At what point does crying ‘lynching’ trivialize the word?

WASHINGTON (AP) — R. Kelly says boycotting his music because of the sexual misconduct allegations against him amounts to a “public lynching.” Bill Cosby’s people say the comedian’s conviction was a lynching, too. And Kanye West has been tweeting lynching imagery to assure fans he won’t be silenced.

The tactical use of lynching references over the past few days by celebrities under fire is generating disgust among historians and others who have studied the ghastly killings of thousands of black people in the U.S. in the 19th and 20th centuries.

They say that throwing around the term “lynching” like that is disrespectful and demeaning to the victims of actual lynchings.