'Baby, It's Cold Outside,' Seen As Sexist, Frozen Out By Radio Stations

[Axulus]

This #MeToo-era-cum-yuletide-season, radio stations are pulling the plug on that holiday earworm with lyrics that, to some, ring date-rape warning bells, rather than evoking innocent snow-bound flirtation.

...

Cleveland's WDOK put its foot down where the female voice could not, announcing its ban of the song last week.

"I do realize that when the song was written in 1944, it was a different time, but now while reading it, it seems very manipulative and wrong," host Glenn Anderson wrote on the station's web site. "The world we live in is extra sensitive now, and people get easily offended, but in a world where #MeToo has finally given women the voice they deserve, the song has no place."

Brian Figula, program director of KOIT saw the headlines and determined the song would have no place at his San Francisco station. He banned it on Monday.

https://www.npr.org/2018/12/05/6737...e-seen-as-sexist-frozen-out-by-radio-stations

Seems pretty snowflakey to get offended by this song. Many gangsta rap songs have far worse lyrics, sometimes glorifying murder, drug abuse, and demeaning women. And yet it is a song like this that people complain about and want to ban from the radio? Kinda seems like we are reentering a new conservative prudish type era.

Thoughts?

 

[Rhea]

You listen to gangsta rap with your kids for chirstmas?

Also, nobody has “banned” anything. Some radio stations decided what they wanted to air, or not.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Who says #MeToo is responsible?

I remember NippleGate being quite the isolated right-wing Christian overreaction.

 

[Ford]

Many gangsta rap songs have far worse lyrics, sometimes glorifying murder, drug abuse, and demeaning women.

"Gangsta rap" flourished in the 90s. A lot of radio stations back then (2 decades ago) refused to play or heavily edited these songs. I know, because I worked at one.

Do you have something a little more current?

 

[blastula]

It's a good song, but I can see why people have issues with it, I used to think the song was fucked up, but on closer listening it's really about the woman wanting to get some, and trying to talk herself into ignoring what the prudish society will think. The line about the drink is the main one that makes you think of date rape, but I think that is actually her inventing an excuse to "misbehave." There's no convincing people otherwise at this point though.

 

[TSwizzle]

Many gangsta rap songs have far worse lyrics, sometimes glorifying murder, drug abuse, and demeaning women.

"Gangsta rap" flourished in the 90s. A lot of radio stations back then (2 decades ago) refused to play or heavily edited these songs. I know, because I worked at one.

Do you have something a little more current?

Have you heard some of Post Malone’s songs ?

Fucking hoes and poppin’ pillies ayy

Delightful I’m sure.

 

[Ford]

Many gangsta rap songs have far worse lyrics, sometimes glorifying murder, drug abuse, and demeaning women.

"Gangsta rap" flourished in the 90s. A lot of radio stations back then (2 decades ago) refused to play or heavily edited these songs. I know, because I worked at one.

Do you have something a little more current?

Have you heard some of Post Malone’s songs ?

Can't say that I have. Is he "gangsta rap" in your educated opinion?

 

[repoman]

The only lyrics that are a bit suspect is when the guy (or woman if she is in the pursuing role for singing) says "What's the point of hurting my pride?" and "How can you do this thing to me?" in reference to the pursued or coy person saying they should leave.

Having a woman/man stay over and maybe getting it on should not be a point of pride in the best possible world.



First is man-woman and then it swaps to woman-man. Great comic timing in both.

 

[Politesse]

I always thought that song was a bit rapey. #metoo did not invent awareness of rape culture.

 

[Derec]

I always thought that song was a bit rapey.

What's "rapey" about it?

#metoo did not invent awareness of rape culture.

They have not invented hyper-awareness of supposed "rape culture", but they sure did dial it up to 11.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I'm actually completely unaware of the lyrics for this song. I've never been a fan of the mood of it.

Though now I hear it from the lens of a guy standing nearly naked outside of his just recently ex'd girlfriend's home after he was caught with said girlfriend's sister.

 

[dismal]

It's a good song, but I can see why people have issues with it, I used to think the song was fucked up, but on closer listening it's really about the woman wanting to get some, and trying to talk herself into ignoring what the prudish society will think. The line about the drink is the main one that makes you think of date rape, but I think that is actually her inventing an excuse to "misbehave." There's no convincing people otherwise at this point though.

Yes, agreed. But it is indeed a very outdated way of viewing the male/female relationship. In a lot of 1950s and 1960s movies there is this view of a woman as wanting it deep down but resisting due to societal pressure, so the guy grabs her and kisses her and she struggles for a little bit but then eventually relents. I was watching High Plains Drifter the other day and Clint literally begins raping a woman and after a bit she starts getting into it because she wanted it all along.

 

[Politesse]

They have not invented hyper-awareness of supposed "rape culture", but they sure did dial it up to 11.

Good. I don't like rape. We should stop encouraging it.

 

[Jarhyn]

It's a good song, but I can see why people have issues with it, I used to think the song was fucked up, but on closer listening it's really about the woman wanting to get some, and trying to talk herself into ignoring what the prudish society will think. The line about the drink is the main one that makes you think of date rape, but I think that is actually her inventing an excuse to "misbehave." There's no convincing people otherwise at this point though.

This feels a lot like a tempest in a teakettle.

I see this brought up, upvoted (on Reddit), and everywhere this story airs, the overwhelming response is "that's stupid, she's trying to get some, and he's trying to validate her desire by helping her with additional excuses to do so".

Where are all these real people outraged over the song? I get that a few radio station managers probably got an email from someone and decided to pull the song without actually listening to it, or understanding the context, but nobody is out there saying that it's a good idea. The people defending them are just saying "they have that right", even here. That isn't an affirmation that it's a good decision, either. Just a defense of their right to make decisions. But then again we all have a right to publicly decry their laziness and paranoia

 

[Tom Sawyer]

What's rapey about it? She's a grown-assed woman who decided that she won't care about the negative opinions of a bunch of people who'd want to slut shame her because she wanted to get some.

 

[Koyaanisqatsi]

The line about the drink is actually ironic, because in the context of the time it was written “what’s in this drink” would have referred to alcohol, not something else. And the reason she sings it is because she’s looking for a pretense to act on her then forbidden desire to have casual sex, as evidenced by everything else she is saying in the song.

Iow, she’s listing excuses and rationalles for having consensual sex, not looking for help. It isn’t “This guy put something in my drink! Help me!” It’s, “If we have casual sex and someone finds out about it, I can just claim I was drunk” because back then, it was socially acceptable to use drunkenness as an excuse for wild behavior and absolutely socially forbidden for a “good” girl to want to have casual sex.

The two of them are very clearly equally wanting to be together throughout the whole song, which is why they finally end up in harmony. Literally.

 

[dismal]

What's rapey about it? She's a grown-assed woman who decided that she won't care about the negative opinions of a bunch of people who'd want to slut shame her because she wanted to get some.

"Rapey" is maybe too strong. What probably sets off the sensitivity detectors is the gentleman does not take the lady's protestations at face value.

 

[dismal]

And also, lets not forget the rapeyest Xmas story of them all:

A Minnesota professor suggested in a series of tweets that the Virgin Mary did not consent to the conception of Jesus Christ and suggested that God may have acted in a “predatory" manner.

Minnesota State University, Mankato psychology professor and sex therapist Dr. Eric Sprankle critiqued the story of the Virgin Mary in a tweet Monday, suggesting that the Virgin Mary did not consent to being impregnated by God.

“The virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen. There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario. Happy Holidays,” Sprankle said.

https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=11607

 

[Tom Sawyer]

To be fair, though, Mary was wearing a short skirt and she ordered the lobster. What was God supposed to think?

 

[repoman]

And also, lets not forget the rapeyest Xmas story of them all:

A Minnesota professor suggested in a series of tweets that the Virgin Mary did not consent to the conception of Jesus Christ and suggested that God may have acted in a “predatory" manner.

Minnesota State University, Mankato psychology professor and sex therapist Dr. Eric Sprankle critiqued the story of the Virgin Mary in a tweet Monday, suggesting that the Virgin Mary did not consent to being impregnated by God.

“The virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen. There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario. Happy Holidays,” Sprankle said.

https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=11607

Well compare that to what God did non consensually to Job.