tempo_n_groove said:

mickeyrat said:

Merriam-Webster's definition of "spaz":  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spaz

I have always thought it to mean this.  Someone high sprung or a goof.  Never have I ever heard the word Spaz used to put down someone with cerebral palsy.

brianlux said:

Tim Simmons said:

brianlux said:

Tim Simmons said:

New Beyonce album just showed up. yessssssssss

Not meaning to burst your bubble, Tim, but you might want to check this out first:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/01/when-beyonce-dropped-the-same-ableist-slur-as-lizzo-on-her-new-album-my-heart-sank

When Beyoncé dropped the same ableist slur as Lizzo on her new album, my heart sank

Hannah Diviney

It’s not very often that I don’t know what to say, rendered speechless by ignorance, sadness and a simmering anger born of bone-deep exhaustion. But that’s how I feel right now.

Six weeks ago I called out American singer, Lizzo, on Twitter for her use of an ableist slur (“spaz”) in a new song. That tweet of mine – which explained how the slur was connected to my disability, cerebral palsy – took me less than five minutes to write and it went viral, landing on the front page of global news outlets including the BBC, New York Times and the Washington Post.

Lizzo herself even took notice, changing the lyric and giving us all a masterclass in how to be a true and effective ally.

I thought we’d changed the music industry and started a global conversation about why ableist language – intentional or not – has no place in music. But I guess I was wrong, because now Beyoncé has gone and done exactly the same thing. In fact, she’s used the word “spaz” twice in a new song Heated, a co-write with Canadian rapper Drake off her new album, Renaissance, which dropped on Friday.

I found out by way of a snarky mention on Twitter asking if I planned to tell Queen Bey to “do better” like I had with Lizzo. My heart sank. Here we were again, but this time the stakes feel higher. Calling this one out is a whole other level.

Whenever Beyoncé so much as breathes it becomes a cultural moment. She’s often the blueprint for the music industry – with artists and entertainers following her lead. That’s the status she has earned after decades of a career at the top, never making the same move twice, seeming to play in an entirely different league to the majority of the music industry.

Beyoncé’s commitment to storytelling musically and visually is unparalleled, as is her power to have the world paying attention to the narratives, struggles and nuanced lived experience of being a black woman – a world I can only ever understand as an ally, and have no desire to overshadow.

But that doesn’t excuse her use of ableist language – language that gets used and ignored all too often. Language you can be sure I will never ignore, no matter who it comes from or what the circumstances are. It doesn’t excuse the fact that the teams of people involved in making this album somehow missed all the noise the disabled community made only six weeks ago when Lizzo did the same thing.

It doesn’t explain how millions of people have already heard this album and yet aren’t raising the issue, except to make fun of or degrade the disabled community.

I’m so tired. Disabled people deserve better. I don’t want to have this conversation again.

Yeah. I heard it in the song last week. It’s a bummer. I’d rather them own it and be better going forward than not doing anything. 

I'm really hoping she comes around on this one.  And it probably wasn't meant to be derogatory, but how do you tell that to someone with a disability?  She would do well to make amends somehow.  I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Never heard of it used in that way.  Is this new?

tempo_n_groove said:

brianlux said:

tempo_n_groove said:

mickeyrat said:

Merriam-Webster's definition of "spaz":  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spaz

I have always thought it to mean this.  Someone high sprung or a goof.  Never have I ever heard the word Spaz used to put down someone with cerebral palsy.

brianlux said:

Tim Simmons said:

brianlux said:

Tim Simmons said:

New Beyonce album just showed up. yessssssssss

Not meaning to burst your bubble, Tim, but you might want to check this out first:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/01/when-beyonce-dropped-the-same-ableist-slur-as-lizzo-on-her-new-album-my-heart-sank

When Beyoncé dropped the same ableist slur as Lizzo on her new album, my heart sank

Hannah Diviney

It’s not very often that I don’t know what to say, rendered speechless by ignorance, sadness and a simmering anger born of bone-deep exhaustion. But that’s how I feel right now.

Six weeks ago I called out American singer, Lizzo, on Twitter for her use of an ableist slur (“spaz”) in a new song. That tweet of mine – which explained how the slur was connected to my disability, cerebral palsy – took me less than five minutes to write and it went viral, landing on the front page of global news outlets including the BBC, New York Times and the Washington Post.

Lizzo herself even took notice, changing the lyric and giving us all a masterclass in how to be a true and effective ally.

I thought we’d changed the music industry and started a global conversation about why ableist language – intentional or not – has no place in music. But I guess I was wrong, because now Beyoncé has gone and done exactly the same thing. In fact, she’s used the word “spaz” twice in a new song Heated, a co-write with Canadian rapper Drake off her new album, Renaissance, which dropped on Friday.

I found out by way of a snarky mention on Twitter asking if I planned to tell Queen Bey to “do better” like I had with Lizzo. My heart sank. Here we were again, but this time the stakes feel higher. Calling this one out is a whole other level.

Whenever Beyoncé so much as breathes it becomes a cultural moment. She’s often the blueprint for the music industry – with artists and entertainers following her lead. That’s the status she has earned after decades of a career at the top, never making the same move twice, seeming to play in an entirely different league to the majority of the music industry.

Beyoncé’s commitment to storytelling musically and visually is unparalleled, as is her power to have the world paying attention to the narratives, struggles and nuanced lived experience of being a black woman – a world I can only ever understand as an ally, and have no desire to overshadow.

But that doesn’t excuse her use of ableist language – language that gets used and ignored all too often. Language you can be sure I will never ignore, no matter who it comes from or what the circumstances are. It doesn’t excuse the fact that the teams of people involved in making this album somehow missed all the noise the disabled community made only six weeks ago when Lizzo did the same thing.

It doesn’t explain how millions of people have already heard this album and yet aren’t raising the issue, except to make fun of or degrade the disabled community.

I’m so tired. Disabled people deserve better. I don’t want to have this conversation again.

Yeah. I heard it in the song last week. It’s a bummer. I’d rather them own it and be better going forward than not doing anything. 

I'm really hoping she comes around on this one.  And it probably wasn't meant to be derogatory, but how do you tell that to someone with a disability?  She would do well to make amends somehow.  I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Never heard of it used in that way.  Is this new?

It's not new to my knowledge, but then in the late 80's I subbed special ed a few times, have personally known Down Syndrome folks, have worked  with people in the disabilities office at our local community college from the late 1990's to early 2000's, volunteered 1,000 hours at our health library, so I might take it for granted that most people know "spaz" is a derogatory term.  To my way of thinking, it really should be common knowledge. 

And yes, same with "dork".  Kind of hard to believe that one is still thrown around. It too, by definition, is a derogatory term. 

It seems to me that people who throw those terms around either have no experience with people with disabilities or maybe even have disdain for them.  It sucks being disabled.  Why make it harder? (I mean that generally.  I'm not pointing fingers at anyone specifically.)

I would gather to say that everyone that uses dork or spaz is not targeting the special needs people.  The term restarted wasn't doing that either IMO but because there was a past stigma with those words and people still want to revisit words that have taken on new meanings.

The term "gypped" as in "gypped me on that price" is a derogatory term or so I have read.  It refers to Gypsies.  They get a lot of flack.

Anybody feel like starting a thread on this, lol?  Offensive words you didn't know that were?

tempo_n_groove said:

brianlux said:

tempo_n_groove said:

mickeyrat said:

Merriam-Webster's definition of "spaz":  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spaz

I have always thought it to mean this.  Someone high sprung or a goof.  Never have I ever heard the word Spaz used to put down someone with cerebral palsy.

brianlux said:

Tim Simmons said:

brianlux said:

Tim Simmons said:

New Beyonce album just showed up. yessssssssss

Not meaning to burst your bubble, Tim, but you might want to check this out first:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/01/when-beyonce-dropped-the-same-ableist-slur-as-lizzo-on-her-new-album-my-heart-sank

When Beyoncé dropped the same ableist slur as Lizzo on her new album, my heart sank

Hannah Diviney

It’s not very often that I don’t know what to say, rendered speechless by ignorance, sadness and a simmering anger born of bone-deep exhaustion. But that’s how I feel right now.

Six weeks ago I called out American singer, Lizzo, on Twitter for her use of an ableist slur (“spaz”) in a new song. That tweet of mine – which explained how the slur was connected to my disability, cerebral palsy – took me less than five minutes to write and it went viral, landing on the front page of global news outlets including the BBC, New York Times and the Washington Post.

Lizzo herself even took notice, changing the lyric and giving us all a masterclass in how to be a true and effective ally.

I thought we’d changed the music industry and started a global conversation about why ableist language – intentional or not – has no place in music. But I guess I was wrong, because now Beyoncé has gone and done exactly the same thing. In fact, she’s used the word “spaz” twice in a new song Heated, a co-write with Canadian rapper Drake off her new album, Renaissance, which dropped on Friday.

I found out by way of a snarky mention on Twitter asking if I planned to tell Queen Bey to “do better” like I had with Lizzo. My heart sank. Here we were again, but this time the stakes feel higher. Calling this one out is a whole other level.

Whenever Beyoncé so much as breathes it becomes a cultural moment. She’s often the blueprint for the music industry – with artists and entertainers following her lead. That’s the status she has earned after decades of a career at the top, never making the same move twice, seeming to play in an entirely different league to the majority of the music industry.

Beyoncé’s commitment to storytelling musically and visually is unparalleled, as is her power to have the world paying attention to the narratives, struggles and nuanced lived experience of being a black woman – a world I can only ever understand as an ally, and have no desire to overshadow.

But that doesn’t excuse her use of ableist language – language that gets used and ignored all too often. Language you can be sure I will never ignore, no matter who it comes from or what the circumstances are. It doesn’t excuse the fact that the teams of people involved in making this album somehow missed all the noise the disabled community made only six weeks ago when Lizzo did the same thing.

It doesn’t explain how millions of people have already heard this album and yet aren’t raising the issue, except to make fun of or degrade the disabled community.

I’m so tired. Disabled people deserve better. I don’t want to have this conversation again.

Yeah. I heard it in the song last week. It’s a bummer. I’d rather them own it and be better going forward than not doing anything. 

I'm really hoping she comes around on this one.  And it probably wasn't meant to be derogatory, but how do you tell that to someone with a disability?  She would do well to make amends somehow.  I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Never heard of it used in that way.  Is this new?

It's not new to my knowledge, but then in the late 80's I subbed special ed a few times, have personally known Down Syndrome folks, have worked  with people in the disabilities office at our local community college from the late 1990's to early 2000's, volunteered 1,000 hours at our health library, so I might take it for granted that most people know "spaz" is a derogatory term.  To my way of thinking, it really should be common knowledge. 

And yes, same with "dork".  Kind of hard to believe that one is still thrown around. It too, by definition, is a derogatory term. 

It seems to me that people who throw those terms around either have no experience with people with disabilities or maybe even have disdain for them.  It sucks being disabled.  Why make it harder? (I mean that generally.  I'm not pointing fingers at anyone specifically.)

I would gather to say that everyone that uses dork or spaz is not targeting the special needs people.  The term restarted wasn't doing that either IMO but because there was a past stigma with those words and people still want to revisit words that have taken on new meanings.

The term "gypped" as in "gypped me on that price" is a derogatory term or so I have read.  It refers to Gypsies.  They get a lot of flack.

Anybody feel like starting a thread on this, lol?  Offensive words you didn't know that were?

tempo_n_groove said:

1ThoughtKnown said:

Few discogs purchases. Another attempt to shorten the wantlist, which never seems to come to fruition 🤔.  

Nice on the Flipper albums.  I have been wanting to do the repress' of those!