In this edition of cinema issues we are talking about the incident at the BAFTAs wherein a man with Tourettes shouted a racial slur.
Firstly, Tourettes makes you say things you would not want to say, it is intrusive, it has been widely stigmatised, and is continuing to be so. Someone saying something does not mean they hold those opinions or beliefs really quite the opposite.
Secondly, the level of ignorance and ableism that has come out of parts of the film community about this incident shows that it is still widely misunderstood. For the people saying the man should apologise, the question becomes what apologise for a disability, apologise for having a condition that forces you to say things you do not want to say, no that’s wrong as it implies intent. There is no proof that the man is a racist.
Whilst the word is incredibly charged, a conversation is needed to be had around intent. If he had no condition that makes you say things you don’t want to say, then it would be racist and rightfully called out, but he does and that means that he isn’t in control of himself and shouldn’t be made to apologise for having a disability. One believes that this is a cooler heads moment and that after some reflection people will see the difference between the two things but maybe not. The internet is just a place of hatred after all.
One thing I will say is that this awards season has been one of the most toxic, and vitriolic on record. The tribalism and the race baiting and the us Vs them narratives are really quite sickening. You saw it when parts of the film community began attacking every single film that wasn’t Sinners online and calling anyone who didn’t think Sinners was the best film and should win every award racist. They then called the awards shows racist, and now a lot of the same people are being openly discriminatory towards a man who cannot control what he said and likely feels an incredible amount of shame and humiliation over what happened.
If this is what awards shows are coming to then maybe they should just go away
We would ask you to look up Tourettes syndrome before you go posting on social media.
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