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Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Yahoo
How bayanihan is grounding Filipino Canadians in 'ethics of care' after Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy
"It was meant to be a day filled with music, dancing, food, laughter." Rev. Expedito Farinas choked up as he addressed mourners on Sunday at Vancouver's St. Mary the Virgin South Hill, an Anglican church with a largely Filipino congregation just a 15-minute walk away from where tragedy had occurred the night before. The Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party began as a day of "great celebration honouring our heritage, our culture, our tradition," Farinas told CBC Radio's On The Coast. Hundreds of people sang along to artists like Black Eyed Peas' Filipino vendors and food trucks lined the streets to serve the tens of thousands of people who visited throughout the day. WATCH | 'It turned out to be a traumatizing day': But in moments, the scenes of joy turned to devastation as an SUV drove into the crowd Saturday evening, killing 11 and injuring dozens more. Chaos ensued. Eyewitness videos show bodies lying limp on the pavement, held by distraught community members waiting for paramedics to arrive. "There are so many," one man says in Tagalog amid the cries for help, before pointing the camera to the end of the street. "It goes all the way until there." The accused attacker, 30-year-old Kai-Ji Adam Lo, was arrested and charged with eight counts of second-degree murder, with more charges likely to come. Dubbed the "darkest day" in Vancouver's history by interim police chief Steve Rai, the Filipino community has been gathering to mourn with the nation at large. This past week, dozens of vigils, memorials and spaces to grieve have been organized, with at least 23 in the Vancouver area alone and 10moreacrossthecountry. That support shows how the Filipino community has been unified by a spirit of bayanihan. The term comes from the Tagalog word bayan, which refers to one's town as well as the Filipino motherland and people as a whole, and reflects communal unity and the practice of providing help without expecting reward that is inherent to Filipino culture. It signifies how the "community is grounded in ethics of care," says York University politics professor Ethel Tungohan, whose work focuses on Filipino migration and activism. "This is testament to the community's ability to care for each other and to recognize the importance of showing up and holding space for each other." Bayanihan has been a "lifeline" for the grieving Filipino community, says Leny Rose Simbre, secretary of the board for Kababayan Multicultural Centre in Toronto. "In the past few days I've seen how the spirit has taken shape," said Simbre, who is also chair of Migrante Ontario, which co-organized an emergency vigil on Sunday night. For many, that has meant holding each other close as victims' families reel from the senseless violence, and comforting the survivors who witnessed the evening's horrors. Kris Pangilinan, a Filipino-Canadian journalist and founder of one of the festival vendors, Kalamansi Collective, remembers speaking with a mother just before the incident took place. "She came to my booth immediately after the concert," Pangilinan tearfully recounted at a Toronto vigil on Tuesday. "If I only talked to her for a bit longer, she wouldn't have been hit." That woman was 43-year-old Christi-Ann Watkins, who was struck while in line for a food truck. She sustained a range of injuries, including a punctured lung, and remains in hospital. As of Thursday afternoon, four of the surviving victims remained in critical condition and two in serious condition, according to the Vancouver Police Department. By Friday afternoon, donors had given more than $2.3 million across 20 GoFundMe campaigns to support victims and their families. Beyond financial support, Vancouver chef T.J. Conwi also created a food hub for families of the victims and anyone else in need of meals. Mourners have also gone beyond leaving flowers and lighting candles, with many opting to eat and sing together. In Toronto, one vigil ended with music, including a song called Bayan Ko, meaning "my homeland," which is often considered the unofficial second Filipino national anthem. Partaking in food and song together is an "act of care and collective resistance," said Simbre. Prime Minister Mark Carney used the term in his expression of condolences to the Filipino Canadian community, where he highlighted its "strength and resilience." "[Bayanihan] captures the Filipino spirit of community, of co-operation and unity to achieve a common goal," said Carney at a press conference the day after the attack. "It's this spirit upon which we must draw in this incredibly difficult time." While she appreciates the expressions of solidarity, Tungohan worries the Filipino community won't receive the support it needs from governments because of its perceived resilience. "Sometimes the term 'resilience' is used to appease people," she said. "Why are we jumping into resilience mode when we need time and space to grieve?"Tungohan further states the sense of loss is amplified by the fact that the attack happened in a space that should have been a site of "refuge, subversion, resistance and joy" for a diaspora that can feel isolated from the cultural practices of their motherland. Last Saturday's festival commemorated the anniversary of the Battle of Mactan, where in 1521 Indigenous Philippine chieftain Lapu-Lapu defeated explorer Ferdinand Magellan, setting back the advance of Spanish colonization. "That's why the attack was so horrendous for many of us, because it wasn't just an attack on a party," she said. "It was an attack against this moment of coming together and celebrating … in spite of all of the difficulties and challenges that the Filipino community as a whole has faced." Speaking at a vigil outside Toronto City Hall on Tuesday, spoken word artist Patrick de Belen expressed a similar sentiment. "Filipino resilience is ultimately a beautiful thing, but not if it prevents us from feeling heartbroken or weak, vulnerable, sad, angry," he said. In a poem titled the garden on fraser and 41st read by a community member at the same event, Vancouver-based teacher and poet Sol Diana likewise writes, "Bitter taste on my tongue when I call my own people 'resilient.' I prefer to call us by something else: kapwa; 'a shared self' ... when one falls, we all fall. Conversely, we rise together." Cordelia Mejin, a clinical counsellor and grief therapist, says the expression of "love through practical ways, not just through emotions" is shared across many Asian cultures. "When you have people coming alongside it almost feels like people are carrying that way together with you," said Mejin, who has offered free therapy to the Filipino community and survivors of the festival. "It doesn't erase the grief, but it actually makes it more bearable." Eliezer Moreno, a B.C.-based grief counsellor, says resilience is about honouring what happened and finding agency through it, not burying or forgetting about the grief. "We don't want to feel helpless. We want to feel like we have power and can choose, make choices, turn what we are feeling into something, knowing that we have strength and that we are going to be stronger together in this," said Moreno, who is Filipino. Moreno says when other counsellors asked him to add his name to a list of professionals helping those impacted, he agreed right away. "My mind just went to, 'This is my community. I need to help,'" he said, describing it as a way to channel his own difficult feelings into helping others. Clinical psychologist Dr. Kenneth Miller says a healthy recovery process means embracing, not ignoring, the grief. "Resilient doesn't mean that you don't have any pain; resilient means that you recover from your pain, that you bounce back and don't go on to develop long-term problems," said Miller, a counselling professor at the University of British Columbia. Moreover, social supports that "make people feel seen and supported and heard," Miller adds, can help prevent long-term impacts, such as acute stress disorders, which he says are typically developed by 20 to 30 per cent of survivors of a mass killing. "The initial period, the first few weeks following this kind of event — that's when community-level interventions become so, so, so important," said Miller. "They are actually more important for most people than any kind of mental health professional intervention or professional mental health care." WATCH | Community interventions integral: That community care and support may be especially important for Filipinos, who are bound by a strong sense of shared culture that embraces both joy and anguish as a collective. "It's the nature of the Filipino community to love one another," said Mejin. "When you love, then there's the grief that comes when you've lost, as well." For his part, Moreno is hopeful that the Lapu-Lapu Day Festival and the Filipino community will endure in a way that will "celebrate our own culture and our resilience and our strength." "It will be a mark that's kind of left on that festival. But … they are going to use that mark that was left and continue to honour those that we've lost and to show the resilience that's part of the community."
CBC
03-05-2025
- CBC
How bayanihan is grounding Filipino Canadians in 'ethics of care' after Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy
Social Sharing "It was meant to be a day filled with music, dancing, food, laughter." Rev. Expedito Farinas choked up as he addressed mourners on Sunday at St. Mary the Virgin South Hill, an Anglican church with a largely Filipino congregation just a 15-minute walk away from where tragedy had occurred the night before. The Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party began as a day of "great celebration honouring our heritage, our culture, our tradition," Farinas told CBC Radio's On The Coast. Hundreds of people sang along to artists like Black Eyed Peas' Filipino vendors and food trucks lined the streets to serve the tens of thousands of people who visited throughout the day. WATCH | 'It turned out to be a traumatizing day': A celebration of culture ended in trauma, says Anglican pastor 5 hours ago Duration 0:49 But in moments, the scenes of joy turned to devastation as an SUV drove into the crowd Saturday evening, killing 11 and injuring dozens more. Chaos ensued. Eyewitness videos show bodies lying limp on the pavement, held by distraught community members waiting for paramedics to arrive. "There are so many," one man says in Tagalog amid the cries for help, before pointing the camera to the end of the street. "It goes all the way until there." The accused attacker, 30-year-old Kai-Ji Adam Lo, was arrested and charged with eight counts of second-degree murder, with more charges likely to come. Dubbed the "darkest day" in Vancouver's history by interim police chief Steve Rai, the Filipino community has been gathering to mourn with the nation at large. This past week, dozens of vigils, memorials and spaces to grieve have been organized, with at least 23 in the Vancouver area alone and 10 more across the country. That support shows how the Filipino community has been unified by a spirit of bayanihan. The term comes from the Tagalog word bayan, which refers to one's town as well as the Filipino motherland and people as a whole, and reflects communal unity and the practice of providing help without expecting reward that is inherent to Filipino culture. It signifies how the "community is grounded in ethics of care," says York University politics professor Ethel Tungohan, whose work focuses on Filipino migration and activism. "This is testament to the community's ability to care for each other and to recognize the importance of showing up and holding space for each other." A community 'lifeline' Bayanihan has been a "lifeline" for the grieving Filipino community, says Leny Rose Simbre, secretary of the board for Kababayan Multicultural Centre in Toronto. "In the past few days I've seen how the spirit has taken shape," said Simbre, who is also chair of Migrante Ontario, which co-organized an emergency vigil on Sunday night. For many, that has meant holding each other close as victims' families reel from the senseless violence, and comforting the survivors who witnessed the evening's horrors. Kris Pangilinan, a Filipino-Canadian journalist and founder of one of the festival vendors, Kalamansi Collective, remembers speaking with a mother just before the incident took place. "She came to my booth immediately after the concert," Pangilinan tearfully recounted at a Toronto vigil on Tuesday. "If I only talked to her for a bit longer, she wouldn't have been hit." That woman was 43-year-old Christi-Ann Watkins, who was struck while in line for a food truck. She sustained a range of injuries, including a punctured lung, and remains in hospital. As of Thursday afternoon, four of the surviving victims remained in critical condition and two in serious condition, according to the Vancouver Police Department. By Friday afternoon, donors had given more than $2.3 million across 20 GoFundMe campaigns to support victims and their families. Beyond financial support, Vancouver chef T.J. Conwi also created a food hub for families of the victims and anyone else in need of meals. Mourners have also gone beyond leaving flowers and lighting candles, with many opting to eat and sing together. In Toronto, one vigil ended with music, including a song called Bayan Ko, meaning "my homeland," which is often considered the unofficial second Filipino national anthem. Partaking in food and song together is an "act of care and collective resistance," said Simbre. Prime Minister Mark Carney used the term in his expression of condolences to the Filipino Canadian community, where he highlighted its "strength and resilience." "[ Bayanihan ] captures the Filipino spirit of community, of co-operation and unity to achieve a common goal," said Carney at a press conference the day after the attack. "It's this spirit upon which we must draw in this incredibly difficult time." 'When one falls, we all fall' While she appreciates the expressions of solidarity, Tungohan worries the Filipino community won't receive the support it needs from governments because of its perceived resilience. "Sometimes the term 'resilience' is used to appease people," she said. "Why are we jumping into resilience mode when we need time and space to grieve?" WATCH | Memorials let us 'witness each other's grief': Religious rituals can restore 'safety and comfort' after man-made disasters, says psychologist 5 hours ago Duration 1:13 Dr. Kenneth Miller, a clinical psychologist and counselling professor at the University of British Columbia, says community and religious interventions that reduce isolation can normalize feelings of grief and help restore a sense safety and comfort following a disaster. Tungohan further states the sense of loss is amplified by the fact that the attack happened in a space that should have been a site of "refuge, subversion, resistance and joy" for a diaspora that can feel isolated from the cultural practices of their motherland. Last Saturday's festival commemorated the anniversary of the Battle of Mactan, where in 1521 Indigenous Philippine chieftain Lapu-Lapu defeated explorer Ferdinand Magellan, setting back the advance of Spanish colonization. "That's why the attack was so horrendous for many of us, because it wasn't just an attack on a party," she said. "It was an attack against this moment of coming together and celebrating … in spite of all of the difficulties and challenges that the Filipino community as a whole has faced." Speaking at a vigil outside Toronto City Hall on Tuesday, spoken word artist Patrick de Belen expressed a similar sentiment. "Filipino resilience is ultimately a beautiful thing, but not if it prevents us from feeling heartbroken or weak, vulnerable, sad, angry," he said. In a poem titled the garden on fraser and 41st read by a community member at the same event, Vancouver-based teacher and poet Sol Diana likewise writes, "Bitter taste on my tongue when I call my own people 'resilient.' I prefer to call us by something else: kapwa; 'a shared self' ... when one falls, we all fall. Conversely, we rise together." Community makes grief 'more bearable': mental health experts Cordelia Mejin, a clinical counsellor and grief therapist, says the expression of "love through practical ways, not just through emotions" is shared across many Asian cultures. "When you have people coming alongside it almost feels like people are carrying that way together with you," said Mejin, who has offered free therapy to the Filipino community and survivors of the festival. "It doesn't erase the grief, but it actually makes it more bearable." Eliezer Moreno, a B.C.-based grief counsellor, says resilience is about honouring what happened and finding agency through it, not burying or forgetting about the grief. "We don't want to feel helpless. We want to feel like we have power and can choose, make choices, turn what we are feeling into something, knowing that we have strength and that we are going to be stronger together in this," said Moreno, who is Filipino. Moreno says when other counsellors asked him to add his name to a list of professionals helping those impacted, he agreed right away. "My mind just went to, 'This is my community. I need to help,'" he said, describing it as a way to channel his own difficult feelings into helping others. Clinical psychologist Dr. Kenneth Miller says a healthy recovery process means embracing, not ignoring, the grief. "Resilient doesn't mean that you don't have any pain; resilient means that you recover from your pain, that you bounce back and don't go on to develop long-term problems," said Miller, a counselling professor at the University of British Columbia. Moreover, social supports that "make people feel seen and supported and heard," Miller adds, can help prevent long-term impacts, such as acute stress disorders, which he says are typically developed by 20 to 30 per cent of survivors of a mass killing. "The initial period, the first few weeks following this kind of event — that's when community-level interventions become so, so, so important," said Miller. "They are actually more important for most people than any kind of mental health professional intervention or professional mental health care." WATCH | Community interventions integral: Why we gravitate to vigils in times of loss 5 hours ago Duration 0:54 That community care and support may be especially important for Filipinos, who are bound by a strong sense of shared culture that embraces both joy and anguish as a collective. "It's the nature of the Filipino community to love one another," said Mejin. "When you love, then there's the grief that comes when you've lost, as well." For his part, Moreno is hopeful that the Lapu-Lapu Day Festival and the Filipino community will endure in a way that will "celebrate our own culture and our resilience and our strength." "It will be a mark that's kind of left on that festival. But … they are going to use that mark that was left and continue to honour those that we've lost and to show the resilience that's part of the community."
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
First victims of Vancouver festival are pictured as family of three and beloved teacher
A loving family of three and a local teacher were among the 11 festival goers who were killed when a mentally ill man plowed his SUV into a crowd over the weekend. Kira Salim, a local educator; Richard Le, 47, a local real estate agent; his wife, Linh Hoang, 30; and their five-year-old daughter, Katie, were identified on Monday as some of the victims of Vancouver's Lapu Lapu festival attack on Saturday. Le's 16-year-old son from a previous marriage had also planned to join his father and stepmother at the celebration that featured a performance by Black Eyed Peas' - but decided at the last minute to stay home to finish homework, Le's brother, Troan Le told CTV News. 'The last thing that Andy received was a text from his dad at like 8.06pm saying, "Don't come anymore, because it's over and we're going to head home," Troan recounted. But just minutes later, police say 30-year-old Kai-Ji Adam Lo sped his Audi SUV down a closed, food-truck-lined street and struck people attending the festival, which celebrates an Indigenous chieftain who stood up to Spanish explorers who came to the Philippines in the 16th century. The impact killed 11 people - including the Les and teacher Kira Salim - and injured 32 others. As of Monday, police said seven victims remained in serious condition and three were in critical condition. Troan said Andy is 'still in a bit of shock' following the tragedy. 'He's trying to absorb the situation, and I don't think he is fully comprehending what happened.' An online fundraiser has now been set up to support the teenager and pay for the family's funerals. It describes Richard as a loving father who was teaching Andy - and others in the community - badminton and tennis. 'He devoted his life to teaching young people the values of sportsmanship and team spirit,' the GoFundMe says. 'He served his community and clients with pride and always went out of his way to help others.' Linh, meanwhile, was 'known for her kindness and gentle spirit' and had been planning a trip to visit her family in Vietnam when she was tragically killed. Their daughter, Katie, was nearing graduation from kindergarten and was described as a vibrant and joyful child. 'Nothing can truly ease the grief and trauma that Andy is currently facing, and the goal of this GoFundMe campaign is to raise funds to cover funeral expenses for Richard, Linh and Katie, and provide Andy with financial support for his future college education,' the fundraiser says. 'The horrific nature of this crime against the Le family and other victims serves as a painful reminder that, as a society, we must do better,' it continues. 'We hope you cherish your loved ones every single day and many others no longer have that chance.' Also killed in the tragedy was Salim, who worked as a teacher and counselor at Fraser River Middle School and New Westminster Secondary School. In a letter to parents on Monday, New Westminster Schools Superintendent Mark Davidson and board chair Maya Russell described Salim as a 'valued member of our community whose wisdom and care for our middle and secondary students had a powerful impact. 'Their work, and the great spirit they brought to it, changed lives,' it continued. New West Pride also shared a tribute to the fallen teacher on Facebook. 'Our community is mourning the loss of Kira Salim, whose life was taken over the weekend at the Lapu Lapu tragedy,' it wrote. 'They were an epic drag king, a wonderful, exuberant contributor to our local community, volunteer, activist, local educator [and] mental health worker. 'Kira will be deeply missed,' the group concluded. Kai-Ji Adam Lo is now facing eight counts of second-degree murder, and was arraigned in a video appearance before a judge on Sunday, according to Damienne Darby, spokeswoman for British Columbia prosecutors. He has not yet entered a plea, as authorities warn further charges may be forthcoming. The suspect's motive for the attack remains unclear, but authorities have ruled out terrorism as a potential motivator. Instead, Interim Police Chief Steve Rai noted that Lo has 'a significant history of interactions with police and health care professionals related to mental health' that seemed to have begun after his brother was murdered and his mother attempted suicide. Police are now continuing to investigate the crash, and are combing through bystander video from the scene. Officials will also review the circumstances around the crash, which Sgt. Steve Addison said could change how police approach such events. 'This was intended to be a safe, fun, family-friendly community block party for people to celebrate their community and culture,' Addison said. 'The actions of one person stole that away from them.' Further details about the case against Lo are subject to a publication ban in the Vancouver Provincial Court. Such bans are common in Canada to protect the rights of the accused to a fair trial as well as the privacy of crime victims. But witnesses who watched the carnage unfold Saturday night have described how the driver sideswiped another vehicle before he revved the SUV's engine and plowed into the crowd. Kris Pangilinan, who brought his pop-up clothing and lifestyle booth to the festival, for example, said he saw the vehicle enter past the barricade slowly before the driver slammed on the gas in an area that was packed with people following a concert. 'He sideswiped someone on his right side and I was like, `Oh, yo yo.´ And then he slammed on the gas,' Pangilinan said. 'And the sound of the acceleration, it sounds like an F1 car about to start a race. 'He slammed on the gas, barreled through the crowd. And all I can remember is seeing bodies flying up in the air higher than the food trucks themselves and landing on the ground and people yelling and screaming. 'It looked like a bowling ball hitting bowling pins and all the pins are flying into the air.' Pangilinan added how the sounds of the bodies hitting the vehicle will never leave his mind. James Cruzat, a Vancouver business owner, also said he heard an engine rev and then 'a loud noise, like a loud bang' that he initially thought might be a gunshot. 'We saw people on the road crying. Others were like running, shouting or even screaming, asking for help,' Cruzat said. Video of the aftermath also showed the dead and injured lying along a narrow street in South Vancouver with Lo's Audi stopped nearby, the front end of it smashed in. Carayn Nulada, meanwhile, told how she pulled her granddaughter and grandson off the street and used her body to shield them from the SUV. She said her daughter made a narrow escape. 'The car hit her arm, and she fell down, but she got up, looking for us, because she is scared,' said Nulada, who described children screaming and victims lying on the ground or wedged under vehicles. By Sunday morning, Nulada arrived at Vancouver General Hospital in a desperate attempt to learn about her brother, who was run down in the attack and suffered multiple broken bones. Doctors identified him by presenting the family with his wedding ring in a pill bottle and said that he was stable but would need surgery. Meanwhile, others gathered at a growing memorial near the scene of the attack. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Sunday, just one day before a national election. He canceled his first campaign event and two major rallies on the final day of the campaign out of respect for the victims. 'Last night families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, father, son or a daughter. Those families are living every family's nightmare,' Carney said. He joined British Columbia Premier David Eby and community leaders Sunday evening in Vancouver. The prime minister then posted a photo of himself on X lighting a candle at a makeshift memorial near the scene of the attack.
Black America Web
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Will Recession Pop Return? Revisit These Euphoric Tracks Made For Hard Times
Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE Source: Tim Mosenfelder / Getty As inflation climbs, job markets tighten, and headlines remind us of uncertain economic times, a familiar sound is echoing through the country's speakers: recession pop. Defined by its glittery synths, high-energy beats, and party-all-night lyrics, recession pop first surged during the 2008 economic crisis. Now, in 2025, it's making a vibrant comeback. Check out a gallery of songs that found success during the last recession. Recession pop is a reminder that even when the world feels heavy, sometimes all you want to do is dance. Coined during the late 2000s, recession pop describes a wave of upbeat, escapist pop music that soared to popularity amidst global financial turmoil. Rather than dwell on despair, these tracks offered listeners a euphoric release. Songs like Black Eyed Peas' 'I Gotta Feeling' declared every night would be a 'good night.' Lady Gaga's 'Just Dance' urged fans to forget their troubles and hit the dance floor. Kesha's 'TiK ToK' turned waking up feeling like P. Diddy into a rally cry for carefree living, while LMFAO's 'Party Rock Anthem' practically demanded that everyone 'shuffle' their stress away. These tracks weren't just party anthems, but they were a cultural coping mechanism. Recession pop turned financial anxiety into something you could sweat out in a club, on a night drive, or through your headphones. The music tried to transcend reality with songs that made you forget you were actually broke beyond measure. Today, critics and fans predict artists are once again leaning into that sonic joy. We're seeing a rise in bright, high-tempo tracks that channel the same energy—think Dua Lipa's disco revival, Doja Cat's playful bops, or even newer TikTok viral hits filled with optimism and absurdity. In a time when economic pressures, student debt, and burnout dominate the collective psyche, music that feels like a three-minute escape is resonating deeply. Recession pop is less about ignoring the problem and more about reclaiming joy in spite of it. It's neon-lit resilience. It's dancing through the chaos. And if history repeats itself, this genre won't just soundtrack our parties. Instead, it will shape a generation's emotional memory of how they survived the storm. So whether you're feeling overwhelmed by the economy or just need a break from the news cycle, turn up the volume. Somewhere between the synth drops and Auto-Tuned choruses, you'll find a reason to smile and maybe even dance. Check out these throwback recession pop songs as we hope for better times ahead: Will Recession Pop Return? Revisit These Euphoric Tracks Made For Hard Times was originally published on
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Elon Musk's Just-Revealed Texts to His Friend Tell You a Lot About His Character
Oculus founder-turned-defense-contractor Palmer Luckey is opening up about his relationship with mercurial CEO Elon Musk — and about the politically incorrect stuff they discuss. In an appearance on the Wall Street Journal's "What's News" podcast, the intelligence weapons maker said that although he's not quite sure the billionaire considers him a friend, the pair do text each other pretty regularly. Despite both being major donors to president Donald Trump, their most recent text exchange wasn't explicitly political. "The last thing we were talking about was the fact that the Black Eyed Peas' Grammy-winning song, 'Let's Get Retarded,' has been taken off every single music platform," the Hawaiian shirt aficionado recounted, "and replaced with the child-safe version that was for children's sports games, 'Let's Get It Started.'" "So that was the last thing that we were talking about," he continued, "and how it's an example of memory-holding that nobody even really talks about, despite everyone agreeing that it has happened." As Business Insider noted in its write-up of Luckey's comments, the stridently "anti-woke" defense contractor was wrong on several counts. For one, the lyrics were initially changed to "Let's Get It Started" in 2004 — just a year after the one with the ableist slur dropped on Black Eyed Peas' third album, "Elephunk" — for an NBA ad. For another, it was that "child-safe" version that won a Grammy in 2005, not the original that included the so-called "R-word." Aside from revealing that he ascribes to half-baked "Mandela effect" conspiracy theories, Luckey did not say who began the conversation or which of them said what about the original title for that 20-year-old hit. However, we don't need text message transcripts to know that Musk is very fond of using the "R-word," and deploys it with aplomb on his Nazi-boosting social network. From using it to insult the intelligence of an astronaut he disagreed with to poking fun at himself with the slur, the world's richest man seems quite taken with the offensive epithet. What's more: his usage of the term dovetails with (and likely spurred on) an increasing trend online that seeks to normalize the slur, which was until recently considered taboo thanks to successful awareness-raising campaigns about intellectual disabilities. It's worth noting that despite his love affair with the "R-word," Musk also insisted in 2023 that the term "cis" or "cisgender," which simply means not transgender or identifying with one's assigned gender at birth, would be considered a slur on his social network. That policy change, like so many others on the site formerly known as Twitter, seems to be enforced haphazardly. Still, it's both outrageous and ironic that the same billionaire who got upset about that "heterophobic word" is now tweeting the ableist slur so regularly that he's even acknowledged that he "used that word too many times." As with so many other disparities in Musk's fractured worldview, it appears that he's fine with certain slurs so long as he finds them amusing — and he's preoccupied enough with the "R-word" that he's talking to fellow billionaires about it during his downtime. More on Muskian messaging: Elon Musk Defends Hitler, Mao and Stalin
