All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!(Part II)

[worstblogever]

That's not what the song is intended to be implying at all. It's just what modern ears jump to.

But the reality is that if you understand the song as its intended audience would have, the 'hey, what's in this drink?' line isn't implying that at all.

Key and Peele covered it best.
http://www.cc.com/video-clips/btjecx...-for-the-night

[Powerboy]

I was going to write something like this myself, but thanks to Google I don't have to - A feminist defense of "Baby It's Cold Outside"

And another by a comics fan and former CBR member

Gasp. Judging a song from 1936 by the social standards of 1936 and by what the lyrics meant in 1936 instead of by the social standards of 2018 and what some of the lines might mean now, or even not judging it by one out of context line? What a crazy idea.

[Powerboy]

Key and Peele covered it best.
http://www.cc.com/video-clips/btjecx...-for-the-night

Yes, a perfect rewriting of the song to make it what modern ears interpret it to mean.

[worstblogever]

By the by, on the "Why do people say the GOP is becoming a white nationalist party?" front...

Texas Republican who helped draft the Tea Party Platform has proudly declared himself a white nationalist.

[Tendrin]

Key and Peele covered it best.
http://www.cc.com/video-clips/btjecx...-for-the-night

Funny! I do love Key and Peele.

But let's remember the subtext of the song as understood is that she really does want to stay and that they're hunting for socially acceptable reasons becasue good girls aren't allowed to say yes when they want to, like she does.

[Mecegirl]

Say what? Of course there was. You've never heard of someone slipping a mickey or mickey finn?

Even without all that certain types of liquor are stronger than others. Someone unused to strong mixed drinks can get fucked up pretty easily. LOL.

[Tami]

As a dog owner, for once I agree with Fox. Graham's article was cynical and clueless as to how animals and humans bond with each other.

George H.W. Bush's service dog 'Sully' isn't a Democrat or Republican -- It's doggone crazy to attack him

People from around the world are recalling President George H.W. Bush’s many accomplishments and outstanding qualities with words of praise – but one of the most beautiful and moving tributes was a wordless expression of love from his service dog, Sully. Unbelievably, a mean-spirited writer for Slate has chosen to attack this loyal dog.

Dogs aren’t called “man’s best friend” for nothing. If you’ve ever owned a dog, you know the bond between this animal and we humans is very real. We mourn our dogs when they die. And yes, after sharing our homes and our lives, they mourn us when we die. We feel genuine love for each other.

Slate staff writer Ruth Graham is clueless in recognizing this.

Here is Graham's article

Don’t Spend Your Emotional Energy on Sully H.W. Bush

The photograph, in other words, is not proof that Sully is a particularly “good boy” or that “we don’t deserve dogs,” as countless swooning tweets put it on Monday. On its own, it says almost nothing other than the fact that Sully was, at one point in the same room as the casket of his former boss. This is simply a photograph of a dog doing something dogs love to do: Lie down. The frenzy around it captures something humans love to do, too: Project our own emotional needs onto animals.

[Tendrin]

Even without all that certain types of liquor are stronger than others. Someone unused to strong mixed drinks can get fucked up pretty easily. LOL.

Yeah, but the line 'what's in this drink?' was a common joke used to pass off some behavior or another as 'Oh, my drink must be alcoholic'. It wouldn't have been thought of as a date-rape thing as people jump to now.

[jetengine]

This is the same stupidity as people cracking open Victorian literature and going "Oh no they called this guy a negro and treated him terribly, they must all be horrible racists and this book must be banned " rather then the more logical conclusion "This book was written in 1840, anyone who isnt a white european is going to be **** on in some way or another". Its when Racism/Sexism etc gets egregious even for the era you know the guys a racist/sexist (Like Lovecraft)

[Tendrin]

This is the same stupidity as people cracking open Victorian literature and going "Oh no they called this guy a negro and treated him terribly, they must all be horrible racists and this book must be banned " rather then the more logical conclusion "This book was written in 1840, anyone who isnt a white european is going to be **** on in some way or another". Its when Racism/Sexism etc gets egregious even for the era you know the guys a racist/sexist (Like Lovecraft)

Well, I mean, racism is racism.

This is more in line with changing language/jokes not quite being understood by a modern audience. There are plenty of jokes from movies in the past that will sail over people's heads. There are real criticisms of the song -- that it's rooted in a patriarichal and oppressive view of women's agency and arachic gender roles, but calling it a 'date rape anthem' is just a misunderstanding rooted in our changing views and what we talk about, know about, and understand.

[JCAll]

You know who I've always said needs to make a comeback? Al Jolson. You really had to be there to see that the Mammy music craze really wasn't so bad.
I mean, sure, looking back from 2018 it looks horrible, but that's a 2010s kind of horrible. When it reality, it was a completely different 1930s kind of horrible, which is just charming and quaint.

[Tendrin]

Har har har.

[jetengine]

Well, I mean, racism is racism.

This is more in line with changing language/jokes not quite being understood by a modern audience. There are plenty of jokes from movies in the past that will sail over people's heads. There are real criticisms of the song -- that it's rooted in a patriarichal and oppressive view of women's agency and arachic gender roles, but calling it a 'date rape anthem' is just a misunderstanding rooted in our changing views and what we talk about, know about, and understand.

Yes but theres racism thats merely endemic to a society because its so common place that people dont even realise their being shitty because its 'Just the way things are' compared to actual knowing seething hatred such as H.P. "The asians moved into this street the literal apocalypse is now happening" Lovecraft. Both are shitty and horrible but the former is more forgivable because it was created through ignorance and societal pressure, the other is just because you hate people.

But yeah, any radio station that plays Blurred Lines then claims that a christmas song is a rape anthem is clearly trolling for attention.

You know who I've always said needs to make a comeback? Al Jolson. You really had to be there to see that the Mammy music craze really wasn't so bad.
I mean, sure, looking back from 2018 it looks horrible, but that's a 2010s kind of horrible. When it reality, it was a completely different 1930s kind of horrible, which is just charming and quaint.

You say that trying to be funny yet prove my point implicitly. Al Jonson was seen as incredibly progressive in his day and was lauded by the African American community. Historical context is key.

[Darkspellmaster]

That's not what the song is intended to be implying at all. It's just what modern ears jump to.

But the reality is that if you understand the song as its intended audience would have, the 'hey, what's in this drink?' line isn't implying that at all.

You can actually read that line in four ways.

A. The straight up idea it's just booze and the old line that is used in a lot of comedy movies of the time.

B. The idea that the drinker wants to know the type of booze they are drinking, is another valid one.

C. It's a mixed drink and the drinker is inquisitive about what was in the mix.

D. This is more on the time period, but coming off prohibition at the time there was still a lot of moonshine to be had. So rhe line could be read as the dtinker unsure of it being mass produced booze or home made stuff as it was still common up until after the war to make home made booze

[worstblogever]

If there's a Bill Cosby cover of that song, it's gonna be creepy as f***.