I understand the emotion around a huge penalty decision in a massive game. Football does that to people.
But at some point emotion has to give way to evidence. When freeze frames, angles and clear contact are sitting right in front of us, denying it because it doesn’t suit your team or narrative just kills any honest debate.
What’s even worse is when professionals and pundits, who know the game inside out, deliberately drive a narrative to suit an agenda rather than analyse what’s actually in front of them. That only fuels tribalism and misinformation.
You can debate consistency. You can debate interpretation. But you can’t just ignore unrefutable evidence because it’s inconvenient. Football discussion is far better when honesty matters more than point scoring.
>be John Davidson
>born 1971
>Galashiels, Scotland
>working class family in the Scottish Borders
>football-mad kid
>just wants to be a goalkeeper
1983:
>you're 12
>a scout is coming to watch you play
>this is your shot
>then something happens
>your body starts doing things you can't control
>tics
>involuntary vocalisations
>noises you didn't choose
>head teacher's response: whip your hands with a belt
>you perform badly
>dad leaves shortly after
>you walk into a river
>you're 12
school:
>no diagnosis
>no framework
>just a kid who "can't behave"
>mocked daily
>leave at 16
>no qualifications
>the world has decided what you are
1989:
>BBC comes to Galashiels
>films your life
>"John's Not Mad"
>airs nationally
>some people feel compassion
>most kids use it as ammunition
>your face becomes shorthand for mockery in playgrounds across the country
>you know this
>you keep going
the wilderness years:
>no diagnosis until you're 25
>25 years old before anyone gives it a name
>you've been living it for over a decade without language for it
>you get a job
>caretaker at Langlee Community Centre
>you stay there your whole working life
the turn:
>a family is referred to you
>their daughter has Tourette's
>she's struggling
>you start hosting workshops
>schools
>police stations
>you explain what it means to live in a body people don't understand
>unpaid
>for years
>because nobody did it for you
2019:
>Holyrood Palace
>the Queen is about to give you an MBE
>you shout "Fuck the Queen"
>directly at her
>she reacts with complete calm and kindness
>the kid the belt hit
>gets a medal
2025:
>a film about your life premieres at Toronto International Film Festival
>"I Swear"
>six BAFTA nominations
February 2026:
>you're in the auditorium
>watching a film about your life
>your Tourette's doesn't stop for the occasion
>it never has
>mid-ceremony your tics ring out across the room
>and on the live broadcast
>as Black actors take the stage
>you shout a racial slur
>involuntarily
>uncontrollably
>you leave early
>you know you're causing distress
>you've known that feeling your whole life
>Jamie Foxx goes on Instagram
>"Nah he meant that s**t"
>"Out of all the words you could've said Tourette's makes you say that"
>the internet piles on
>thousands outraged at a man who cannot control what comes out of his mouth
>the film that explains exactly this wins three BAFTAs that same night
>including Best Actor
>the room got it
>the internet did not
>because the internet didn't watch the film
see -- Every founder, artist, activist, author, coach or ANYONE who wants to change the world should take note:
Stop apologising for who you are.
Be the change you want to see.
"They said "But Saudi Arabia killed a journalist."
"I mean, Israel's killed 240 journalists... I didn't know y'all were still counting."
Dave is back.
Good luck cancelling Dave Chappelle, Zionists. 😘🖕🏽😂
#Chappelle#DaveChappelle#TheUnstoppable#Netflix