Paralyzed meaning explained as Big Time Rush spark ableist lyrics controversy following Lizzo, Beyonce backlash

Big Time Rush is trending online for the wrong reasons. The boyband is being canceled by netizens for creating a song titled Paralyzed. Many deem the old song to be ableist, which should not be included in their upcoming album.

The pop band recently reunited to release new music. On August 13, they hinted on their official Twitter account that they might release the song Paralyzed, which has been leaked in the past. The track was made available on SoundCloud. However, it never found its way into the band’s prior albums.

On August 13, the boyband of the 2010s took to Twitter to take the netizen's opinion on the release of their song.

In an additional tweet, the band encouraged their fans to get the track trending on Twitter before they could release its official version.

For those unaware, the track, which went viral in 2011 is about a boy and a girl who are smitten with each other to the extent where the former gets stunned, infatuated, or paralyzed by how attractive she is. In the song, the singer stutters certain words to indicate that he is finding it difficult to speak as he is paralyzed.

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What is the meaning of Paralyzed? Netizens attempt to cancel Big Time Rush

As the debate over whether the song Paralyzed is ableist or not continues, some defenders of the track mentioned online that the word has several connotations and is not necessarily used to describe someone incapable of certain physical movements.

Twitter user @lizzardwyatt16 pointed out that the word can also be used to describe a person who is “unable to think or act normally, especially through panic or fear.”

Another meaning of the word read:

“Bring (a system, place, or organization) to a standstill by causing disruption or chaos.”

@lizzardwyatt16 highlighted the definition in relation to the inability to think due to fear. Some fans believe that Big Time Rush insinuated this definition in the song.

However, several Twitter users deemed the song to be problematic. Netizens are also pointing out that the ableist community is racist. Several netizens online were also outraged by the fact that Lizzo and Beyonce were asked to remove ableist lyrics from their songs while Big Time Rush gets a pass.

In recent weeks, Beyonce and Lizzo made headlines after using the slur “spa*z” in their songs Heated and Grrrls, respectively. The two quickly addressed the matter and removed the word from their songs.

Followers of Big Time Rush demanded that the song must not be officially released, as others defended the Til I Forget About You creators. Avid supporters of the band slammed those who deemed the song to be ableist, saying that netizens have become incredibly “soft” and sensitive.

As the debate continued online, a few tweets read:

Big Time Rush has not yet responded to the controversy around their song.