Please understand that Tourette's syndrome is a disease characterized by involuntary expostulation of forbidden words. Keyword is "involuntary." It must be differentiated from wilful cruelty and insult.
Then how did the N word get to be one of the involuntary expostulation of forbidden words if that word wasn't actually going through the thought process of the person with Tourette'syndrome to begin with?
We all have thought processes of an unwanted or forbidden nature, but most of us stop ourselves from expressing them. Tourette's is a neurological disorder of disinhibition, so the person with Tourette's has, at times, no control of their outbursts. There is a whole constellation of symptoms, beginning with motor tics, that are part of the syndrome. Hope this helps.
Yes, I wasn't referring to Trump, but sufferers from Tourette's, a neurological disorder, rather than the narcissistic cruelty that Trump exhibits, certainly a choice on his part.
I get really tired of hearing white people say that they can use the n word because Black people use it. That's like a double whammy of ignorance and racism.
"Donald Trump is proof of how far you can go by hating Black people."
In an evolved world, it is criminal that he has gotten this far, and criminal he is. It's a disgrace that he and so many of his cult have come no farther than this. Of course he not only attempts to normalize racism, he projects it. Talk about a lack of social evolution.
I'm just going to highlight my key takeaways from the author:
"Black people don’t have to accept Davidson’s or any white person’s apology for the use of the word or the gaslighting that tends to accompany it. “The kind of apology that quietly shifts the burden back onto us, as if the real question is whether we felt something, not whether he said something ugly and harmful? We’re supposed to accept an apology that confirms our initial suspicions about how deeply that word sits, how easily it surfaces from white mouths, and how quickly the instinct is to minimize rather than own it? Nah.”
For most white people, racism is something that doesn't personally affect them and that they rarely think of. For other white people, they are gleefully racist and so of course say that nonwhites are overly sensitive.
“Our ancestors didn’t survive the ships, the plantation, lynch mobs, redlining, segregation, and polite white apologies so that we could be confused by a manipulative conditional clause,” she explained. “They survived by paying attention and by believing what they saw the first time.”
So for most white people, black people talking about racism is an irritation. For black people, vigilance is existential because words easily translate into violence. Delusional? On February 19, 2026 on a Manhattan street MAGA trolls set fire to a Black woman's boots while verbally insulting her. See New York Daily News for the full story.
It is a 'truism' that we can't legislate moral behavior. It is also not clear to me whose version of morality would be adopted, how one would police such legislation, or who would be given the authority to do so, but our devotion to 'free speech' in this country and, for some sectors, consequence free behavior does need to be rethought. For our society to remain civilly viable we need a better balance between individual freedoms and individual responsibility for the consequences of exercising those freedoms. A first step would set some limits set on what constitutes acceptable speech (both in public and in private), would clearly define what constitutes 'hate' speech, along with the consequences at the individual level for engaging in such speech. I would also address acceptable behaviors in the same manner. Surely, we can create reasonable legal definitions of speech and behavior that is constructive as opposed to destructive without diminishing the ability to raise or discuss potentially toxic or painful subject matter in a civil fashion that leads to solutions and a stronger society rather than to division and a fractured society.
It seems to me, then if the racist culture didn't exist where the N word is accepted and prevalent historically, then Tourettes individuals would never use this offensive slur so, yes, the burden then falls on us white folks and , of course, all black folks to be sensitive and understanding and be kind. Thank you for helping me better understand what racism is.
Isn't it fairly clear that Trump support is aimed at normalizing racist attitudes?
That's Crystal Clear!
Please understand that Tourette's syndrome is a disease characterized by involuntary expostulation of forbidden words. Keyword is "involuntary." It must be differentiated from wilful cruelty and insult.
That it is involuntary, is true, for a person suffering from Tourette's. But..."I'm sorry if you were offended," is a notpology.
Yes, I agree, and I don't believe BAFTA or Alan Cummings handled the situation well. John Davidson deserves compassion, though.
Then how did the N word get to be one of the involuntary expostulation of forbidden words if that word wasn't actually going through the thought process of the person with Tourette'syndrome to begin with?
We all have thought processes of an unwanted or forbidden nature, but most of us stop ourselves from expressing them. Tourette's is a neurological disorder of disinhibition, so the person with Tourette's has, at times, no control of their outbursts. There is a whole constellation of symptoms, beginning with motor tics, that are part of the syndrome. Hope this helps.
The only thing "involuntary" about Trump's speech is his constant lying. From the evidence, he cannot stop.
Yes, I wasn't referring to Trump, but sufferers from Tourette's, a neurological disorder, rather than the narcissistic cruelty that Trump exhibits, certainly a choice on his part.
I get really tired of hearing white people say that they can use the n word because Black people use it. That's like a double whammy of ignorance and racism.
We need to be reminded of our language constantly...thought we had come further but this current regime has belittled so many.
Somedays 💜 for the writer is followed by 😱 and 😭 for the content. Thanks for this hard-hitting post.
"Donald Trump is proof of how far you can go by hating Black people."
In an evolved world, it is criminal that he has gotten this far, and criminal he is. It's a disgrace that he and so many of his cult have come no farther than this. Of course he not only attempts to normalize racism, he projects it. Talk about a lack of social evolution.
I'm just going to highlight my key takeaways from the author:
"Black people don’t have to accept Davidson’s or any white person’s apology for the use of the word or the gaslighting that tends to accompany it. “The kind of apology that quietly shifts the burden back onto us, as if the real question is whether we felt something, not whether he said something ugly and harmful? We’re supposed to accept an apology that confirms our initial suspicions about how deeply that word sits, how easily it surfaces from white mouths, and how quickly the instinct is to minimize rather than own it? Nah.”
For most white people, racism is something that doesn't personally affect them and that they rarely think of. For other white people, they are gleefully racist and so of course say that nonwhites are overly sensitive.
“Our ancestors didn’t survive the ships, the plantation, lynch mobs, redlining, segregation, and polite white apologies so that we could be confused by a manipulative conditional clause,” she explained. “They survived by paying attention and by believing what they saw the first time.”
So for most white people, black people talking about racism is an irritation. For black people, vigilance is existential because words easily translate into violence. Delusional? On February 19, 2026 on a Manhattan street MAGA trolls set fire to a Black woman's boots while verbally insulting her. See New York Daily News for the full story.
It is a 'truism' that we can't legislate moral behavior. It is also not clear to me whose version of morality would be adopted, how one would police such legislation, or who would be given the authority to do so, but our devotion to 'free speech' in this country and, for some sectors, consequence free behavior does need to be rethought. For our society to remain civilly viable we need a better balance between individual freedoms and individual responsibility for the consequences of exercising those freedoms. A first step would set some limits set on what constitutes acceptable speech (both in public and in private), would clearly define what constitutes 'hate' speech, along with the consequences at the individual level for engaging in such speech. I would also address acceptable behaviors in the same manner. Surely, we can create reasonable legal definitions of speech and behavior that is constructive as opposed to destructive without diminishing the ability to raise or discuss potentially toxic or painful subject matter in a civil fashion that leads to solutions and a stronger society rather than to division and a fractured society.
It seems to me, then if the racist culture didn't exist where the N word is accepted and prevalent historically, then Tourettes individuals would never use this offensive slur so, yes, the burden then falls on us white folks and , of course, all black folks to be sensitive and understanding and be kind. Thank you for helping me better understand what racism is.
I deplore the n-word and believe it has no place in our language. However, I hear it much more often from black people than from whites.
Right effing on, sister Carron! 🤟🏽😘💕
These racists have no heart. Will they ever see others as their sisters & brothers.
I fear they will always be the people asking, "Well, who IS my neighbor," and those people are never the "good guys."