To a lot of people, Tourettes snydrome is a big joke. I mean, not being able to control yourself from cussing? It's fodder for LOTS of comedians, internet and otherwise. Tourettes guy is probably the best example.
You don't have to dig deep to find other examples mocking Tourettes
But when you HAVE tourettes, it's no joke. People judge you harshly, or just make fun of you. But that didn't stop American Idol contestant James Durbin from being a badass.
There were a lot of things working against him, but he believed in himself. Despite having tourettes and Aspberger's, James is set to possibly be one of the finalist on America's #1 television show. You'd never know about his problems if you watch him perform though. He rocks the high notes and the rock songs with confidence and ease... but when he's not singing you can see him making the funny faces that people with Tourettes often make.
Yes, James is a freak... but not for the reasons you might think!
This video tells James' story better than I could...
But then one day James, met an “angel” Heidi, his now wife, and they have one young child together. James was unemployed, and the family was struggling to pay the bills but that's all changed of course because James is now one of the top contenders to be the next American Idol and is changing the way the world sees people with Tourettes Syndrome.
In an early episode of Idol Durbin said, "I have Tourettes and Asperger's, but Tourette&s and Asperger's don't have me. It's not who I am." What a cool guy!
So James, by overcoming all of his problems, AND for being able to rock a Faux-hawk, is now our offical Smosh-sponsered American Idol contestant. If you watch the show, please help him out by voting for him.
Do you know someone with Tourettes Syndrome? What misconceptions do you think people have about people with Tourettes Syndrome? How can we change that? Let's discuss below.
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