Can We Talk About Baby It’s Cold Outside for a Minute?

Let me just start by saying that I know the song is all in good fun. I GET IT. It was written years and years ago, and why are we just now going all social justice warrior on something that was written with good intentions and not meant to be offensive? 

Well, look– this song is a little… well, non-consensual, and considering all the strides we’ve been making in the last couple of years when it comes to consent, I think it’s totally appropriate to be talking about the things that we used to see as “completely harmless” and “all in good fun” and realizing that they can be conceived as a little more offensive than intended. 

Okay, who am I kidding? Why am I trying to beat around the bush with this? THIS SONG IS KIND OF RIDICULOUS. Am I saying that means it shouldn’t be sung? No, I am not saying that at all. I also really like Nine Inch Nail’s “Closer” but that doesn’t mean the lyrics don’t warrant a conversation. 

Censoring music is pretty much the same thing as censoring books. It’s wrong and we shouldn’t do it. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk about the content in the books or the songs. There are a lot of arguments I am hearing about this song and WHY it doesn’t warrant a conversation about date rape, and to which I ask the question… WHY NOT? Why shouldn’t we take this chance to tell our daughters that when a guy is trying to convince them to stay somewhere they don’t want to be or to do something they don’t want to do that they have every right to say no. 

I think any chance we can get to say that to our kids, to the young men and women, hell, to the old men and women that consent is important is a chance we should TAKE. And as far as intent, (the songwriter’s daughter has actually come out as saying that the song isn’t about date rape at all) are we really having an argument about intent in 2018?

I think what I am trying to say is this, LISTEN to the song. LOVE the song, SING the song, just don’t ignore the fact that when your thirteen year old daughter points out the line, “Hey what’s in this drink?” It’s a super organic chance for you to discuss never leaving your drink unattended at a party. Mmmmk?

Or if you can refer them to this version. It pretty much sums it up.