#john davidson

Thank goodness, we don't have a character limit here. No one Black should be subjected to an n-word slur if it can be prevented. And this situation is especially heinous because it was a multifold preventable violation...

For those who don't know, a nominee with Tourette's had an outburst stemming from that condition while both MBJ and Delroy Lindo were presenting. He yelled out the n-word loudly. Alan Cumming later did an absolutely terrible but sadly common variety of apology wherein he used the phrase "if anyone was offended" and thanked the audience for being patient and understanding about this condition. So, here we are at a two-fold teachable moment. Please, watch this video explaining Tourette's first (because TBH I ended up down a rabbit hole of hyperfixation learning about it) :

I think the key part of this video is her explaining that it is neurons misfiring. In other words, that man could not stop that from happening any more than you could just choose to stop blinking or breathing. The condition is literally about blurting out the worst things at the worst possible situations. Like call of the void without the choice to steer you vocal cords away. There was an anecdote about a Black person with this condition terrified of yelling "I have a gun!" around cops, which would make it more likely for those neurons to fire that way....It is socially debilitating and dangerous. ALL THAT SAID... As a disabled person who has worked with disabled people for a good chunk of my life... I KNOW both alternative accommodations and assistive devices exist. BAFTA did not provide either. For example, if you are a deaf person who is trying to watch Bad Bunny's halftime show, you can/should have easy access to... ASL interpreter, Celimar Rivera:

Because Tourette's outbursts harms in multiple ways, (both the person with it and those unwittingly harmed by the words blurted out...) ...An alternative sound-proof space option for him to remain on the premises, free from fear of his tics coming at the expense of his and others' sense of safety and humanity, and *still be present for the show*, -should have been provided (they procure them easily for pageants, for example). Since it happened, BAFTA should have had a script prepared just in case, with a proper apology DIRECTLY at those affected, Black people who were present and especially Jordan and Lindo, with zero waffling and a proper scrolling card explaining both the condition and where to read up/donate. And finally, there is NO REASON it should have aired on TV with a two-hour delay. I have mentioned the discourse being horrific... The aspects that are most disgusting to me are those touting ableism, while using this incident to basically puppeteer a disabled man's expression of that to be racist and silence Black people hurt by that (the way outright nazis are piggybacking off people shouting "ABLEIST!" so they can attach their "YEAH SHUT UP!! YOU FUCKING! [insert racist slur here]...") Also, the wilful ignorance about the condition stubbornly pushing intent, even when explained that that is NOT what is happening. Again. The entire nature of the condition is that you blurt out the absolutely worst possible thing and it is NEURONS misfiring, meaning you don't get to hold it in or choose not to say it. In the end, both BAFTA and the BBC failed spectacularly for both racism and ableism (in not being prepared nor having accommodations and compounding it by re airing it). But, like I said teachable moment. *smh* If Nazis have your back? STOP and ask yourself if you're the baddies, instead of the savior from ableism. If you're insisting that a named neurological condition is voluntary?? Again ask yourself, if you're the baddies.

and yes it may be uncontrollable, but black americans still have the right to feel hurt by a word like that. it’s a strong word with a long, awful history.

Black people have the right to exist in public without having racial slurs yelled at them.

Both of these things are true and both of these things unfortunately bumped against each other in what was undoubtedly a very painful and traumatic situation for Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo and for John Davidson.

SAY IT AGAIN FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK:

It's awful Michael b. Jordan and Delroy Lindo heard that shouted while they were on stage, and it's ridiculous the BBC didn't edit it out but were able to edit out someone shouting "Free Palestine" in post. We should be able to hold space and acknowledge that hearing that while on stage and having to move past it takes extreme strength and grace that Black people are forced to have and I feel awful they and anyone else had to hear that and believe both Davidson and BAFTA should issue an apology to Jordan, Lindo, and the Black community.

The way the media has centered the situation around allowing Davidson grace instead of empathy and upset for Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, as well as lack of outrage at BAFTA for not adequately preparing for this scenario by a longer delay to have time to censor. (Though they were able to censor someone saying free palestine)

I only want people to understand that people with tourettes can't control our tics. People with coprolalia do not tic what we are thinking. Coprolalia (offensive tics) often cause the person to say what they fear saying the most. This can look like shouting "I have a bomb" in the airport, or saying "fuck the queen" while meeting the queen of england, something John Davidson has done. Tourette's is involuntary and forces us to say words we would never choose to say. I tell my partner to "kill themself" almost daily. They know I do not mean it, I say it because that's my biggest fear. I am certain that mechanism is the reason John shouted the N slur when he did. If you're asking "how is that in his vocabulary," nearly every white person at some point hears that word and is hopefully told to never use it. This exact scenario is what can create a coprolalic tic.

Tourette's makes you say things you would normally never say, and do things you would normally never do. It does not mean he is secretly thinking it. It does not mean he is racist and is faking it. It does not mean tourette's is just a fake disorder used as a racism excuse.

Mental disabilities don’t make you a fucking racist so get the flying fuck outta here and forget even trying that fucking route

Couple of things:

The BAFTAs aren’t live; there was a two hour delay between the live ceremony and when it was on air. The producers could’ve edited out what was said so that no further harm was spread, but they chose not to. (A winner said “free Palestine” during their acceptance speech, and it was edited out, so we know their equipment was functioning just fine.)

The in-person and viewing audiences being made aware that some outbursts might occur is great. But Alan Cumming should have also been directed to apologize on behalf of the BAFTAs to Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo at the same time he thanks the audience for their understanding.

John Davidson appears to have the kind of Tourette’s that includes something called coprolalia (I’ve never heard of him prior to today, so I’m going with the assumption instead of stating it as fact). According to Wikipedia, only about 10% of people with Tourette’s have coprolalia. I think that dispels the idea that Tourette’s is only coprolalia, so folks can’t pull a Cartman.

That said, if John Davidson knows he has coprolalia and that there’s a possibility of him screaming N1GG3R loud enough to be caught on the broadcast, maybe he should have done something else to stop that from happening (leaving the room is the first thing that comes to mind, but I imagine that similar to other involuntary actions, he knows if certain things trigger his tics and which tics in particular so he has a better idea than I would if leaving the room would be ideal in this situation or if there’s something else). Or, at least apologized. Not for his disability, but for the harm caused by his disability. Because his disability doesn’t negate the harm.

The apology from John Davidson could be as simple as, “I apologize to Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo for my involuntary outburst during their BAFTA presentation. Coprolalia can mean that I say some of the most horrific things without control or without meaning them, and I’m sorry it happened during such a special moment for them.” No one is asking for him to do a lot; a sincere apology can go a long way.