I am delighted by the news that it will soon be acceptable to discriminate against disabled people (sorry, that should be ‘people with disabilities’). How often have you fumed as one of the wheelchair classes is wheeled to the front of the queue when boarding a plane or, in fact, whisked past you in almost any queue? Surely the able-bodied should be able to board first.
Bit harsh, maybe? Well, it would be, of course. But the wokerati, assorted people of colour and the screaming hordes of the perpetually offended don’t seem to think so. At least when it comes to the neurodiverse disability of Tourette’s syndrome. This condition leads to uncontrollable verbal ‘tics’ whereby a person involuntarily says – frequently shouts – what is on his mind, however inappropriate that may be.
I only picked up the story of John Davidson after the event at the BAFTAs, at which he shouted ‘nigger’ (or was it ‘niggers’?) when two black people walked past him. I was taking a video call with a friend I meet regularly on line when he started repeating ‘wanker’ at me. I know this person well and he is in a good position to sum up my character in such an endearing way…and so many people would have to agree with him.
However, he was assuming I had heard the news from the BAFTAs, still taking place as we were on our call. But I hadn’t so he explained it to me. My friend had been present at the investiture of John Davidson when he received his OBE for services to people with Tourette’s syndrome. While he could be heard loudly to shout ‘Fuck the Queen’ in the anteroom, it is not true that he said it to Her Majesty as his wife accompanied him and he was able to keep a lid on his outbursts as he received his gong.
My friend said that the Queen – who most likely heard the earlier utterances and who had undoubtedly been warned what might happen – was completely unfazed by the likelihood of an expletive being issued in response to ‘And have you come far?’
It is becoming a bit clichéd to say it, but it nevertheless bears repeating: but why such outrage over a word – one I do consider offensive – that is only that, a word, and one which is used continually between people at whom it is usually aimed? Why the difference when it is used by a black person or a white person? But, especially, why the outrage on this occasion, when it was uttered involuntarily by a person with a recognised disability?
Of course, in time-honoured fashion the ‘something must be done’ brigade are hot on the heels of the ‘someone must be blamed’ brigade. The latter, of course, cannot bring themselves to blame John Davidson as they fully realise that he could not help it. So, the BBC must get the blame for not editing it out in clips shown later of the event. I’m happy to blame the BBC for many things, but they can hardly be blamed for reporting accurately and failing to expurgate an event that did take place.
On the other hand, I do blame them for taking it down. I can imagine that John Davidson could well be embarrassed by the event. But that is not the reason it has been taken down; it has been censored because the word is considered offensive. But so what? Black people offended simply by hearing the word ‘nigger’ should take a lesson from the late Queen and grow a bigger pair of coconuts. Those offended on their behalf should take the proverbial hike.
And then the ‘something must be done’ brigade. Without a care for the optics, there are suggestions that John, and people like him, should not be given a microphone or, if they are likely to cause offence to black people, should be kept in a separate room. Perhaps they should not even be there. Discrimination, segregation and ableism all rolled into one. That is quite a hat-trick.
What could be next, one wonders? Perhaps disabled people should fly on separate planes or, indeed, not fly at all for fear of inconveniencing or upsetting the rest of us. It seems only fair.
Roger Watson is a retired academic, editor and writer. He writes regularly for a range of conservative journals including The Salisbury Review and The European Conservative. He has travelled and worked extensively in the Far East and the Middle East. He lives in Kingston upon Hull, UK.
If you enjoy The New Conservative and would like to support our work, please consider buying us a coffee or sharing this piece with your friends – it would really help to keep us going. Thank you!
(Photograph: Hraybould, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
“DAFTAS” – love it! Sometimes, using the wrong name for an organisation or event can be more than appropriate! In this case, brilliant!
And the “the ‘something must be done’ brigade are hot on the heels of the ‘someone must be blamed’ brigade” is really another way of describing that other brigade who were once known as, the politically correct.
An entertaining and thought-provoking read, for which thanks.
So Tourettes Syndrome sufferers are able to verbalise what they are thinking – pity it doesn’t apply now to the rest of us who prefer not to serve jail time.
I’m not saying TSS’s be discriminated against, but do wonder why their outbursts seem to be things that generally offend rather than more mundane words or phrases.
If, say, ‘gammon’ became a no-no like another term that is selectively a no-no, would TSS’s blurt this out?
Perhaps the NHS could do some research instead of pandering to lifestyle choices interventions?