At the NAACP Image Awards, Delroy Lindo said, “It’s a Classic Case of Something That Could Be Very Negative Becoming Very Positive.” That may have been his experience. It was not John Davidson’s. At the BAFTAs, John a man living with severe Tourette’s was celebrated one moment and torn apart the next. He went home to find his bike stolen and his name dragged across social media for a tic he cannot control. The film about his life shows decades of misunderstanding and bullying. That night was meant to signal acceptance. It didn’t.
Delroy could have used this moment to unite and heal. To show compassion for people living with Tourette’s like John. Like my son. He didn’t. And that is deeply disappointing.
I’ve seen a lot of misinformation about Tourette’s in the last few hours online following the incident at the #BAFTAs, so I’d like to provide the following information:
- people with Tourette’s have verbal tics, motor tics, or both (usually both)
- tics are involuntary movements or utterances that are often unusual and distressing for the person experiencing them
- it is physically painful to suppress tics, and the longer you do so the worse it becomes; the best way I can describe it is like stretching your muscles too far and holding it, but in your brain
- saying swear words is a verbal tic that affects 15% of people who have Tourette’s
- there is no cure and treatment isn’t super effective for a lot of people; the only thing out there are dopamine blockers, which as you can imagine makes life more grey
- presentation can be mild to extreme, with the more extreme cases being similar to if a child developed a severe cocaine dependency at the age of ten
- for some people, symptoms go away or become managable to the point of invisibility by late teens, and in others they persist through adulthood
- it is also hereditary, with a roughly 50% chance that someome will pass it to their kids (and higher rates in boys than in girls).
Basically, it’s not nice to spread misinformation about the condition or laugh at the people who suffer from it. John Davidson’s film is far more educational than this post, and I hope this incident brings more attention to his film.
#CatherineOHara, the legendary actress best known for projects like "Home Alone," "Schitt's Creek" and more, has died. She was 71 years old.
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Today (12th January) marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Dame Agatha Christie; mystery writer, playwright, plotting genius, creator of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple AND THE BESTSELLING NOVELIST OF ALL TIME.
If you've never read her, the time is now. #ReadChristie2026
Diane Keaton, whose long, versatile career was indelibly highlighted by her Academy Award-winning performance as Woody Allen’s titular love interest in the actor-writer-director’s 1977 romantic comedy “Annie Hall,” has died. She was 79.
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