Originally Posted by Chase

"I'm here to learn, so please be gentle!"

I'm sure most here will meet you halfway on that request, yet gentleness is a two-way street. Courteous adults don't ask any question off the tops of their heads without thinking them over and considering consequences.

I don't blame Pepsi for taking a bit of offense. Some people blurt some really inappropriate questions.

A little thought before asking would have told you the inability to read and write cuts across all classes of people. Perhaps a gentler query may have been something like: "Is deafness a barrier to learning to read and write? If so, how do you overcome it?"