Big Time Rush Compared To Beyoncé Over Ableist Song Lyrics

Beyoncé altered a track from her new album, Renaissance because it featured a derogatory word that referred to people with disabilities. This has caused discourse online about whether it was right for the singer to remove the song. Now, it appears that same discourse is surrounding a new track from the boy band Big Time Rush.

According to TMZ, fans expressed their outrage on Twitter over the band’s decision to release a song called “paralyzed possibly.” On Saturday, the band asked fans on Twitter whether they would like them to release the song, which has only appeared unofficially on SoundCloud. They encouraged fans to get the song trending.

We’re so happy to see that everyone across the globe are now able to enjoy all our music. But the real question. How badly do you want us to release PARALYZED?

Some online argued that the song shouldn’t be released because of how offensive it is to people who are paralyzed. The song is about a girl who got the boy’s stunned and frozen, AKA paralyzed, because of how attractive she is. While seemingly harmless, many feel it has the same issues as Beyoncé’s new track, “Heated,” which includes the ableist slur, “spastic.”

There has also been debate on whether there is a double standard in both situations. An online user argued that while Big Time Rush’s song is trending, there isn’t the same pushback as for Beyoncé’s “Heated.” Whether or not the song does end up getting released remains to be seen.

What do you make of this developing story? Sound off in the comments section below.