Im pissed off, swearing in public.

[wombatsandaplant]

Yesterday I was walking my cat. And I was ticcing all sorts of things, my tics have been really bad lately. Mainly swearing and sexual things, just how my tics are at the moment. I have Tourette’s, it’s just how I roll. Usually I suppress my tics because I’m terrified of offending people but the neurologist told me I should let them out as I get tired and get headaches if I suppress.

Anyway back to the point of this. I was down a path behind peoples gardens and I hear shut up and stop swearing it’s disgraceful, from a garden. I tic again and a gate opens and this woman storms out and starts shouting at me telling me I should be ashamed and shouldn’t utter those words in public. She was probably mid 40s, I’m mid 20s. I managed to get out I have Tourette’s and she replies saying tourettes doesn’t exist, it’s just an excuse for bad behaviour.

I’m gutted, I just started getting confidence going out in public, only this week I started going outside again due to my mental health issues.

AIBU for having Tourette’s.

I know I’m not but I feel like I am, especially when people like this come out of the wood work.

Of course you aren’t being unreasonable, and I’m sorry your confidence has got a knock.

However - situations like this are going to crop up, as people may find your swearing aggressive or upsetting in front of their kids.

Is there a way you can get advice and support to manage it when you get a bad reaction? So you feel confident that you’ve explained it and can then go on with your day, knowing that you’ve done what you can.

So sorry for gross picture

Oh I give up lol

Try again, hopefully this works. I’m just selecting the first cat picture on a lead I can find on my phone.

Ahhh you kitty looks sweet, wish I could walk mine but I don't want to look like I've been in a massacre trying to put a harness on him lol, ignore ignorant people and enjoy your kitty walks

The problem is with her, not you. Don't let one bad encounter put you off from going out again. She is an ignorant twatwaffle.

Oh my word your cat is beautiful and love the harness.

Ignore the ignorant woman. Tourette's is an illness. And once you explained she should have backed off.

I know someone with swearing tic with Tourette's who lets out the occasional "fucks sake". Me and my friends all say were jealous he can say out loud what we're all thinking and get away with it

She is very firmly in the wrong, you are not.

Bollocks to her, OP.

Your cat is so cool!

Your cat is so sweet! I want to get a harness for ours so I can walk him, he's a house cat but I think he'd enjoy a walk!

The woman was ignorant and stupid to say there's no such thing as tourettes. I can imagine it's given your confidence a knock, I hope it won't affect you too badly.

Im just terrified I’m going to offend people.

I’ve ticced ‘stop hitting me with your blind stick’ at a person with a white cane, the lady and her husband were less than impressed.

I’m been threatened to be punched and all sorts. I just hate it so much. It makes me want to curl up in a ball and die. I come across ignorant people so frequently it’s ridiculous.

18% think you're unreasonable for having Tourettes?? Heads. Wobble.

Yes it's unfortunate that it manifests as swearing but it's a bloody incurable neuro developmental disorder, so what do some people want you to do?

Sod the stupid woman.

Your cat rocks by the way.

Are your tics often bursts of your unconscious thoughts plus unfiltered swears?
I hope you said smth tic-y in response to her?

I'm sorry you came across an ignorant nosy thing like her.

I think that Tourette's is very misunderstood and very difficult to live with. My DS wee pal has it, he tics and jumps. We know and are used to it but yes, I imagine if he came out with something sexual or sweary and we didn't know, it would be hard to deal with. But that would be no excuse for behaving like that woman behaved to you!

The sad thing is, I guess the more successful trips out you have, the more confident you'll feel and the less you'll need to tic? So frustrating that this has happened to knock your confidence.

Would it help to get small cards printed that say you have Tourette's and say a little bit about it? Then if you did say the wrong thing and someone was upset, you could hand over the card without having to verbally explain yourself? It wouldn't have worked with horrible woman, but it would probably work with most nice people?

Lush cat by the way.

Cute cat.
Sorry for your experience today. I think though that you will get that sort of thing from time to time.
People often don't like hearing swears around their kids etc and won't know you have Tourette's until told.

One of my first boyfriends had it. We were 15&16 at the time, he was just getting used to all the abuse and it was hard to watch. Most of his verbal ones were sexual and quite shocking. Gosh he's 31 now.

I used to walk my cat. I miss it and her.

I hope you get to enjoy many more walks together.

My cat says thank you for all the compliments. And thanks for all the support.

Your cat is v cute and my DS is suffering serious cat envy. He always wanted to take ours out on a lead but she wouldn't tolerate it. (Last summer of her life she started coming for walks with us, but at her pace and her chosen distance.)

I walk my cats too. House cats all harness trained.....only one a trusted prisoner lol. Black cats are the best 😍

You sound lovely. Try and not take any notice of ignorance.....Her behaviour says much more about her than it does you xx

People are cunts. You can’t help it. Try not to give them any headspace

OP, I love that you were walking your cat. I am a crazy cat lady who has a cat who comes for walks with me and my children. Please do not let some rude, ignorant bint upset you. Anyone with half a brain knows and understands that people with tourettes cannot control their tics. My son started displaying tics last year, motor tics. They seem to come and go. I'm glad I'm his mum because if they worsen and anyone is unkind I'll be there with my big gob standing up for him. You have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about.

Your cat is so cute!

I'm sorry she was rude & upset you

The woman, not your cat,obviously

Well, YANBU, but SIBAT... she is being a twat.

I do think some people wrongly assume that as some people with Tourettes can suppress tics some of the time, and because not all people with Tourettes swear, thus no one should.

I swear out loud in the street randomly, I don't even have tourettes, I do however have joints that slip and trap nerves suddenly and it is excruciatingly painful and causes me to shout things like MOTHERFUCK BASTARD TWAT FUCK SHIT... or just make really strange noises. I can't do a thing about it if it happens without warning and it mostly does.

I was on the phone today to a friend, wittering away as we went about our daily lives and I ran over a dog toy in my chair, the jolt knocked my shoulder and hip out and I blurted out a sound like EEEEAAAAAAAAAARRRGHFUCKITY CUNTFACE... she didn't even pause in her chatter, its so normal (she has similar pain related shouty issues).

The point is, some of us do stuff like this, people who have a problem with it and won't accept the genuine reasons for it are unreasonable twatbags.

Your cat is lovely OP.
I would have been upset if someone had been swearing and using very sexual language around my dc when they were small.
But the only person who was ever bad enough for me to challenge was a drunk businessman on a flight, partly because we couldn't just leave.
Nowadays the challenge is to keep dc's language clean.