I just read this:
I can't decide what I think about the responses.
If a person usually uses the 'N' word as a tic, then maybe them not being in the audience would have been best at it's a very unpleasant and offensive word.
But must they have been there with regard to the awards anyway, so there wasn't really a choice to make for the organisers? Should they be excluded?
There is obviously no intention for offence and the tic is unable to be controlled.
What do you think?
I watched an episode of the Daily Show about this.
Turns out the Bafta Awards themselves are mostly to blame due to them seating the poor guy near a microphone, and not doing anything to censor the slur/tick despite censoring other content. Essentially, while it is an unfortunate accident, the Bafta Awards themselves did NOT do anything to help the situation!
I agree it’s great that Netflix are streaming this film
Let’s hope it helps people find the understanding needed to help make Tourette’s acceptable in our society.
'I-Swear' is coming to Netflix, Tuesday 10th March next week apparently. Will be one to watch. One thing to come out of all this, I hope general population will watch it due to the news, and then get a greater understanding.
(I know a lot of people won't have Netflix, but it's a start, and then hopefully get on to more platforms).
The reaction from the producers was not good enough. They should could have been bleeped or edited the section, it wasn't live. Or a warning could have been aired at the begining. I watched it live at the beginning I though the host was being heckled, I realised later this was also the guest with tourettes. I don't think it would have been viewed as a deliberate slur, albeit it was probably uncomfortable for the presenters and audience.
I thinking we need ‘radical acceptance’ I cannot sadly imagine a world where people are not pitting against each other, one marginalised group against another. People are angry, rightly so but unfortunately the people who are truelly to blame will not be sullied by that. Let’s not fuel the fire or fan the flames further.
Thank you.
It is grey but you can still reply.
The ability to reply is greyed out in this thread.
I wanted to reply to B that an updated BBC article and recent commentary made it clearer the programme was broadcast on delay (not just a few seconds / small number of minutes - rather, a considerable delay was available to the production / broadcast team for edit purposes).
For me, this alters my perception of what happened - it was a failure in duty of care across the piece - the opportunity to protect the tic speaker as they might have wished and reasonably expected - for some content to be contained within the auditorium, and so on.
An investigation has been initiated.
Interesting that those running the awards ceremony didn’t consider removing the microphone close to Davidson.
Mr D would agree I think from this article:
Tourette's campaigner says BBC 'should have worked harder' to stop slur being aired https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg4g2ldegdwo
Further update on today’s BBC News shows how the awards ceremony and coverage from the BBC and others could have been handled better.
Interesting that those running the awards ceremony didn’t consider removing the microphone close to Davidson.
I’m hoping that John Davidson will recover from this and ultimately feel validated and empowered.
Yes. Surely the whole point of raised awareness about Tourette’s is that we don’t ’make a fuss’ but just have understanding and acceptance of something that from someone else we would rightly find objectionable. At the same time I can understand why it was extremely uncomfortable for the presenters and audience to hear that word in that situation. It’s surely all about context and understanding - for example Little Simz was at that event and in her music she uses the same word and that’s considered acceptable. So I would argue that if someone with Tourette’s uses an offensive word we view it differently because we know they have Tourette’s. Surely the point of raised awareness about conditions such as Tourette’s is acceptance, understanding and non judgement. The BBC putting this on the news as a huge deal is attaching shame and judgement to what happened? Most of all I feel sorry for the guy with Tourette’s as this amount of attention must be stressful - but maybe in the long term it will increase understanding hopefully if people really give a lot of thought to this. As for the BBC editing out ‘Free Palestine’ - now that IS offensive. That’s censorship and preventing someone who is winning an important award from having the right to express his strongly held view about a genocide and racist/religious oppression. Just appalling.
Obviously the people in the audience would of heard it, but if it had been editied out, would we be having this discussion? Maybe we'd be having a different one and I understand the audience were told before hand about Tourettes.
I agree why didn't the BBC edit this out? If they had would we even be having this discussion?
We would because of the people who were in the audience and on the stage at the time.
It couldn't be edited out for those who heard it live.
I think that more preparation would have gone a long way ie talking to them first although I don't actually know if anything of this sort was done beforehand.
I agree why didn't the BBC edit this out? If they had would we even be having this discussion?
I have to say that I have a great deal of empathy for John Davidson. Most of his life he has had to deal with tourettes and remember seeing a documentary on BBC "John's not mad" (I was young then too) I remember the ridicule he was exposed to.
Unfortunately he used to shout out swearing words and inappropriate phrases. This has caused him no end of abuse including physical over the years.
I saw him on BBC breakfast a little while ago when the film was coming out and he was fine with little tics showing but nothing major. It could be heightened stress at an awards do being filmed that caused the offensive tics to come out.
He has no real control over them. Yes the N word is offensive but is ok for some black people to use in discourse with each other but is somehow now a national scandal because some disabled person blurted it out when he had no control.
The world needs to take a step back and breathe, be more tolerant and show understanding.
This uproar may cause a major setback in John's life.
Anything other than understanding is ableist discrimination.
Well absolutely. Why edit out free Palestine but keep that in?
It is damaging for the tourettes community to allow this situation to blow up the way it has. I don't know whether I think it should have been edited out or not, it is a reality of tourettes. But if you are going to leave it in then you absolutely have to educate the audience and viewers. He's been thrown on a public stage in a really negative way when he just tries to advocate and raise awareness of tourettes.
Yes - I agree. The guy with Tourette’s must be feeling mortified by this situation. The BBC could have edited out the sound of the racial slur before transmission to reduce offence to the viewers of the programme. Earlier in the transmission when I was watching I heard a shout and realised it was likely someone with Tourette’s connected to the film ‘I swear’ - it’s a common aspect of Tourette’s to shout offensive words - and presumably the presence of this film must have meant people in the auditorium must have realised it was someone with Tourette’s that shouted. We need to be understanding - this is not intentional and not in the persons control. It’s the BBC who could have reduced the offence. They edited out an award winner saying ‘Free Palestine’ - so how come they didn’t edit this offensive word out?!
John Davidson's statement in response:
He was there because of a film about tourettes that was made about him to raise awareness of tourettes so absolutely he should have been there. People with tourettes should not be hidden away or excluded because of a challenging condition they cannot help.
Absolutely it is difficult for someone with a protected characteristic like race to hear a slur like that but it cannot be helped by that individual and it's so important that that is understood. People with tourettes can be separated from any person who might ever be offended by one of their ticks.
The part that could have been handled better was the apology. One, there should have been a statement directed to the presenters rather than just the audience but two, it should have been a statement of explanation and education, not just a brushed over sorry if anyone was offended.
