John Davison BAFTA Tourette’s incident and competing rights

[slet]

It’s interesting how this is being discussed atm. I see Ash Sarkar has framed it as an example of competing rights between disabled people and victims of racism, forgetting about intersectionality. But there is a struggle from those on the extreme left to see how women’s rights are compromised by ceding to TRAs.

not expressing myself very well but thought it had some interesting parallels with the sex and gender debate.

The audience should have been warned in advance and anyone who felt they might me unable to cope with his tics should have excluded themselves.

I do not think that black people are uniquely unable to to cope with people with coprolalia.

You’re ok with suggesting that disabled people should segregate themselves though? Why is that acceptable to you? Why is a film about disability ‘virtue signalling’?

@AccidentallyWesAnderson Yes but the black people were there. It’s inevitable there would be swearing. Not entirely sure it’s completely random - did the situation “suggest” the word?

Wow, this film went completely over the heads of most people.

There couldn't have been a better demonstration of the intolerance shown to sufferers of Tourettes. What happened to tolerance and understanding? What was the point of the film?
Words are only offensive if they are intended.
I hear lots of words I don't like but if they aren't intentionally aimed at me or anyone else, so what.

They should’ve been briefed then on coprolalia, the consequences and then could’ve made an informed decision. Take the malicious intent out of the word, as there wasn’t any.

I’m sure you could’ve looked this up yourself but your brain thinks of the most offensive thing it can say, despite your personal beliefs being the opposite.

You think they are immune from offensive tics?! Oh please people watch this fucking film or the documentaries.

He either "hides himself away" - i.e. doesn't attend - or he turns up, knowing that he is likely to shout out something embarrassing. We know it was the latter, and he says he is deeply humiliated. Neither option is perfect. But it was his choice to attend, and take the risk. I don't think the BBC should be shouldering all the blame here.

I think the film is so powerful and basically demonstrates the misunderstanding and intolerance of a totally awful disability. Which then manifested itself at the baftas and the intolerance and misunderstanding has been proven on social media.

Years ago when I was walking down argyle street in Glasgow a man who was jerking about and moving weirdly caught my eye and he shouted at me "I'll rape you with a spiked stick". I was so shocked and upset but then I could see from his demeanor and manner that he didn't mean it, his eyes were teary. I didn't know a bloody thing about tourettes but I immediately understood that what he'd shouted was involuntary and he looked in a lot of pain. I just raised my palm in a kind of 'its ok' gesture and walked on. It was still a shock to hear but my offence did not matter compared to him having to live with that each day. I feel for John, he should not be getting abused on social media. I also feel for the actors, but again, they can do what I did and realise that something like that is not an intent to be bad, it's not. It's a disability. And an awful one at that.

It wasn't 'random' because the nature of coprolalia is that the person who has the condition says something grossly offensive or inappropriate in the circumstances, hence him saying 'fuck the queen' when being awarded an MBE. In the documentary about his childhood he is filmed in a supermarket shouting that his mother is a slag.

None of that means that he is singling out anyone for abuse.

From what I understand, he has been beaten up by plenty of white able bodied men who didn't understand his condition and were offended by his tics.

But they had the CHOICE to leave and 'segregate' themselves following a warning informing them that he may make offensive tics. He had no CHOICE re the timing or the content of his tic.

He has, and been arrested.

Name me a slur he could’ve called an able bodied, straight, Christian/non-religious white man that’s on par with the N word and would’ve caused hurt and humiliation to the people presenting and global outrage? I’ll wait…

The treatment and criticizing he has come in for just shows how shallow and meaningless their much boasted DEI slogans and virtue signing is. When face with a real situation where kindness was required they totally failed to live up to their to own mantra's.

Perhaps he thought he would be extended a bit more compassion than he was for his disability. It seems that they were not prepared to make any allowance for him though. Given the word had been used 19 times in Sinners you’d think he could have been given some leeway too.

He didn't use the slur on purpose, that's not how Tourette's works.

Paedo? Rapist?

I can’t believe the lack of understanding you are showing. He didn’t mean it. He had no control over it.

I’m guessing you don’t listen to rap. Every other word is the n-word.

I’ve learned one thing from this whole debacle, and that’s that Jamie Foxx is a dickhead.

The person who is probably most desperately upset by all of this is John Davidson. So by virtuously 'tolerating his presence', they've caused him great additional pain and unimaginable shame.

I am so very angry with both BAFTA and the BBC. They just thought yes, the politically correct thing to do is have John in the audience. We'll warn everyone in advance and he'll shout F and C a few times. But that's fine. We'll all look a bit edgy and very, very inclusive. Everything is going to be fine.

Did they really not consider the possibility he'd shout the N-word at black attendees? By definition, John has zero control over saying the worst possible words to the worst possible listener. The N-word shouted at black presenters on stage was the worst possible case, and hence the most likely one.

Yet the BBC weren't even primed and ready to bleep/remove any shouted obscenities prior to the public broadcast. They were all doing the morally right and inclusive thing, so they would be rewarded by plaudits and ratings. Everything is going to be fine.

How stupid can these supposedly intelligent and experienced media professionals be?

I feel very sorry for Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan. That was wholly unacceptable, and they deserve abject grovelling apologies from both the BBC and BAFTA.

But I feel most sorry for John Davidson. His life with Tourette's syndrome was already very hard. And their stupidity has made it even more difficult and painful.

This may be the dumbest comment I’ve seen so far 😂 Sinners is set in the 1930s and features the KKK so deals with themes of RACISM, which you say this absolutely was not, so where’s the comparison??

This isn’t an appropriate balance though. Blind people don’t drive because they would inevitably kill someone. Words actually don’t hurt you. The impact of being excluded from life is much bigger than the impact of hearing an offensive word. The only reason this is even a debate is because of the progressive obsession with language and words being ‘literal violence’ on a par with actual violence, which does have parallels with the trans issue.

. . . and not very bright.