What are some things you shouldn’t say to a person when they tell you they have Tourette’s? For starters don’t say “Man! That’s so awesome! You can swear all the time and get away with it! I wish I had that!” What are other things you think people shouldn’t say?
This blog is going to start a top-10 countdown of the things you just shouldn’t say to someone who has TS. So what would you say in response to this comment from another person who you have told that you or your child had Tourette’s?
Counting down toward No. 1, here’s No. 10:
“You’re really pretty/handsome for someone with Tourette’s” or “You’re too pretty/handsome to have Tourette’s.”
Yes. People actually say this. Or at least make comments like this online. In response to this, here are the words of a beautiful young woman named Megan who has Tourette’s:
Are you saying that people who have disabilities or neurological conditions are not supposed to be aesthetically pleasing or to have a certain beauty that fits in what society finds acceptable? This warped sense of beauty? What if your child has a disability and you tell them that they are too normal or beautiful to have a disability? Imagine how they’d feel?
And you know what? I have Tourette’s and I am gosh damn sexy, beautiful, confident, wonderful, amazing, compassionate, loving, caring, considerate, resilient, and strong-minded. Tourette’s has made me become so much more compassionate towards other people. Tourette’s has helped me learned cultural competency and enables me to connect with ANYONE at ANY TIME on a mental, emotional, and spiritual level. Now that’s beautiful.
Look for No. 9 tomorrow!
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