My friend Lynne Streeter Childress answered the Bat signal for an emergency session about what the hell just happened at the BAFTA awards.
John Davidson, the Scottish Tourette’s syndrome activist and the inspiration for the film I Swear, shouted the “n-word” — the full Tarantino — at presenters Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo. That was unsettling but even worse was the BAFTA response.
The usual suspects also emerged to argue that Jordan and Lindo having the “n-word” shouted at them is no big deal because they appeared in Sinners, where the word is used. It’s as if people who support Donald Trump don’t understand how consent works.
Someone on Threads even posted in my feed that white people learned the n-word from “our” music. It’s a pathetic argument. Besides, if we’re talking about “my” music, I don’t think the “n-word” comes up much in Candide or Jesus Christ Superstar.
Some highlights from our conversation
The BAFTA aftermath has shown that too many people don’t seem to grasp how apologies work. You apologize when you cause someone harm, regardless of your intent. Your intent determines whether someone is inclined to accept your apology and forgive you. I don’t demand that Davidson atone for his outburst, as it was it wasn’t intentional, just acknowledge the painful impact without making it about himself.
Too many people also struggle to empathize with Black pain and the legacy of racism.
Apologizing when you cause harm — even if unintentional — is not about accepting undue blame but expressing empathy.
