(08-01-2022) Tonight I read an article about Beyoncé promising to re-record a lyric on her new album, and I found out that the word "spaz," which in the United States is a 1980's slang term for "freaking out" apparently in other countries is used as an ableist slur toward people with Cerebral Palsy.
I was horrified to find this out. I was not aware of this fact, as I had never heard the word ever used in this context. I had only ever heard it as a benign slang term as a kid.
Upon finding out about the derogatory use of this word, I am immediately removing it from the line in Chapter 5 of Book Two, in which Persephone referred to Don's reaction to finding the bootleg Oklabraska tape as a "happy fanboy spaz dance." I've removed it from both the ebook and the print version of Jerry Copperpot and the Voyage of the John Heeder. I am also cutting it out of the still-unfinished audiobook and will update the file on my Soundclick site.
If the Cancel Police are reading this, please be aware that whatever you say about me is probably not nearly as bad as the dialogue that I could write for Mulderscull in this situation.
But that said, I officially and fully apologize to any and every person I may have offended, either in the past or the future, with the use of that word.
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