Distance is easier than defense

John Davidson's request to watch the Scottish Baftas via video link after shouting a racial slur during the February ceremony signals something institutional leaders have learned to do without naming it: when involuntary speech becomes the problem, move the person rather than defend the contradiction. The Tourette's syndrome diagnosis is real. The offense is also real. And institutions now have a well-worn path that lets them acknowledge both without choosing between them.

This is not new territory, though it feels like the first time. What has changed is the instinct — the default move has shifted from presence to distance, from defending a person's place despite what came out of their mouth to offering them a screen instead.

In 2016, the BBC faced a structurally similar problem when Marc Gasol, who also experiences involuntary tics, produced offensive content on live air. The BBC chose differently. It kept him there. It defended the presence, absorbed the contradiction, and did not offer him the mercy of disappearing. That choice created noise — internal and external. Because institutions had to explain why a person with a documented neurological condition remained accountable for harm while remaining employed. The argument took shape in public. It was uncomfortable. It was also honest.

A video link resolves the discomfort by dissolving the presence. Davidson can still participate (accommodation honored). The camera catches nobody's eye, the awkwardness stays contained, the institution never has to articulate what it actually believes about the relationship between Tourette's and accountability on platforms that matter. Video links let you manage the condition without managing the contradiction it creates. They are easier. They are also a form of institutional retreat dressed as compassion.

The question a cold reader might miss is whether this precedent signals something about how British institutions now prefer to handle neurodevelopmental conditions on public stages: not by defending difficult presence. By polishing it away. The harder path is not accommodation itself. It is accommodation alongside genuine accountability, with no screen between them, forcing everyone to hold both things at once.