Opinion: ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ Is Not A Rape Anthem
This could possibly be the dumbest thing I've seen all week. Radio stations have begun removing 'Baby It's Cold Outside' because, according to a vocal minority, it implies rape.
I am, to say the least, triggered by the absolute stupidity, and also by the complete lack of concern for things that actually do promote a culture of rape. Way to go after the manufactured low hanging fruit, team. *Slow Clap* It requires almost no effort and helps some moron sell books.
Written in 1944, the song 'Baby It's Cold Outside' is a reflection of the societal and cultural norms of the time.
The two lovebirds want to extend their time together, but the nosey neighbors, sisters, and other "righteous folk" of the day might talk. A good girl wouldn't stay all night at a man's place while they're not married.
It's a situation almost all of us have been in, at least before the age of instant move-in with your significant other.
I've had girlfriends who would joke about kidnapping me or taking me hostage when it came time for me to leave. I have even, on occasion, invited someone to stay longer after they've said they must go.
It's an innocent back-and-forth, and the cherry-picked line from the song that the more sensitive members of society are calling "rapey" is the "...say, what's in this drink..." line.
When taken in the context of the rest of the song, the line is tongue-in-cheek and is, in fact, a joke that was used for decades and still is today. Now, we just attach a bad Bill Cosby impression to it.
The song is harmless. Most of the radio stations that pulled the song have since put it back in the rotation after receiving complaints. A quick search on Twitter pulls up a crazy number of radio stations proclaiming the song is back due to listener demand.
I wanted to rant and rave about common sense and how the movement that seeks to empower women appears to think they're really weak and incapable, but it looks like everyone is waking up to that point.
Both men and women have had enough.
If anything, I've regained some faith in humanity through all of this. It seems people all over the world are waking up and finally smelling the bulls***t.
Twitter is full of people calling out the bully activists for wanting the song pulled. It's dumb. It's pointless. It accomplishes nothing when there is real evil out there in the world.
Oh, and our resident holiday music station still plays the song. Happy holidays.