The holiday season is marked by festive decorations, cold weather, Christmas movies, lights on houses, lots and lots of cookies, cakes, gingerbread houses, nutcrackers, and maybe one of the most popular: holiday music. Played in stores the second that Thanksgiving ends, people can officially begin shopping for Christmas gifts while listening to festive holiday tunes. At this point, radio stations gain the devotion to spread the holiday cheer through the college of music that took its form over the last century.
Known for its time for peace, joy, and happiness, the Christmas season took a downturn due to a major controversy. The dilemma took place when a Cleveland, Ohio radio station pulled the timeless song: “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” When listening to the song, the majority of people merely imagine the iconic scene from “Elf” where Jovie sang the song in the shower and Buddy walked in. Yet, such a wholesome song and scenario transformed into a storm of arguments. Multiple feminist groups argued that the song sanctions rape and increases the rape culture that remains increasing prevalent in our country as well as others. Urban dictionary even refers to the song as the “Christmas Date Rape Song”.
The flirtatious banter taking place within the song morphed into a discourse between a young woman who plays hard to get by thinking of excuses as to why she should leave and a man who attempts to talk her into staying. A few lines from the song read, “Say what’s in this drink? (no cabs to be had out there)/I wish I knew how (your eyes are like starlight now)/To break this spell (i’ll take your hat, your hair looks swell)”. These lyrics refer to the clear references to a date rape drug. Due to this, many radio stations around the country followed suit after hearing many complaints about the song.
Taking into account the time period in which the song was written proves a deciding factor to the implications that the piece provides. Written and primarily performed in 1944, society deemed it unacceptable for women to remain alone with men. A woman would not put herself in this situation without knowing the man she accompanied herself with. Furthermore, the lyrics that question the material in the drink can easily mean that the woman may try to blame her behavior on the alcohol she drank by stating that she cannot remember how much she drank or what exactly the beverage contained. At any rate, the girl in the song could leave at any time. It did not appear that the man kept her against her will. Instead, she continues to formulate reasons as to why she should leave, but instead she does not want to leave and continues to come up with excuses as to why she should stay. The woman merely desired that the man believe she wished to leave.
People need to take things for their worth. During the 1940s, the Me Too movement, along with, other feminist movements did not contain the compelling influence it produces today. Many young girls may relate to the song of a woman who knew that she should go home, but wanted to stay with her boyfriend a little while longer, something that if given the chance that majority of people would jump at.
The past cannot be judged by the standards that we live by today. Society has built itself on such a high pedestal, dishonouring the decisions of the past. In reality this era proves itself to not be as high and mighty as everyone makes it out to be. People turn into harsh critics that constantly spew harangues at past events and people; while sometimes this may be justified, in this case the palemics do not suffice. The ridiculous rebuttals that make it so this song gets banned prove outrageous, while the popular songs of our age speak bluntly in a crude context of sex, drugs, and prostitutes. The hypocrisy of our time culminated to a peak.
A wonderful opinion on this present issue. Unfortunately many people these days tend to analyze works of the past through mordern standards without considering how society was when such work was created.
ReplyDeleteIt surely is frightening how quick society is to now condemn and sensor history but promote and idolize the mortally flawed messages of the present. Despite my young age, I have listened to many of the musical hits of the 40's and 50's. When I compare these works to hits of today, there is a stark contrast. It seems that society has become keen on correcting and altering the past, but has grown ignorant in many of our current flaws.
Hypocrisy and ignorance is becoming rampant among us. Society must not dwell in the past but look at the present and face reality. From my own research, major societal changes have usually occurred in 20 year intervals since the 1950s. And however you perceive todays events, it certainly appears that major changes are to come for better or worse.