Awards shows are supposed to be known as a place to honor art and storytelling, but what happens when that environment feels unwelcoming? This year’s British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards had its fair share of beautiful moments and also its share of controversy following an event in which a harmful slur was aimed toward actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, amongst others.
The focus of the discussion surrounds John Davidson, who is an advocate for Tourette syndrome, which is a neurological condition that could cause involuntary motor and vocal tics. Tourette’s is not a character flaw, nor is it a joke; it is a medical illness, and for many people with Tourette’s, these symptoms are upsetting and beyond their control, and we should empathize with that.
But compassion should not come at the price of responsibility.
Tourette’s Is Not a Choice
It is important to understand and recognize that Tourette syndrome is not something someone may just “turn off.” Telling someone with Tourette’s to “just control it” shows ignorance toward the reality of having this disability. Much of the criticism around John Davidson has been very ableist, with some saying that he should’ve never gone to the event or should’ve worn a muzzle. This kind of language is offensive and insensitive toward people with this disability and disabilities as a whole.
However, understanding this very real truth about Tourette’s does not remove the damage brought on by saying a racial slur. Racial slurs reflect centuries of dehumanization, institutional persecution, and brutality, and to direct such a slur toward Black actors like Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, who have both probably experienced much racial discrimination and prejudice in their lives, is hurtful and harmful.
Intent does not negate impact. Though it may not have been Davidson’s intention to say such a word, it was still harmful and hurtful, especially when you consider that he said the slur at least two other times to Black individuals during the event, as claimed by the Sinners Production designer, Hannah Beachler.
We Are Becoming Too Comfortable With Harmful Language
Perhaps most upsetting is how rapidly the discourse shifted toward dismissal. With people on social media almost insinuating that Black people should grin and bear being called a hurtful slur on international television because the person saying it has a mental disability.
We are moving into an era where we are desensitized (and even encouraging others to become desensitized) to racist acts. At the end of the day, what was said was a slur, and even though Davidson has Tourette’s, that is an explanation, not an excuse, and to tell Black people that they aren’t at least owed an apology is disgusting.
Two Truths Can Exist at Once
It is possible for two facts to be simultaneously true.
For starters, it is important to acknowledge that people with Tourette’s cannot control their tics, and regardless of their tics, they deserve dignity, compassion, and protection from ableism. Dehumanizing and reinforcing damaging preconceptions about this disability is calling for someone to be silenced or constrained.
However, it is also important to acknowledge that racial slurs are damaging, full stop. They promote systems of inequality, and it is traumatizing to hear, and my heart breaks for Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, who have probably been on the receiving end of many racist remarks throughout their careers and have had to endure more.
Apology as Accountability
I believe that Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan, as well as the other individuals who were targeted with slurs that night, deserve a sincere apology. Arguing that John Davidson does not need to apologize because his words were unintentional is infantilization. He is a grown man capable of understanding why what he said was hurtful and should take accountability for his actions.
Mental illness/disorders may provide context as to why someone may think or act the way they do, but it does not erase the impact of their actions. For example, when Kanye West made antisemitic comments during a manic episode, most of the discourse still centered on why what he said was harmful instead of the context. So why is it not the same for John Davidson? Why are Black people being told that they should be forgiving and have sympathy for John Davidson when that sympathy and forgiveness is often not returned?
Accountability and compassion are not mutually exclusive, and both can exist at the same time.
A Cultural Crossroads
The BAFTA Awards incident should not become a two-sided argument. It should instead provide a chance to demonstrate how several things could be true at once. One cannot simply regulate Tourette’s; slurs are always unacceptable, ableism is bad, but so is saying such an ugly racial slur.
We need to stop deciding between responsibility and empathy. If we are serious about growing as a society, we need to practice both.
