‘Baby it’s Cold Outside’ is getting a lot of ‘play’ these days but not necessarily the way you think. In recent years there have been ‘issues’ with this as a song we don’t need to be listening to in this day of #metoo. Now I could say there are a lot of worse songs out there but I’m not going that direction.
Well I can say #metoo but I do not get the problem with this song. Let me tell you why….
The song is indeed suggestive of a somewhat – one-sided relationship – a man trying to get a woman to do something that perhaps she isn’t completely comfortable doing. But hold that thought! He is not forcing her to do anything. He suggests, she puts up an objection, he presses, she gives in. There is no threat. She is free to leave but …and here is the kicker…CHOOSES to stay.
I’ve seen this song done the other way around – The woman invites, the man objects, the woman presses, the man chooses to stay. I’ve also seen it as two men and two women. In every case a choice is made to stay.
#metoo is not about choice! #metoo is about coercion. #metoo is about loss of position if you do not allow undesired advances. #metoo is about not being given a choice.
Declaring this song to be undesirable in the face of #metoo cheapens what #metoo is trying to accomplish.
