Radio Bans ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ Over Claims It’s A Rape Song, English Teacher Explains Its Real Meaning
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The Christmas season hasn’t truly begun until the decorations go up and people everywhere are debating the problematic Christmas classic ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside.’ Well, this year one radio station took the song’s criticism one step further by banning it completely after countless listeners complained that the message behind the holiday song was inappropriate.
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But despite the outrage, one former English teacher has stood up in defense of the holiday song. In a viral Tumblr post, they explain that amid all the controversy people are overlooking, that for its time, there is something inherently feminist about it.
In the era of the #MeToo movement (and even before) it’s hard to listen to the lyrics without applying our own social subtext (super rapey), but as the author writes in their defense – context matters. The pop hit was written by Frank Loesser in 1944 and as you will read, perhaps you need to adjust your historical lens to understand the real meaning.
And many people agreed with her
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Is there anything that people can't be offended by nowadays?
They'll even be offended by your question...
I am very offended by the possibility that your reply could be offensive.
How offensive that I got upvotes.
Pigeons offend me.
Here's my take on this (If you're offended by this then so be it. Sorry but not really.): A few kids offend me=I won't have children because all children are offensive. Taking offends me because I have to be naked=stop taking baths. The air offends me because something or somebody will stink=Stop breathing. Your views offends me just because I disagree=I won't accept any other views but mine alone because you're all wrong. Your beliefs offends me because they're different than mine and because I don't believe in anything=All other beliefs are enemies because they're not the same as mine. I'm offended by your opinions because I can't accept it.=Your opinions don't matter. That's just my take on society today. "I'm right therefore you're all wrong and if you don't agree then I'll shut each and everyone of you down so that I don't have to listen to you!" That's just the way it's become. Unfortunately.
The word "nowadays" is extremely offensive Chris Gill. Are you somehow trying to imply that there's something wrong with "thenadays"?
Dunno about you guys, but where I'm from, we call them "thosadays". ;) lol
Seeing as there are 8 billion people on the planet and assuming that all of them are offended by at least one thing, it would be safe to say that there isn't a thing that won't offend someone.
Ppl would be offended if there was nothing to be offended by.
Woah woah woah, Watch it there, that question could offend someone...and so might this warning...and so might that, and that...and that too...and...well then......
for the record I'm all for removing warning labels and letting nature take it's course. Okay, at least, remove the obvious ones. 'warning, may cause electric shock'- as found on an AED.
Andrew offends me
The easily offended can even pick at Christmas carols and find dangerous connotations! I remember that when I was little and my parents had friends over, I even heard my mom say "What's in this drink" when they are laughing and having a good time. Completely innocent and fun times. Sometimes I wish the easily offended would drop over like those fainting goats!
How dare you??! I identify myself as a question mark gender, why is my kin in the end of the sentence? are we not good enough for you that we have to be put last?!
pretty sure we're still allowed to make bad jokes about the weather. At least, I hope so. "It's disgusting out there. all that sunshine. It's positively unwholesome. Gets into people brains... causes their wits to dribble out their ears."
i am offended that people are offended.
No kidding!
I don't think so.
No. I hear people were slamming the claymation Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer the other day.
Stop-motion but not claymation. Some people are just addicted to pats on the back for how woke they are. They'll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes.
As I much as I want to answer your question, I won't because I might offend these intelligent people that makes simple things so complicated just to get attention and just to be able to show that they're better than you. So, I'll just keep the answer to myself so that these fucking know-it-alls won't be offended.
NO.
This comment has been deleted.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Yes, stop whining.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Stop making the mistake of reducing everyone's observations and concerns down to "just being offended". It's shallow reasoning, intellectually lazy and misses a very important point. Cultural norms at any given point in time directly impact the actions of people in the moment and how one expects the other or themselves to react or not react. Regardless of the "context" of the time, as a culture we're much more aware of boundaries in social settings of what crosses a line from being harmlessly flirtatious to outright creepy and rapey. We're much more aware of these warning signs today. It all boils down to how people In modern-day may interpret this song to communicate an accepted practice of tirelessly chasing after someone after they've said "no" numerous times. If the song is interpreted by a male as "No, means Yes"... that could get ugly real fast. If the song is interpreted by a female that it's perfectly acceptible for men to be very persistent, then she may find herself raped
You're obviously not very bright, Jared, and stop using "rapey," it makes you look stupid even if the rest of what you said hadn't achieved that by itself.
This is from a time when conventions made it unacceptable in cinema for a lady to just say "yes I want to spend the night with you" to a man. they had to do the whole "song and dance" about it.
While in a modern context, the song is truly cringey, the subtext of the song, even without knowing what "What's in this drink?" meant in the time that it was written, is pretty obvious. They both want to spend the night together, and she's worried about what people might think of her. In a way, that's also a bit cringey through modern eyes, but hardly offensive. If we start banning every song that might not fit into modern tastes, we'll have nothing left. Grow up, people.
There's nothing at all "cringey" in the song even from a modern context. Unless you're a complete retard, or just want those pats on the back for your faux-enlightenment, there's no way you could see this as anything other than playful banter by two people who both want this to happen. Not only could she not outright say she wanted to stay, but he couldn't outright just ask her either - nor could you today, unless you want to come across as a real pig. Today's social retards raised on cellphones don't know how to do this today.
I've insisted once or twice. But it had nothing to do with getting laid- the roads were crap, and it wasn't safe to be driving. for anybody.
You know what’s offensive in “modern context”? Using the terms retard(s) and pig (ok, maybe not pig so much). But faux-enlightenment and retard can’t be used in the same response.
No different to anyone today saying "this is strong stuff" male or female
This comment has been deleted.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
people who use the word cringey are truly cringey.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
We would have the songs that fit in to modern taste. The only way we wouldn't have anything left would be if nothing was in modern taste.
So they are mad by a song from an older time with a different meaning behind that words, but they are O.k. with modern rap music that blatantly disrespects and degrades women... because that makes a lot of sense.
Who says they are okay with modern rap music? The people who are concerned about the message the song is implying might also be equally concerned about the degrading lyrics found in much of our modern music as well.
Well, I haven’t heard them raising hell about those songs and demanding they be banned. Know why? They’re afraid they’ll be called racist. And they probably would be.
This song is coming from the old Hollywood days where a man and a woman were officially not allowed to be shown on a bed unless both had at least one foot on the floor - never mind being single and spending the night together. I think even a "married" couple on screen were not allowed to be shown sharing a bed.
and the feet must be on opposite sides of the bed. Wasn't it I Love Lucy that, *gasp* showed two beds pushed together, and they weren't even in the beds, and that was scandalous.
Is there anything that people can't be offended by nowadays?
They'll even be offended by your question...
I am very offended by the possibility that your reply could be offensive.
How offensive that I got upvotes.
Pigeons offend me.
Here's my take on this (If you're offended by this then so be it. Sorry but not really.): A few kids offend me=I won't have children because all children are offensive. Taking offends me because I have to be naked=stop taking baths. The air offends me because something or somebody will stink=Stop breathing. Your views offends me just because I disagree=I won't accept any other views but mine alone because you're all wrong. Your beliefs offends me because they're different than mine and because I don't believe in anything=All other beliefs are enemies because they're not the same as mine. I'm offended by your opinions because I can't accept it.=Your opinions don't matter. That's just my take on society today. "I'm right therefore you're all wrong and if you don't agree then I'll shut each and everyone of you down so that I don't have to listen to you!" That's just the way it's become. Unfortunately.
The word "nowadays" is extremely offensive Chris Gill. Are you somehow trying to imply that there's something wrong with "thenadays"?
Dunno about you guys, but where I'm from, we call them "thosadays". ;) lol
Seeing as there are 8 billion people on the planet and assuming that all of them are offended by at least one thing, it would be safe to say that there isn't a thing that won't offend someone.
Ppl would be offended if there was nothing to be offended by.
Woah woah woah, Watch it there, that question could offend someone...and so might this warning...and so might that, and that...and that too...and...well then......
for the record I'm all for removing warning labels and letting nature take it's course. Okay, at least, remove the obvious ones. 'warning, may cause electric shock'- as found on an AED.
Andrew offends me
The easily offended can even pick at Christmas carols and find dangerous connotations! I remember that when I was little and my parents had friends over, I even heard my mom say "What's in this drink" when they are laughing and having a good time. Completely innocent and fun times. Sometimes I wish the easily offended would drop over like those fainting goats!
How dare you??! I identify myself as a question mark gender, why is my kin in the end of the sentence? are we not good enough for you that we have to be put last?!
pretty sure we're still allowed to make bad jokes about the weather. At least, I hope so. "It's disgusting out there. all that sunshine. It's positively unwholesome. Gets into people brains... causes their wits to dribble out their ears."
i am offended that people are offended.
No kidding!
I don't think so.
No. I hear people were slamming the claymation Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer the other day.
Stop-motion but not claymation. Some people are just addicted to pats on the back for how woke they are. They'll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes.
As I much as I want to answer your question, I won't because I might offend these intelligent people that makes simple things so complicated just to get attention and just to be able to show that they're better than you. So, I'll just keep the answer to myself so that these fucking know-it-alls won't be offended.
NO.
This comment has been deleted.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Yes, stop whining.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Stop making the mistake of reducing everyone's observations and concerns down to "just being offended". It's shallow reasoning, intellectually lazy and misses a very important point. Cultural norms at any given point in time directly impact the actions of people in the moment and how one expects the other or themselves to react or not react. Regardless of the "context" of the time, as a culture we're much more aware of boundaries in social settings of what crosses a line from being harmlessly flirtatious to outright creepy and rapey. We're much more aware of these warning signs today. It all boils down to how people In modern-day may interpret this song to communicate an accepted practice of tirelessly chasing after someone after they've said "no" numerous times. If the song is interpreted by a male as "No, means Yes"... that could get ugly real fast. If the song is interpreted by a female that it's perfectly acceptible for men to be very persistent, then she may find herself raped
You're obviously not very bright, Jared, and stop using "rapey," it makes you look stupid even if the rest of what you said hadn't achieved that by itself.
This is from a time when conventions made it unacceptable in cinema for a lady to just say "yes I want to spend the night with you" to a man. they had to do the whole "song and dance" about it.
While in a modern context, the song is truly cringey, the subtext of the song, even without knowing what "What's in this drink?" meant in the time that it was written, is pretty obvious. They both want to spend the night together, and she's worried about what people might think of her. In a way, that's also a bit cringey through modern eyes, but hardly offensive. If we start banning every song that might not fit into modern tastes, we'll have nothing left. Grow up, people.
There's nothing at all "cringey" in the song even from a modern context. Unless you're a complete retard, or just want those pats on the back for your faux-enlightenment, there's no way you could see this as anything other than playful banter by two people who both want this to happen. Not only could she not outright say she wanted to stay, but he couldn't outright just ask her either - nor could you today, unless you want to come across as a real pig. Today's social retards raised on cellphones don't know how to do this today.
I've insisted once or twice. But it had nothing to do with getting laid- the roads were crap, and it wasn't safe to be driving. for anybody.
You know what’s offensive in “modern context”? Using the terms retard(s) and pig (ok, maybe not pig so much). But faux-enlightenment and retard can’t be used in the same response.
No different to anyone today saying "this is strong stuff" male or female
This comment has been deleted.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
people who use the word cringey are truly cringey.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
We would have the songs that fit in to modern taste. The only way we wouldn't have anything left would be if nothing was in modern taste.
So they are mad by a song from an older time with a different meaning behind that words, but they are O.k. with modern rap music that blatantly disrespects and degrades women... because that makes a lot of sense.
Who says they are okay with modern rap music? The people who are concerned about the message the song is implying might also be equally concerned about the degrading lyrics found in much of our modern music as well.
Well, I haven’t heard them raising hell about those songs and demanding they be banned. Know why? They’re afraid they’ll be called racist. And they probably would be.
This song is coming from the old Hollywood days where a man and a woman were officially not allowed to be shown on a bed unless both had at least one foot on the floor - never mind being single and spending the night together. I think even a "married" couple on screen were not allowed to be shown sharing a bed.
and the feet must be on opposite sides of the bed. Wasn't it I Love Lucy that, *gasp* showed two beds pushed together, and they weren't even in the beds, and that was scandalous.