Bullshit.

@stellarsarah He was the subject of a film about Tourette's that was discussed in the show, and I assume that as a Tourette's activist he was unwilling to mask his neurodivergence just for the polite comfort of others. All of which I'm fine with – it's similar to autistic people refusing to hide their stimming behavior – except (as I've said) racist slurs are different from mere vulgarities, and I fault him and the organizers for not understanding that and balancing his right to be himself against Black people's right to be free from racist slurs.

@venitamathias @msbellows

In addition to yelling the n-word, Davidson could also be heard yelling, “Shut the f--- up,” and “f--- you” during various points in the ceremony.

From https://people.com/john-davidson-deeply-mortified-n-word-baftas-incident-11912076

The only direct slur via tic that night was the profoundly racist one.

The thing white people like me don't understand, don't feel in our gut, is the 250+ years of systemic dehumanization and torture carried by that word. It's not a word. It's a reminder and a promise. It carries weight we cannot imagine. Why he said it matters far less than the fact that it was said. It was said and the reaction by most news outlets is to focus on the illness that said it.

Focus on Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, Oscar nominated actors from one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the season being reminded that some people still never see them as anything other than that word. John Davidson didn't mean it. His illness chose the word. But there are millions of white people who do mean it, every day. People filled with overflowing hatred. When they hear that it doesn't matter why it was said. Just that it was said and it put those two incredibly talented men and every other person of color within earshot "in their place".

The BBC could have censored it. They had a two hour delay. They could have offered an honest apology and acknowledged how deadly that word is, and it is deadly.

They did neither. They should be the ones blamed and punished. They knew and they did not prepare. They were told and they didn't listen.

I'm sad for John Davidson and the "mortification" he feels. He was there to celebrate a movie made about his own life to shine a light on his disability.

I'm more sad for every BIPOC who saw this live or read about it and was reminded that they are never safe, not even when they do everything right and are at the top of their game.

One word tells them it will never be enough.

That's the legacy we have to understand. Slavery. Literal chatel slavery. That's what that word conjures. Can you imagine?

But I'm white. I've already spent too much time talking instead of listening.

@msbellows
The point is he made the choice to sit in that audience. He knew he was ticking. He knew it was a possibility he would yell it and he chose to stay throughout. Even after he yelled it.

I judge his choice.

@katrinakatrinka You didn't answer my question, though.

@msbellows this isn't just "polite comfort". The man was literally hurling verbal abuse at others. Someone isn't allowed to stim by slapping other people, that man is at the very least incredibly rude by staying in that environment and being an asshole to everyone else.

@msbellows
You're constructing a straw man to fight. I told you my position.

@stellarsarah Would you say the same if he had cursed without saying the n-word?

@katrinakatrinka I'm truly not. I'm trying to understand whether you think he should not have been allowed to blurt vulgarities, or just this one vulgarity in particular; whether they should have bleeped out all vulgarities, or just this one. It's a substantial difference, to an antiracist person with Tourette's.

@venitamathias Even if it's Tourette's,they should have bleeped this out. And removed the guy from the venue. Apologies and sympathy not accepted.

@rochelimit Anyway I'm not trying to get in a back and forth. But I thought your comment was super condescending and pedantic, and totally lacking in any sort of empathy for Black people.

So, you sit with that and make it your own problem, please, instead of implying you know how we ought to react to slurs.

@thiswomanswerk
My first comment was to agree with a black poster, that it is wrong to suggest that a person with a neurological condition should be kept away from the ceremony because words, which do not represent that person's feelings, will cause upset.

The idea that one innocent group should be protected at the expense of another is something worth debating, isn't it? When balancing rights, the importance of context cannot be ignored.

@oldclumsy_nowmad Oh, that's a PERFECT example of what went wrong with BAFTA! That other driver isn't at fault for blanking out, but he IS at fault for choosing to drive if he knew it might be hazardous to other people.

@msbellows
What you propose is not what happened. Therefore, not my argument. I'm not interested in "what ifs".

"A straw man fallacy (sometimes written as strawman) is the informal fallacy of refuting an argument different from the one actually under discussion, while not recognizing or acknowledging the distinction.[1]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man

@IveyJanette @venitamathias they didn't edit this out, but they censored a Palestinian filmmaker saying "Free Palestine". this were deliberate decisions by the BBC.

Bullshit.

#blackmastodon
https://newsone.com/6850753/tourettes-tic-blamed-nword-being-yelled-baftas/

@rochelimit @thiswomanswerk

"Apologies are extended 'if you are offended.' 

If. As though the harm is hypothetical and the racial slur exists only in the realm of personal sensitivity.  If. As though what happened depends on whether Black people choose to register it. That phrasing shifts the harm from something that happened to something people might feel. The problem subtly relocates from the racial act to Black folks’ reaction."

@katrinakatrinka He did both. I'm asking which one troubled you. You're being evasive, which means you see this as an argument rather than a discussion, and therefore you're not worth my time. Goodbye and be well, if that's possible for you.