I have Tourette syndrome, let’s talk about what happened at the BAFTA film awards.
PT: I have Tourette syndrome, let’s talk about what happened at the BAFTA film awards. End PT
For anyone who doesn’t know, two black actors were presenting on stage at the BAFTA film awards, and someone from the crowd with Tourette syndrome shouted a racial slur.
Before I go any further, I want to acknowledge that am white, I have white privilege. I do not know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of racism, let alone be called a racial slur on television, and then have to compose myself and carry on.
Now, people are allowed to feel upset about what happened. They are allowed to feel offended, or sad, or angry or anything. Yet I saw so many reactions from fellow white people trying to minimize the emotions of people who were hurt by this word, and by extension, minimizing the impact that this situation had.
Of course, the person with Tourette’s didn’t mean any harm, as someone with the same condition, I know this well. But the reality is that he did cause harm. Involuntary or not, words have meaning, they have history, and the word that was said carries centuries of harm with it. As Tiffany L Hammond said in her post about this subject: “Disability can explain behaviour, but it would never erase the impact. And it should never require the person harmed to suppress their feelings.” That explains things better than I ever could ever.
Now, for the Tourette’s and disability side of things. Tourettes is a real, recognized condition that causes misfires in the basal ganglia, which results in involuntary movements and sounds. Coprolalia is a symptom that affects 10-15% of people with Tourette syndrome. This causes the person to say swears, slurs, or situationally inappropriate language. This can look like saying the f word, or shouting “bomb” at an airport. It can also look like saying context specific slurs.
Again, what was said being involuntary doesn’t erase the harm that was caused. Two things can be true at once. On one hand, two black men were called a racial slur. That is not okay, and the word that was said caused harm. And on the other hand, the person who used the slur said it involuntarily, as a symptom of his lifelong neurological disorder. They are both true, and both must be acknowledged to fully understand the situation.
