First  Lizzo  and now  Beyoncé  have come under fire for their use of the word “spazz” in their songs. The word is an ableist slur, a discriminatory phrase against people with disabilities, characterizing them as inferior to the non-disabled. The term  derives  from the word “spastic,” referring to spastic cerebral palsy, a disability that affects a person’s ability to control their muscles. However, “spazz” is also a term used as a slang term in the Black community,  meaning  to “go crazy.” Admittedly, I’ve used the term in my younger days to express that sentiment, interchangeably with the phrase “wilding out.” While I no longer use the phrase, it wasn’t until a few years ago that I learned where the term derived from. So, I can honestly say that I had no thought of the disabled community when using it, though I may have continued with the proliferation of the use of an ableist slur. I say “may have” because there were other words and phrases used by my friends — including the...