i'm not "extending empathy" to a cracker who screamed a violent slur at two black men in front of millions of people. you white mfs have a lot of nerve.
hey, i understand your frustration. everything revolving the BAFTA’s has been truly upsetting, and you absolutely have a right to be angry. in fact, i would be shocked if people weren’t!
that being said, i don’t tolerate prejudice in any regard, ableism included. instead, i’d like to extend an invitation to you, and anyone else angered by what’s happened and how it was handled, to be open to these uncomfortable conversations. i’d also like to encourage you to read john davidson’s interview with variety on the aftermath of the BAFTA’s, his experience, and what steps he had taken prior to prevent this very situation (which, as we know now, BBC and the BAFTA’s did not handle it as assured.)
tourette syndrome is deeply misunderstood, just as most disabilities are, and is incredibly complex, and humiliating.
first off, tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder which causes misfires to occur, resulting in involuntary sounds, or movements. what was displayed that night is a certain type of tourette’s known as coprolalia. this is what causes tics such as obscenities, and slurs.
a point i’ve been seeing brought up is why that tic? why when there are black actors upon the stage, and at no other points? the thing about tourette’s is it is often reactionary. here’s a recent example from my very own experiences! i play the flute in a band, and last week during our rehearsal a member of the band made a joke where the latter half involved a threat, and that no one at the school would yell out a threat. my tourette’s decided to act, and thus i yelled out, very loudly, “I HAVE A BOMB!” this is because tics often “echo” or riff off of what you see, hear, or are engaging with.
so, in the instance of two black men on stage while a man with coprolalia who’s tics have been worsening due to stress and anxiety, it’s not inconceivable that the tic which would manifest would be the n slur. this is also because tics, especially coprolalia, target what is most socially unacceptable at the given moment.
as stated in his interview with variety, john davidson had several other inappropriate tics throughout the evening, including yet not limited to honophobic rhetoric, and loudly exclaiming that alan cumming was a pedophile.
we don’t do these things for shock value or a reaction from others, we do it because of a neurological misfiring that forces us to do or say things we do not believe.
i’d also like to add that in this same interview, john davidson’s team expressed to variety that they’ve reached out to the cast of sinners to extend a direct apology for what happened.
i really hope my explanations come across as clear, and i’d like to reiterate that you are not at all in the wrong for being upset. when we all point fingers at one another, and start to tear each other down instead of attempting to have an open discussion, and uplift our communities, however, we do a great disservice to both ourselves, and our peers. not just that, but we neglect to focus on the bigger picture such as why didn’t the BAFTA’s edit it out as promised? why leave that one in, yet remove every other instance of tics? why present such a poor apology placing the blame upon those impacted rather than apologising for their incompetence? and why remove every single pro palestinian statement, yet keep this harmful, embarrassing, and humiliating clip?
