On Feb. 22, the 79th British Academy of Film Awards (BAFTA) ceremony was held in London. While many great filmmakers, actors and crew members were honored, “Sinners” stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were the subjects of a racial slur directed towards them by attending member John Davidson.
Davidson, the inspiration for the film “I Swear,” which was also honored that night, has a form of Tourette’s syndrome called coprolalia, which causes him to say inappropriate or offensive things involuntarily.
More specifically, he and others with his condition are compelled to say the “worst possible words” that come to their mind, with no ability to stop the behavioral tic. In conjunction with his echolalia, Davidson is triggered by things he sees or hears. So, when Jordan, Lindo and “Sinners” production designer Hannah Beachler appeared in view, Davidson shouted the N-word at them.
The following morning, Davidson released a statement reiterating his condition and his inability to control it, saying, “[I am] deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.” Notably, this statement did not offer an apology to the Black individuals he affected; only a centering of himself while those affected are given no empathy.
The last part of that sentence, ‘to carry any meaning,’ is incredibly reductive to what the N-word means to millions of Black people around the world. When considering its historical use and contemporary abuse by hateful individuals and groups, whether that be in dehumanizing and oppressive ways or in conjunction with acts of violence, an apology is a necessity. Though his condition is out of his control, his response to those whom it affects absolutely is.
Perhaps because of the backlash towards his first statement, Davidson (through Variety) released another on Feb. 25.
Variety interviewed Davidson, allowing him to clarify some key misconceptions people had when the story first broke. Critically, there are two quotes from Davidson in particular that point to a failure by the BBC to properly censor the BAFTA live broadcast.
Firstly, Davidson explains in the interview that the N-word was not the only slur he directed towards a person or group that night:
“On Sunday, Alan Cumming joked about his own sexuality and, when referencing Paddington Bear, said, ‘Maybe you would like to come home with me, Paddington…’ This resulted in homophobic tics from me and led to a shout of ‘pedophile’ that was likely triggered because Paddington Bear is a children’s character.'”
Yet nobody recalls these outbursts because they were never aired. Why were the N-words used by Davidson broadcast at all? Clearly, the BBC is able to cut audio that occurs live before it is transmitted, as seen by their editing of an award winner’s speech saying “Free Palestine.”
Was this a deliberate choice to draw attention to the awards ceremony? One might not think so, and I couldn’t be convinced either, until I read the following from Davidson’s second statement:
“I have made four documentaries with the BBC in the past, and feel that they should have been aware of what to expect from Tourette’s and worked harder to prevent anything that I said — which, after all, was some 40 rows back from the stage — from being included in the broadcast.”
Why on earth was the sound system set up to include Davidson’s voice? A mic set up 40 rows from the stage is uncommon, if not obsolete when it comes to awards ceremonies. The only tangible reason for mics in the audience would be for the host’s interactions with them, but how does that make any sense when more often than not they carry a handheld mic to share?
This is no small town TV station: this is the BBC, renowned for its journalistic scope and integrity. Why they would ever deliberately choose to air these slurs, especially during Black History Month, is beyond me. In fact, it reminds me of another awards show incident which stole the spotlight from Black stories and entertainers: the 2016 Oscar Best Picture debacle.
“Moonlight” directed by Barry Jenkins was groundbreaking upon release, near-universally acclaimed and a shoe-in for several awards that Oscar season. Yet when it came time to accept its Best Picture award, “La La Land” was announced, allowing the entire crew of the latter film to come onto the stage before realizing the hosts announcing the award made a mistake.
Instantly, the conversation stopped being about “Moonlight” or the story it weaves out of Black and LGBTQ+ trauma, but about the mix-up. We as America’s viewing audience now are no longer talking about “Sinners” but about John Davidson’s words leveled against the film’s stars.
Why must attention always be taken away from Black art? Again, are these deliberate choices or mere coincidences born from the American culture we’ve inherited? Black individuals were forced into the backseat, both literally and figuratively, for the majority of American history; maybe nowadays it simply feels strange to treat us with respect.
What could have been a simple awards night has become a vehicle for argumentation, and maybe that was the whole point. Out of everything that is currently going on in the world, must our attention be focused on awards shows? Of the horrific news that comes to light with every passing day, did this incident enlighten us or simply distract us?
Though this article acts as a contradiction to that very point, I feel this was worth discussing regardless. If for no other reason, this article exists as a record of what our society does and the questions it makes us ask ourselves.
If we forget now, what’s stopping them from pushing even further?
