The BAFTAs are the UK equivalent of the Oscars. Except even more irrelevant. But it still means that assorted American celebrities, some of them black, like the ever obnoxious Michael B. Jordan, fly out there to act as presenters.
Back in 2020, the BAFTAs had been denounced for being “too white”.
Prince William is expected to raise his concerns over the all-white Bafta nominations during his awards speech tonight.
It is being reported that he raised his concerns about the lack of racial diversity with Bafta’s Chief Executive Amande Berry OBE.
A source told The Sun: “He supports Bafta but is concerned and disappointed.
“He recognises there is so much talent in the industry so for all the nominations to be white again isn’t good enough.”
But in a bit of counterprogramming, also in attendance at the BAFTAs was John Davidson: the subject of multiple documentaries over his Tourette’s syndrome which depicted how wrong it was to exclude him from society just because he sometimes can’t help screaming obscenities in public.
You can guess what happened next.
Davidson took to screaming obscenities at the BAFTA awards including a certain word that remains the only taboo term in our otherwise taboo-free society which cannot be used anywhere except in hip-hop videos.
Certainly not by a white guy with Tourette’s.
The black celebrities were outraged and offended even when it was explained to them that Davidson has a tic.
The BAFTAs and everyone associated with them has apologized several times over the whole thing. And of course the usual black celebs insisted that Davidson really meant it.
Foxx commented below a post about the incident on social media, saying, “Unacceptable” and “Nah he meant that shit”. Journalist Jemele Hill said on social media: “Black people are just supposed to be ok with being disrespected and dehumanised so that other people don’t feel bad”, and actor Wendell Pierce said: “It’s infuriating that the first reaction wasn’t complete and full throatted [sic] apologies to Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan. The insult to them takes priority. It doesn’t matter the reasoning for the racist slur.”
The ‘reasoning’ in question is that Davidson has an uncontrollable condition. But since racial conspiracy theories are also an uncontrollable condition, Foxx insists that he meant it. I’m not a doctor here, so I can’t say how this condition works, but I do know that when Foxx went on Saturday Night Live and talked about how much fun it was killing white people, he meant it.
The UK media is demanding more apologies, but they were the ones who made Davidson a celebrity and upheld his condition. If they really believe he has no control over what he says, what’s the basis for the apology?
Should the BAFTAs have invited someone who can’t stop screaming obscenities? Well the whole premise of the BBC’s documentaries about Davidson is that he should be included everywhere. And that means an awards show broadcast worldwide.
This degree of ‘inclusion’ for certain kinds of disability was obviously nuts. So is the reaction to it.
Judge Jonte Richardson, 54, has today announced he is to step down over the handling of the outburst, which took place at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday.
Taking to LinkedIn, the award-winning writer, director and producer branded the UK film industry “unapologetically racist”, explaining: “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.”
Oh no! Anyway.
There’s a sane middle ground, but identity politics hates anything resembling sanity and demands that everyone except some extreme. Like inviting a man who can’t stop screaming obscenities or insisting that one specific obscenity is the only unacceptable one that trumps disability inclusion.
Meanwhile we’ve established once again that in the UK media it’s more socially acceptable to call for killing Jews than it is for a man with a disability that causes him to shout uncontrollable obscenities to use a certain word.
And in the matchup between disability and racism, racism wins. Disabled people better know their place.
