BAFTA and BBC allow racial slur to air

On Feb. 22, during the annual British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards show in London, while two African American actors, Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, were presenting an award, John Davidson, who is white, shouted out the N-word for the in-person and streaming audience to clearly hear. The pre-recorded awards show is comparable to the annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards aka Oscars show held live in Los Angeles. Both Jordan and Lindo were nominated for acting in the movie “Sinners” at the BAFTA ceremony.

Davidson suffers from Tourette syndrome, which according to Tourettes Action is a neurological condition affecting around 300,000 people in Britain. The syndrome causes sudden sounds or movements — known as tics — which sufferers have no control over. The condition is believed to be linked to overactivity in brain circuits involved in involuntary movement and speech. There is ongoing research regarding the syndrome.

According to a spokesperson for Tourettes Action following the Feb. 22 incident: “We deeply understand that these words can cause hurt, but it is vital the public understands a fundamental truth about Tourette syndrome — tics are involuntary. They are not a reflection of a person’s beliefs, intentions or character.” (The Daily Mail, Feb. 23)

In the same article, Professor Sophie Scott, director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, said: “It is not intentional, and people with Tourette’s are not trying to shock — despite what people have said in response. For people with the syndrome, a tic comes on in the same way that we might feel a sneeze. You just can’t stop it — it is involuntary.”

Shayla Amamiya, a Black influencer with Tourette’s, stated: “I’m not going to say that people can’t be offended by the fact that somebody said the N-word as a tic. However, it’s not something that somebody can control. It’s not something that somebody wants to say.

“We must understand what coprolalia is. [It] causes involuntary swearing and inappropriate tics. This can include the N-word slurs, etc. I am a Black person, and I have even used the N-word tic and slurs as tics. This is something I don’t see many talk about, because of situations like this.” (Black Enterprise, Feb 24)

The 54-year-old Davidson is the subject of an acclaimed documentary entitled “I Swear” that chronicles his life living with Tourette syndrome from the time he was a teenager to help raise public awareness and empathy on this misunderstood condition.

And while Davidson left the awards show early due to “shame” he felt from the outburst, unfortunately he did not publicly acknowledge the embarrassment this caused for Jordan and Lindo, similar to the embarrassment he stated he felt towards Queen Elizabeth when he shouted out “F**k the Queen” during a prior public event.

Who should be held accountable for this incident?

Well-known British actor Alan Cummings, the host of the BAFTA Awards, “thanked” the audience for their understanding of Davidson’s condition, which was important to do. But at the same time, he did not offer a public apology to Jordan and Lindo for what they had to endure along with Black people in general who understand all too well the origins of this racist epithet — dating back to the days of enslavement, not only in the U.S. but also in Britain.

Optics can play a major role especially when it’s not absolutely clear all the underlying dynamics taking place when a condition like Tourette syndrome is neither known widely or is misunderstood.

However, the overwhelming blame for this unfortunate situation lies squarely with the BAFTA producers and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that aired the ceremony. With the show pre-recorded two hours before its airing, there was more than enough time for Davidson’s remark to have been censored altogether, followed by an immediate apology to Jordan and Lindo. Lindo commented that neither BAFTA nor the BBC reached out to him directly to offer an apology.

If the BAFTA producers could make the pro-Zionist decision to censor Akinola Davies Jr., a Nigerian-British filmmaker who called for a “Free Palestine” during his acceptance speech, then why could they not bleep out Davidson’s racial slur? This was clearly a political decision made on what is and what is not acceptable free speech.

Black BAFTA member resigns

Filmmaker Jonte Richardson resigned as a BAFTA judge, accusing BAFTA and the BBC of negligence on how the Davidson situation was handled. Part of his resignation statement read: “After considerable soul-searching, I feel compelled to withdraw from the BAFTA emerging talent judging panel. The organization’s handling of the unfortunate Tourette’s N-Word incident last night at the awards was utterly unforgivable. I cannot and will not contribute my time, energy and expertise to an organisation that has repeatedly failed to safeguard the dignity of its Black guests, members and the Black creative community.

“However, when an organization like BAFTA, with its own long history of systemic racism, refuses to acknowledge the harm inflicted on both the Black and disabled communities and offer an appropriate apology, remaining involved would be tantamount to condoning its behavior. I hope BAFTA leadership comprehend the damage they and the BBC have caused and take the necessary steps to ensure their production staff are inclusive enough to prevent such an issue in the future.” (theguardian.com, Feb. 24)

And while both BAFTA and the BBC did eventually apologize for not editing out the racial slur, the damage had already been done in terms of exposing harm when oppressions are pitted against each other. And in this case, those oppressions are a disability and racism. In light of these two intersections of oppression, the main issue is how the situation could have been handled differently— in the most sensitive manner towards people of color and those dealing with an uncontrollable disability.