John Davidson shouting the N word during the BAFTAS

[Crawse]

John Davidson has Tourettes and is a campaigner for the condition. Whist Michale B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting he shouted out the racial slur. It’s extremely uncomfortable to watch. I feel terrible for the two presenters. I’m really conflicted on this one.

What are your thoughts?

No one should be subjected to abuse. That is my bottom line. Maybe the fact I was called P*** (I’m half Indian) growing up has influenced my views. I obviously recognise Tourette’s is involuntary.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/22/entertainment/baftas-2026-tourettes-racist-slur

Fucking hell. Surely not.

Lovely bit of hyperbole from you.

94% agree that there's nothing wrong with using the N word? I doubt it. If you've got beef with a particular poster, report them, if you want to know what percentage of mumsnet agree or disagree with the notion that there's nothing wrong with using the N word, start your own thread about that and get your own insight.

But PLENTY have said people with Tourette’s deserve more compassion, empathy and consideration than any black people they may racially abuse.

It’s not racial abuse.

Nobody has said he should be shut out of the world. Thats what I mean by straw manning.

I’m not sure there are any other disabilities that make people involuntarily harm others, are there? Schizophrenia sometimes, perhaps.

They ain’t black.

I’m saying is black people don’t have the monopoly on bad things, the n word shouldn’t be given special status (these two points are related), and no one should be offended by something a person with Tourette’s syndrome tics.

Where's the nuance?

You think the N word isn't an issue.
You can't think of an equivalent one for white people.
You think if black people can say the N word you should be able to as well.

So no slurs for white people, but let's open up the N word for all, eh?

Bullshit; Paddy. Mick. Potato-N (not typing it so I don't get banned, but I've certainly heard it). Lots of terrorist jokes, despite having never spent more than a fortnight cumulatively in the North in my whole life. Use of Irish to mean stupid, 'That's the most Irish thing I've ever heard in my life.' Irish twins. Beyond the pale. Throwing a paddy.

And then there's the fact that I have a facial disfigurement, something actually visibly wrong with me that is an instant go to for anyone of a particularly nasty bent.

Maybe you should check your own privilege. Or not, because words genuinely only hurt us as much as we choose to let them.

If I'd been on that stage last night, having been told in advance about Davidson's presence, and if I was an elite professional entertainer, I'd have anticipated potential tics that I could trigger and prepared a self deprecating joke ready to ease any awkwardness, for both us and every person with his condition or who shares the thing with me that he'd shouted, who might have felt bad.

No they haven't at all.

Indeed. It’s NOT abuse. It’s a manifestation of a disability.

@clickthat come on now. This is a bit of a rambly thread but the two things it definitely is about are disability awareness / acceptance in mainstream society and the experience of black people hearing a racist and loaded term.

There really aren’t a lot of spaces for those discussions.

Derailing it with a discussion about other whiter victims of slavery is at best irrelevant.

Your prejudice towards disabled people has been pretty constant throughout this thread.

And I've no doubt you think its justified.

"He should attend as is his right but he should step out when black people are on stage or presenting, so that he doesn’t inadvertently use racist language when they’re on stage."

The fact you think disabled people should hide themselves away due to a disability they haven't asked for and cannot help, is pretty breath-taking.

Imagine having a disability so awful that you have been affected every day of your life. How it has prevented you having relationships, jobs and friendships. How you have been beaten because of the symptoms of your disability.
Then imagine that you are a very successfu, handsome, black movie star. Surely you would have enoigh self assurance and intelligence to realise that it was somewhat embarrassing but nevertheless came from a person way, way less fortunate and woth considerably more challenges in life than yourself - someone with a debilitating disability which has made him an outsider all his life.
Surely therefore we can also all have enough emotional intelligence to appreciate that too.
I hope John isnt feeling terrible today and isnt getting too much online abuse from his unintentional actions. Same he had to miss the second half, and shame in the bbc for not editing it out of the public broadcast to avoid this attention on him.

To clarify, Delroy Lindo said that they were not told about the tic in advance. Only those near Davidson were told. Hence his surprise.
Anothe thing the BAFTAS messed up.

If you read the thread, you'll see that 94% refers to the demographics of the UK, as quoted to my by two posters.

Why are you posting on a thread without having read it?

Yes got slightly derailed.

My point stands. Black people don’t have the monopoly (as illustrated by the 1000 other types of slavery still happening today), and therefore the N word doesn’t hold special status.

JD shouldn’t be castigated for this at all.

I’m not sure there are any other disabilities that make people involuntarily harm others, are there? Schizophrenia sometimes, perhaps.

Sure, I suppose some people with schizophrenia can pose a risk of violence to others. Some, not all.

Words aren’t physical violence, though. It’s not remotely the same.

For a moment I had to check I was on MN and not on a Neo Liberal Perpetually Offended Peak Victim subreddit

I watched I Swear and the amazing actor really did convey the total depth of pain and despair John Davidson is in because of a condition he utterly cannot help. My heart broke and breaks for everyone affected by Tourette’s who have to spend their life apologising for something they can’t help

I then come onto MN - a forum I thought was for intelligent, inclusive and progressive people - to read that:

• People with Tourette’s can choose and control what they say
• People with disabilities should be kept at home lest an actual adult be offended at their being in public
• Tourette’s is racism

Im ashamed of everyone who’s spewed any bile relating to the above. Youre embarrassments, every one of you

Can we also please stop infantilising black people. Jordan and Lindo are wealthy, privileged worldly and very smart men. Do you think they will be backstage crying about this? Or will they accept that John couldn’t help saying what he said and there is literally no offence to be had. As a PP very roughly pointed out, this term is in movies, songs, TV shows and regularly used by black people as they want to (rightly) reclaim it. Which shows - it’s not the word that’s offensive, but the sentiment behind it. It’s the same as if a 1yo called you an offensive name.

I also think it’s VERY telling what people, celebrities (Jamie Foxx and Queen Latifah have proven themselves to be ableist twats over this) and the media choose to be offended about. John Davidson had and did unintentionally call women bitches, sluts, whores and slags. Regularly. Where’s the outrage about misogyny? If you’re gonna be a professionally offended half wit at least be consistent

You really are showing your own bigotry while complaining about bigots!

Those (awful) slurs are said to Irish people by white people, they're not said to all white.

And why are you blaming a BAME woman for slurs that white people say to Irish people?

It’s not abuse

How do you know those Irish slurs are only said by white people?

It functioned and hit in the exact same way though. The impact and the optics were identical. It was shocking and hurtful to many people watching, not just the two men who had “n*gger” shouted at them.

Genuinely stunned by this thread, I knew people were ignorant when it came to serious mental health issues but I thought there was an understanding in society of tourettes.

Some of you should be completely mortified to be showing yourselves to be so ignorant and intolerant. It's also extremely concerning because so many on here are parents.

Again, it’s not racial abuse.

How are you coming to this position?

Is there any logic behind it, any reasoning you can provide?