The flaw with this approach is that it involves a minutes worth of time and effort to understand something, whereas instinctively labelling people racists requires none.
I’m dealing with a family emergency, so I won’t be doing broadcast interviews on the John Davidson Tourette’s tic at the BAFTAs story.
Hearing the N word shouted at two of the most successful black actors in the world, on stage at the BAFTAs and broadcast on the BBC, was horrible. It made people uncomfortable. It should have. But it was an involuntary tic from someone who lives with Tourette’s syndrome. It was not chosen. It was not intentional. It was not an expression of belief.
What’s astonishing is watching people who constantly lecture the public about inclusion suddenly abandon it the moment it becomes complicated. The same voices that demand respect for lived experience are now acting as if a neurodivergent man consciously decided to shout a slur for sport.
Tourette’s is a neurological condition. It is not a political statement. It is not a moral failing. You cannot preach DEI and then punish someone for symptoms of their neurodivergence.
Even the Royal Household has previously understood Davidson’s condition. Not even the late Queen was immune to his tics he said “F*ck the Queen” TO HER FACE. If that reality can be accepted there, it should not be beyond the rest of us.
Two things can be true at once. The word is abhorrent. The tic was involuntary. If your commitment to inclusion collapses when it involves neurodivergence, then it was never inclusion in the first place.
This world makes me feel so sad. So quick to anger and spit hatefilled commentary, whether truthful doesn't matter, picking sides and never wrong, unbending, unforgiving. Fuelling outrage, hatred and ignorance intentionally for a small thumbs up or love heart from a stranger. 😔
The experts are wrong with Ash & Grace. She plays victim, wants an apology. Never apologises. All she does is give her side. Ash looks physically different to when he started. This is abusive. Bailey has just admitted Ash even covered for her behaviour. #MAFSUK
Grace: it’s like two days with you has undone weeks of work
Grace is Just gutted someone’s lifted him up and she will have to start beating him down all over again
#MAFSUK
Grace needs to watch herself back. Interesting how she's changing the narrative now she knows he's checking out. All about what he needs to do, nothing about seeing her own behaviour. Rotten to the core. #MAFSUK
Grace is appraising Ash, 'when I do feedback' 😱
Ash to stay with her is like wearing a hair shirt. Its not it. Grace is desperately unhappy and its doing neither a favour being together. Just give it up. #MAFSUK
Grace is quite a dangerous person. She insinuates that Ash's behaviour is nefarious, using quite inflammatory language, like damaging, unsafe when describing Ash. When talking to him she's quite pointed and accusatory and he's blindsided. I find her troubling #MAFSUK