Cancel culture cops come for Lizzo over ‘ableist slur’ in song
nypost.comunder the fire of “ableist” term burn. Disability advocates on social media are fuming over the bodacious pop diva’s brazen use of the word “sp-z” — a common American colloquialism for the term “spastic” that means something much more offensive in UK — in the new song “Grrls.” And digital detractors are demanding the lyric either be changed or Lizzo be canceled. “[Lizzo] pls change ur new song to take out the ableist slur.
It is not too late to humbly listen and remove a word that is derogatory and harmful and painful. there is no feminism that excludes disabled folks so pls,” implored a whistleblower on Twitter.“You’re stupid as s- -t if you honestly think Lizzo didn’t know what she was doing by using the word sp*z in her latest song,” argued another, in part.
In the opening verse of the freshly debuted track “Grrrls,” the 34-year-old Grammy-winner sings: “Hold my bag, b- – -h, hold my bag / Do you see this s- -t?
I’m a sp-z.”In the U.S., “sp-z” is commonly used as slang to indicate “going crazy” or “freaking out.” However, in the UK, the word is considered a highly offensive epithet aimed to disparage people living with cerebral palsy — a congenital disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture caused by abnormal brain development during gestation.
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