This was suggested to me by another user in the current big thread about this. I haven't finished watching it yet. It's from Poddy Mouth, a black creator. Apparently the video has perspectives from black people with Tourette's included. Might be valuable in this moment.
This is a (very short, < 5 minutes) video from a black elected official with Tourette's. He takes the position that an acknowledgement or apology is necessary. I think this was before the subsequent statement mentioned in the video linked in the post title was made (the following day), so I don't know if that statement would meet the standard this person had in mind for addressing the harm caused.
As I said in my other comments, I don't have the energy right now to really engage with this discussion further, and I don't want to accidentally cause harm by doing so. I just thought this video also belonged in this thread. Also as I said, if you have other such videos please do post them in this thread or in their own post.
Edit: this video, similar to the one linked in the post title, I got from a comment by another user in the previous thread.
I have been asked by another user to include the following info in the post body, which might be relevant to the discussion.
i think you should link this article directly from the guy with tourettes in the post: https://archive.is/GS647
this bit in particular would be helpful i think
Since the fallout, Davidson’s team shares that he’s reached out to the studio handling “Sinners” in order to directly apologize to Jordan, Lindo and production designer Hannah Beachler.
It has been pointed out that the discussions that happened on this post can be hard to follow for people who did not see prior posts discussing this subject. I think I wanted to avoid encouraging directly transferring the arguments from prior posts, but that was probably ridiculous to think. I have added them below.
Previous post: https://hexbear.net/post/7763428
Post before that: https://hexbear.net/post/7750273
I'm glad you enjoyed!
As for the function of my tics and the premonitory urge, I can't speak for all cases of Tourette's because the feelings seem to differ to varying degrees between people. But my own motor tics are thankfully very easy to describe. They mostly involve either extending or compressing my joints, notably my elbows, knees, neck, and fingers, but occasionally my body wants to flex my bicep or calf muscles. Not painfully or anything, just a basic urge to crack my joints. Usually the tics come in a quick succession, so I'll just do them all.
I was surprised to read that the research description of the premonitory urge matches my own almost exactly. It really is the same as the urge to sneeze or scratch an itch or anything like that. A very obvious, physical tingling sensation will build up in the joint or muscle every minute or so, and go away when I crack or flex it. I imagine it's essentially the same process as anyone who gets an urge to crack their joint. It just happens anywhere from every 10 seconds to every couple of minutes for me. There's also some stuff involving my facial muscles, but I can't get a good read on what they're like, since they're rare (and I can't see my own face lol). The urge can build to be quite strong (never painful), especially if I consciously resist it for longer than a minute or so, meaning I learned when I was really young that there's no point in fighting it at all.
My vocal tics are much harder to describe. Unlike the motor tics, it's hard to tell what the build-up feels like. It's not like my tongue or brain tingles the same way that my joints do. I'll just make a small noise with my lips like a pop or whatever every so often. Lots of people do this, so it's really hard to tell the extent of what is a tic, what is my ADHD, and what is something else. Similarly, I tend to repeat words or phrases that I hear, but it's hard to tell if it's just normal conversation stuff, or if it's echolalia. Finally, I don't really think any vocal tics take the form of words (unless I'm repeating something I hear).
To give a sense of how it can be hard to identify vocal tics, it's the same process as counting how many "filler words" you use in a sentence, or how often you repeat a question back to someone.
Finally, just as a clarification, none of my tics are what I would describe as painful or otherwise physically debilitating. There's no point where I personally don't feel in control of my body. To me, I'd say it's like if I had a small itch every minute: irritating at times, but mostly in the background. I am very lucky in this regard, and if my tics get noticed at all, the most social pressure I will typically receive (especially growing up) was just telling me to sit still or stop fidgeting. I know that many people even without Tourette's can relate to that experience. Honestly, I have always considered my Tourette's to be rather minor in comparison to my ADHD, which as far as I can tell is pretty severe and affects much more of my life. Both were diagnosed at the same time when I was very young, and I wasn't surprised at all to read in the research that they're very common together.
Uh... sorry lol, I didn't mean to type this long of a reply. I've honestly just never really described it (at least not since I was like, 9) so I got carried away haha. My experience isn't particularly notable, but I hope it answered some of your questions! I'd be happy to answer anything else if there's more that I can add!
Thank you so much for the in-depth explanation! That was what I was going for with my questions, and I truly appreciate you sharing this. I'm also somewhat glad I brought that explanation back from when you were 9, if that makes sense? But just in general, I'm really glad you shared this and gave me/us a little glimpse into your lived experience with Tourette's.
While you make it sound like it's not as bad as your ADHD, I can still imagine Tourette's presenting you with issues that people without wouldn't encounter. I am however glad you seem comfortable with it, which makes your explanation almost comfy to read. But since I mentioned it, is there anything you wished people knew/understood about Tourette's that they usually don't? And maybe as less intense questions, are their outside factors that can make tics worse or better for you? I read anxiety is one part that impacts Tourette's immensely, so I was curious how you see it.