Music and Society

What Does One Gain from Saying an Ableist Slur, Ask Beyoncé

Beyoncé is changing the offensive lyrics from her new song, Heated, after the backlash, she received online.

The use of an ableist slur in the song lyrics of Heated, one of the songs in the new Beyoncé album Renaissance has sparked a debate over how insensitive artists can be with the choices of their words — and whether is it a question of artistic expression vs. prior censorship.

Heated

The contentious word used by Beyoncé in the song is ‘spaz’ which to disability activists is an ableist slur and offensive.

The same word appeared in the song lyrics of Lizzo’s Grrrls,

Lizzo used the word “spaz” to indicate that she was about to lose control in the original version of the song “Grrrls,” which was released on Friday. The term is derived from spastic diplegia, a type of cerebral palsy that causes motor impairments in the legs or arms. — Excerpt, The New York Times

And when Lizzo was called out, in this trending Tweet from activist Hannah Diviney, she changed the lyrics without batting an eyelash. A true ally as Hannah Diviney tweeted after Lizzo acknowledged that — words matter.

In response, Lizzo in her Instagram post said,

Screenshot Lizzo on IG also shared on Twitter

“As a fat black woman in America, I’ve had many hurtful words used against me.” “Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language,” “This is the result of me listening and taking action.” — Lizzo

And when the community and activists thought everyone learned a lesson, here comes Beyoncé using the same word in her new song, Heated as if she nor her team had heard of all the brouhaha surrounding the use of the ableist slur by Lizzo.

To be fair Beyoncé’s Heated must have been recorded months long before the controversy over the use of the ableist slur by Lizzo erupted on social media.

Full Lyrics

[Intro] (Got a lot of bands, got a lot of Hermès on me) [Chorus] Got a lot of bands, got a lot of Ivy on me I gotta fan myself off (Fan me off) I gotta fan myself off (Fan me off) I gotta cool down, heated (Fan me off like hot, hot, hot) (Like Coco Chanel, put me up in jail) I gotta cool it down, heated (Cool it down, hot, hot, hot) Yeah, yeah (Like stolen Chanel, put me up in jail) (Tip, tip, tip) It's been a lot of years, really think you gettin' one past me? (Tip, tip, tip) I gotta fan myself off I gotta fan myself off I gotta cool it down, heated (Oh) You got me heated Heated, oh

[Refrain] Never met a girl with a mind like this, no, no To give you space and timе like this, my love Nevеr met a girl so fine like this, no, no, no, no, no With a waist that wine like this, my love [Pre-Chorus] Only a real one could tame me Only the radio could play me (Uh) Oh, now you wish I was complacent (Uh) Boy, you musta mixed up our faces (Uncle, Uncle Jonny) Oh, now you wanna have conversations (Uncle Jonny) See, now you're testin' my patience (Uncle Jonny made my dress) Yeah, yeah (Fan me off) [Chorus] Got a lot of bands, got a lot of Chanel on me I gotta fan myself off (Fan me off) I gotta fan myself off (Fan me off) I gotta cool down, heated (Fan me off like hot, hot, hot) (Like stolen Chanel, put me up in jail) I gotta cool it down, heated (Tip, tip, tip, tippin' on) (Tip, tip, tip, tippin' on) Got a lot of style, got a lot of Tiffany on me I gotta fan myself off (Tiffany, Tiffany, Tiffany, Tiffany, Tiffany) I gotta fan myself off I gotta cool it down, heated (I'm hot, hot, hot) You got me heated (Fan me off like hot, hot, hot) Heated, oh (Like stolen Chanel, put me up in jail)

[Verse] Whole lotta reservations, whole lotta Whole lotta textin' with no conversations (Whole lotta, lotta, lotta) Whole lotta playin' victim and a villain at the same time Whole lotta, huh, money, not a lot of patience Whole lotta niggas been waitin' They want some time on it, now I wanna flaunt it Panty and a bra, we can get involved, boy (Wake up pretty) If you keep playin' with my heart, boy I'm just as petty as you are (Petty, petty, petty, petty, petty, petty) [Pre-Chorus] Uh, only a real man can tame me Only the radio could play me Only my baby (Oh, yeah) [Chorus] Got a lot of bands, got a lot of Chanel on me I gotta fan myself off (Fan me off) I gotta fan myself off (Fan me off) I gotta cool down, heated (Fan me off like hot, hot, hot) (Like Coco Chanel, put me up in jail) I gotta cool it down, heated Heated [Refrain] Never met a girl with a mind like this, no, no To give you the space at a time like this, my love (Oh) Never met a girl so fine like this, no, no, no, no, no (Fan me off, I'm hot, hot, hot) With a waist that wine like this (Coco Chanel, put me up jail)

[Outro] Tip, tip, tip on hardwood floors Ten, ten, ten across the board (With a waist that wine like this) Give me face, face, face, face, face, yah Your face card never declines, my God (Ooh) Eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it Mm, yummy, yummy, yum, make the bummy heated Make a pretty girl talk that shitty Whiskey 'til I'm tipsy, glitter on my kitty (Ooh) Cool it down, down, down, my pretty Bad, bad bitchy make the bad bitch glitchy Fine, fine, fine-fine, fine-fine, fine, fine Liberated, livin' like we ain't got time Yadda, yadda, yah, yadda, yadda, yah, yah Yadda, yadda, yadda, bom, bom, ka, ka Spazzin' on that ass, spaz on that ass Fan me quick, girl, I need my glass Fan me off, my wrist goes click Dimples on my hip, stretch marks on my tits Drinkin' my water, mindin' my biz Monday, I'm overrated, Tuesday, on my dick Flip-flop, flippy, flip-floppin'-ass bitch Fan me off, watch my wrist go click Fan me off, I'm hot, hot, hot Like stolen Chanel, lock me up in jail Cuff me, please, 'cause this ain't fair Dripped in my pearls like Coco Chanel Uncle Jonny made my dress That cheap Spandex, she looks a mess Fan me off, I'm hot, hot, hot Like stolen Chanel, lock me up in jail Fingertips go tap, tap, t-tap On my MPC, makin' disco trap Uncle Jonny made my dress That cheap Spandex, she looks a mess

Courtesy of: Musixmatch

Will activist Hannah Diviney double down on Beyoncé?

Spazzin’ on that ass, spaz on that ass — Beyoncé

Well, she did.

In a heartfelt message to Beyoncé and to us who care to listen, not only did she use words to express her feelings. She did it not with hatred but with understanding. Compassion and not by accusation and the result is beyond what Hannah Diviney expected.

From Insider, Beyoncé’s rep had this to say,

— Beyoncé said she’d change a lyric in her song “Heated” from her new album, “Renaissance.”

— Its use of a word — which was changed in a Lizzo song in June — prompted backlash.

— A representative for Beyoncé told Insider the word was “not used intentionally in a harmful way.”

Ableist slur

The term in question, derived from the word “spastic,” is more offensive in the United Kingdom than in the United States, where it is sometimes used as a synonym for “freaking out.”

From the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of spaz is

slang, often offensive one who is inept : KLUTZ

Some would think and say, what have we become as a society? Do we have to be careful with the words we use?

Yes! Because you know what, not only words hurt, but can easily turn into a belief that can lead to harming physically the disabled, as in the case of Bethany, who was 16 at that time, when her van was vandalized and a hater scribbled these words,

‘Spazzy Spaz van ha ha’

Read her story: Diane Atkins, 55, was stunned to find the mobility vehicle made for her daughter Bethany, 16 — who has cerebral palsy — targeted between 3pm and 3.40pm on Wednesday, December 11.

Yobs etched the words ‘Spazzy Spaz van ha ha’ on the back and put a big cross on the door. — Excerpt, Disgusting vandals scratch ‘spaz van’ onto vehicle with wheelchair ramp

What is an ableist phrase?

Ableist language is any word or phrase that devalues people who have a disability. Though often inadvertent, ableist language suggests that people with disabilities are abnormal.

Opinion

I don’t blame Lizzo or Beyoncé. If we start pointing fingers the conversation is lost. I can also feel the frustration of activists like Hannah Diviney to be taking up the cudgel for the disabled.

It isn’t only the disability community that is trying to correct the slurs used in conversations and pop culture, from the Black community to the LGBTQIA community, we need to keep on reminding people that words matter and that words hurt.

RuPaul’s Drag Race had to drop the catchy phrase the show used for five seasons, ‘You’ve Got She-Mail,’ it took that long before RuPaul and his producers listened to the outcry. Transphobic slurs such as when RuPaul had a segment called ‘Female or She-male.’ only hurts those who RuPaul claims to be part of ‘herstory.’

Yesterday I wrote about monkeypox and homophobia, I shared a tweet from a very popular TV personality and today I found out he ‘blocked’ me.

It only shows his lack of decency to at least join the conversation about why we believe that what he tweeted wasn’t only homophobic but also misinformation and stigmatized an already judged community to be the bearer of the virus or disease.

He tweeted ‘Chickenpox is less severe and the virus is airborne. Monkeypox is sexually transmitted, usually M to M.’ but it has since been deleted. (See screenshot)

Final words

I know I myself am confused about what is the right word to say about the disabled.

I can only keep on learning and correcting myself, the words and language that I use, and understand the nuances and history of the words many communities feel strongly about when used even innocently.

And why some words have been reclaimed like the word ‘nigga’, which is also a word used by Beyoncé in her song, Heated.

Her album Renaissance is breaking the charts, her fans are rallying behind Queen Bey after six years since her last album, Lemonade.

It is ever-changing. Because language is changing and adapting to reflect what is going on in our society, and because marginalized communities are now allowed to speak unlike 10, 20, 50, or 100 years ago.

Here are some of the best practices for avoiding ableist terminology

The best rule is to use the terminology preferred by the person or group being addressed.

From this article, you can learn more about the new preferred practice and which is ‘identity first’ language vs the old ‘person first’ language. Instead of using “person who is blind,” “person with quadriplegia,” or “people with disabilities”, use “a blind person” or “the disabled”.

Again, it is better to follow the first rule which is,

Use the terminology preferred by the person or group being addressed. — Jim Cherney, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies

So, when you are on social media, especially on Twitter, and you judge people by their mistakes, as many would have judged Lizzo and Beyoncé right away, think of the many times you used words that are not only ableist, hateful, and bigoted.

Let me leave you with these words from Dr. Maya Angelou,

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” — Dr. Maya Angelou

While words hurt, words can heal too.

Thank you for reading.

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

Beyoncé Will Change Lyrics After Criticism Over ‘Ableist Language’

Best practices for avoiding ableist terminology

Here are some of my stories, all complimentary.

👉What Does Losing 21 Pounds Do for Your Body, Ask Kim Kardashian — Free Reading.

👉Ricky Martin Denies Charges of Incest and Can Spend the Rest of His Life in Jail If Found Guilty — Free Reading.

👉Clothes Optional My First Nude Beach Experience, Not as Bad as Adam Sandler’s — Free Reading.

👉Claim your offer.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider joining Medium by clicking on this link. I may earn a little commission to buy myself a decent cup of coffee. Thank you.