"Rape culture" in the West is the most recent mythical epidemic taking college campuses and social justice warriors by storm.
In a search for proof of rape culture, the 1944 classic Christmas song, "Baby It's Cold Outside" has been held up as an example of the prevalence of rape in western culture.
Lydia Liza and Josiah Lemanski remade the 1944 classic "Baby It's Cold Outside" to exclude any rapey subtext or suggestion in the lyrics. If you haven't heard this gem, here's a link.
Lydia Liza and Josiah Lemanski's remake of the Christmas classic is an example of just how far we've come as a society, for better or for worse, from appreciating the differences of the sexes and their roles in society. A man should be allowed to ask his love to stay with him, without being afraid of being called a rapist.
To imply that this Christmas classic is an example of normalized rape involves wilfull ignorance of the song's context and a basic understanding of humor and flirtation.
To understand the meaning of the song, and determine whether or not, in fact, it is "normalizing rape" or simply a flirtatious duet, it has to be taken into consideration the era in which the song was written.
Written in 1944 by Frank Loesser, the duet embodied the propriety of the 1940's in a flirtatious manner. Back in the old days, women were expected to remain chaste, or at least maintain the reputation of virtue, which is why the woman in the song puts up such a fight.
The neighbors might think (Baby, it's bad out there)
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)
Make no mistake, this song is not about a toxic male asserting domination over a woman and refusing to allow her agency in the situation. Yes, she does say, "Say, whats in this drink?", but it is an excuse she is using to do the things she wants to do (stay the night with this man) without blame.
This song is a romantic duet between a woman who is flirtatiously fighting to leave in order to appear virtuous - or to at least appear as though she was - and the man in love with her wishing her to stay.
Rape is never okay, and consent is a pivotal part of a healthy relationship. That being said, there is no "rape culture" in the west or "normalized rape". This 1940's Christmas classic is not an example of toxic masculinity and the complacent feelings our society supposedly harbors regarding rape.
Americans do not like rape. They don't condone it and they are not complacent in a rape culture.
This song is obviously a flirtatious duet that has been a Christmas classic for well over 50 years. If the woman in the song was truly in a position where her freedom or safety was in jeopardy, it would not be as popular or loved by the public.
