Anyone watching the BAFTAs this week will have seen or at least heard about the moment a racial slur was yelled out.
It was the moment John Davidson- a campaigner for Tourette syndrome awareness- yelled a slur as a result of Tourette syndrome. The tic occurred at the time Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage speaking.
It naturally was seen as controversial and generated some skepticism from viewers. Although it seems many responses have been pretty understanding and positive.
So why did John- out of all the things he could have shouted- say the N word?
It is due to Coprolalia, the involuntary outburst of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks.
Tourette has for a long time been seen as a ‘swearing disease’. A condition that makes all sufferers swear, and one reason for this is that swearing tics gain public attention. Someone like myself that has relatively mild shoulder shrugging and humming tics wouldn’t really attract viewers. Someone shouting obscenities would, and this is why sufferers that experience Coprolalia are disproportionately shown on TV.
CDC says that Coprolalia “only affects about 1 in 10 people with Tourette. Coprolalia is a complex tic that is difficult to control or suppress and people who have this tic often feel embarrassed by it.”
If John shouted a totally unrelated word, this wouldn’t have made headlines. But as he shouted a racist insult whilst two black men were on stage, it did. This is how only 10% of sufferers seem to make up 90% of televised cases, and the ‘swearing disease’ stereotype remains.
So why did it seem so intentional?
Tourette is involuntary. But, tics can be directly related to the environment, and often involve something you’d least like to do or say.
I have never suffered with Coprolalia, but my earliest tics involved doing things I hated. Whenever I hated the feeling of a certain texture as a kid, I had to bite it. I hated the sound of grinding my teeth so this became a tic. I was told to never look at the sun, which then became a tic.
For some reason tics often involve doing things we’d least like to and I hope it gives some reassurance when I say that when John shouted the N word at the BAFTA’s, it’s because he knew it was the last thing he wanted to say in that situation. And it doesn’t take a bad person to know what the worst thing is to say in each and every situation we find ourselves in daily.
A way I hope people can relate to this is through anxiety or OCD, two things I have suffered with greatly. When we have fears, they take over. If you have a fear of flying, you don’t spend the flight worrying the in-flight movie will be bad or the food will be burnt. The intrusive thoughts go straight to the very worst thing possible. A crash, losing relatives. The same when you’re locking the doors at night. You’re not worried that a strong gust will open the door whilst you sleep. You’re worried about a break in, your families safety.
Our brains are constantly analyzing situations. From an evolutionary perspective it makes sense to obsess about what would keep us safe in our group, or get us kicked out. Especially what would get us kicked out, and ensuring we stay away from saying things that would hurt, upset, or traumatise those around us. From a Tourette syndrome perspective, the brain is constantly firing urges to make movements and vocalisations and when this environmental analysis is taking place, the things you tell yourself would be the worst possible thing to say in this situation seems to be carried by the current. The current being the gestures, words or phrases caused by Tourette syndrome.
This isn’t a new phenomena. The oldest recorded examples of what we think Tourette syndrome is comes from a book that translates as ‘The Hammer of Witches’ in 1487. .
“I cannot help myself at all, for so he uses all my limbs and organs, my neck, my tongue, and my lungs, whenever he pleases, causing me to speak or cry out. And I hear the words as if they were spoken by myself, but I am altogether unable to restrain them; and when I try to engage in prayer he attacks me more violently, thrusting out my tongue.“
For this priest during the Inquisition, tics worsened when in church and when engaging in prayer. The local community would have had the same conversations we are having today.
“Why do you say these things in church only? I’ve never heard you say that outside of church.”
It seems intentional, it seems forced. But that is the bizarre nature of the condition. And when we learn of the horrendous imprisonments, tortures and executions of witches both past and present, we know this isn’t something that can be simply stopped. Especially when their lives literally depended on it.
But I feel both parties need to be protected. Those with Tourette syndrome, and those that are on the receiving end of physical and/or vocal tics. So what is the solution?
Is it to tell those with Tourette syndrome they are not welcome? Is it to tell those on the receiving end to just ignore their feelings? Hopefully none of these.
I don’t think there is an easy answer to this. And the BBC not editing it out was obviously controversial. I assume they were overthinking whether or not to keep it in as it was a part of his condition, or censor it out and viewers asked why they did so after realising it was said. I don’t know the reasons but I hope to have a better understanding as to why they made the choice to keep it in.
A situation as complex as this needs discussion, not division. And over time, we will come to a resolution.