I see the forum has not saved the same vitriol they had for Lizzo on this issue.
i think part of the dynamic occurring here is the absolute misogynoir that is then intensified for fat women.
but I also think this is quieter not only because it’s a beloved Beyoncé comeback album, but the album is just truly so dense and layered and has plenty of hard to catch lyrics.
I’m not saying this is a good thing or makes it okay. I just think the additional elements at play are the intersections of fatphobia and misogynoir, how easy to hear the word on a promo single for Lizzo versus 16 dense tracks, and of course Beyonce not really being accessible or speaking to the general public like that.
if I’m being 100% transparent, as a Black person who has mostly lived in America I didn’t understand the level of harm that word caused for disabled folks (especially outside of the US). There have been other ableist words that have been used in a specific AAVE context, which have always been obviously damaging and shocking to me since first hearing them as a kid (the r word). But something about the flavor of this word elicits a more subdued or acceptable reaction from many folks using AAVE.
Ultimately I am curious to see what shifts continue to happen as certain things become more globalized. I am hoping the edits happen promptly, and I wonder if it’s a case of the next CD or vinyl edits will have those changes too.
I am also hoping that like the above tweet thread mentioned that people center Black disabled voices in these discussions. I think that lived experience and intersectionality can foster more
understanding and offset some of the absolute back and forth nastiness that can happen on internet conversations (people then using it as an opportunity to be ableist, racist, etc)