patronising person decided this on our behalf?!

Did they actually bother to ask people who are autistic / deaf / anxious / otherwise sensitive

I can only speak about the meeting that I went to. The proposal came from those people who wanted uppity women to be quiet. The snowflake 'non binary' students had taken the idea from somewhere else and thought it was a jolly super wheeze to enable them to keep control.

And it was very effective. Bastards!

I do miss the rag mag..

clapping is painful for those on the receiving end, if they have sensory issues. so I say good for them. even if not everyone does it it will reduce the noise levels.

I think it is an awesome move. (mind you if the gig is loud anyway it may not be any use)

It's all very well including deaf people in the applause, but it's not much good if they have had no access to what people are actually applauding. Debates, panels and talks are only made accessible to deaf people by BSL interpretation or captioning. Still, it's a nice thought.

I expect someone could even make jazz hands seem aggressive if they were desperate enough to be a wanker.

'aggressive jazz hands' has made my night.

They were talking about it on Good Morning Britain this morning. The Student union "policy" said clapping was banned, but the Union rep said it wasn't! It'll never catch on anyway!

Mmmmm, Im sensitive about the "F" word!!!! (No hope for me then!

More virtue signalling. The world gets more bonkers every day.

This is the inverse of what happened with the minutes silence in football. A few idiots could ruin it, so they changed it to a minutes applause. People adapted fine to a new norm.

Ds is autistic and like many autistics have sensory issues with things like clapping.

I still think this idea is a load of bollocks though! You can’t sterilise the world of all possible triggers for problems for people.

This is bollocks - utter utter bollocky bollocks from bollock town, bollockville, west bollock county in the country of bollocks.

What does the article mean when it says clapping is “banned” ?

If it is merely discouraged in favour of jazz hands, then each attendee can make their own choice.

However, if the union is actually threatening to eject or bar people who clap then that would be a major concern.

The National Union of Students said that they got the idea from women's group and feminist organisations, a couple of years ago.

Yep, that's right. But it's midleading.

Jazz hands appeared at the same time as women students opened the door to fragrant and sensitive white, heterosexual men claiming to be women. These chaps could be triggered by women saying the wrong things or applauding each other or heckling. Drama! Drama!

I bet that you're not surprised to hear that little piece of information.

I don't agree with the stopping of clapping. The other day, I saw a whole boys school saying good bye to a retiring teacher, by doing the Haka. This is supposed to be the highest honour. So are ceremonies like this going to be banned in the future too ?

What about partially sighted people? You are being inclusive to sensory issue but discluive to them. My close friend's dad is almost totally blind and relies on sounds, however loud and triggering to others (warning sounds, tanoys etc).

If he was in the audience he wouldnt have a clue when to do jazz hands as he takes his cue from clapping. If he was presenting, he would wonder if everyone had fallen asleep!

"It's all very well including deaf people in the applause, but it's not much good if they have had no access to what people are actually applauding."

I would say it is absolutely unnecessary to ban clapping to be inclusive to deaf people. Many deaf people have sensory awareness of clapping that goes well beyond the visual. Many deaf people (well, at least one) welcome clapping and enjoy it as part of the overall experience and do not want it to be banned.

On the other hand, well, Jazz Hands . Many deaf people (okay, at least one) feel that their impairment creates ample opportunity to look a bit of a twit, without adding that www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtKwakXzIc8