Lizzo has been canceled over allegations of sexual harassment, among other wrong-doings. I cannot help but make a connection between her situation and The Crucible. Hear me out.

The Crucible takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The play was originally written as a direct criticism of McCarthyism, the practice of making accusations without proper regard for evidence. One of its themes is hysteria (revisit my past blog “Trains & Herds”). In the play, neighbors suddenly turn on each other and accuse people they’ve known for years of practicing witchcraft and devil-worship. The town of Salem falls into mass hysteria, a condition in which community-wide fear overwhelms logic and individual thought. A lot of people died…

Enter Lizzo…

There has been an attempt to cancel a Black woman… Shocking. The stories that have come to light just don’t track. I recently spoke with a mental health professional – Lizzo’s situation came up. She shared this wisdom:

“Because you regret something doesn’t mean you didn’t provide consent.”

Are adults not responsible for their own health and wellness? At any point, could anyone have said: “No, I am not coming.” But they stayed (with the herd)? The mental health expert continued… In today’s climate, we need to understand the difference between discomfort v disorder.

“Just because we don’t feel great about something doesn’t mean anything is actually wrong.”

One thing I am certain of: with discomfort comes growth. It is the only way. How can we know the difference between discomfort and disorder? Will lived experience provide clarity? Can we seek out guidance and support from loved ones? Are we left to our own devices to figure it out? Is it a combination of all these things? Can we give space to people to make mistakes? It is from mistakes that we learn our greatest lessons. Mistakes create discomfort. And if we own our mistakes, we will learn from them. We always learn more from a loss than a win.

During her performance on her Renaissance Tour last week, Beyoncé altered the lyrics of one of her songs, appearing to leave out Lizzo’s name on purpose. Ouch. I am eager to learn how things will progress for Lizzo. John Proctor did not fare so well. And I wonder how Abigail Williams, the villain in The Crucible, feels? I wonder if she’s had a good night’s sleep since 1692?