Blurred Minds: Look at what’s happened to summer songs | Opinion | The Seattle Times

Blurred Minds: Look at what’s happened to summer songs | Opinion | The Seattle Times

Epilogue

When I posted Froma Harrop's article on this on August 28, I confess I wasn't sure if I'd heard the song or not.  A cousin of mine, who posted about it on Facebook, assured me that I had, but I don't listen to much radio so I thought it possible that I hadn't.

I had.

OK now he was close, tried to domesticate you
But you're an animal, baby, it's in your nature
Just let me liberate you
Hey, hey, hey
You don't need no papers
Hey, hey, hey
That man is not your maker

I didn't recognize it right off, however, for the reason mentioned above. Having said that, I've been to a couple of weddings this summer in which there was music, and this song showed up at them.  I finally realized that I had in fact heard it.

My comments would mirror Harrop's, except perhaps more so.  Harrop, I"d note, is regarded as a "liberal" columnists, not a conservative, so this very conservative view coming from a self professed liberal is noteworthy.  I won't try to add to what she notes, as it's so well put.

And that's why I'm gon' take a good girl
I know you want it
I know you want it
I know you want it
You're a good girl
Can't let it get past me
You're far from plastic
Talk about getting blasted
I hate these blurred lines
I know you want it
I know you want it
I know you want it
But you're a good girl
The way you grab me
Must wanna get nasty
Go ahead, get at me

I am bothered by this, however.  The lyrics of the song are horrific.  I thought about quoting some here for illustration, but the song is overall all so morally objectionable I gave up at first, before going ahead and putting them in (fair comment, under copyright).

What do they make dreams for
When you got them jeans on
What do we need steam for
You the hottest bitch in this place
I feel so lucky
Hey, hey, hey
You wanna hug me
Hey, hey, hey
What rhymes with hug me?
Hey, hey, hey

I don't think it needs  to be, as the tune carries it.  But when you see a lot of young women out on the dance floor to this song, and I have, the lines are indeed getting blurred, and they're blurring them.  Effectively, in some odd way, that endorses this view, and perhaps it even causes some self endorsement.  A personal demeaning of their worth.  Their is nothing blurred about the message of Blurred Lines.  Women are objects for the taking, irrespective of their attachment to anyone else or its nature.  It comes close, very close, to endorsing rape.

And that's by all accounts an endorsement that already seems to be out there.  The last couple of weeks have been full of the news that a Montana judge gave a teacher to committed statutory rape a sentence of only 30 days.  The victim had killed herself following the crime.  The judge made a comment about the girl being in control of her conduct, seemingly not appreciating that we was a minor of 14 years of age and apparently a troubled one at that.  No blurred lines it would seem, unless I suppose if you take the Blurred Lines view of things, which so many people seem to.  Even the many, many who are horrified by the sentence probably can't see the message of a song like Thicke's contributing to the atmosphere that causes a 30 day sentence to seem not so horrific.

One thing I ask of you
Let me be the one you back that ass to
Go, from Malibu, to Paris, boo
Yeah, I had a bitch, but she ain't bad as you
So hit me up when you passing through
I'll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two
Swag on, even when you dress casual
I mean it's almost unbearable
In a hundred years not dare, would I
Pull a Pharside let you pass me by
Nothing like your last guy, he too square for you
He don't smack that ass and pull your hair like that
So I just watch and wait for you to salute
But you didn't pick
Not many women can refuse this pimpin'
I'm a nice guy, but don't get it if you get with

It says something about the state of our views that a song like this even can become popular, although the tune is catchy and it sticks in your head in a major way.  Subtle it is not, and by all accounts, one of the two video variants isn't subtle either, as it features two topless women, as Harrop notes, parading around in the video, again advertising their wares.  This is all the more of a condemnation of the an atmosphere that allows this to occur, as that video is hawked to teenagers and those in their 20s, who are all the more taught the lesson that women are not really human beings, that its a man's world, and that women are toys.

Indeed, it's shocking to see how these views not only remain, but have corrupted over the past 40 years.  Forty years ago there were a series of movie comedies based in part on the roles of men and women which now people will view as bizarrely sexists or, at best, sort of disarmingly antiquated.  The musical comedy How I Succeeded In Business Without Really Trying is one such example. All the women are secretaries in the film, all of them. At one point in the film, which came on at the height of Playboy's popularity and its objectification of women, the secretaries sing a song called A Secretary Is Not A Toy, with the point being that the shouldn't be toys for men, i.e., ready made mistresses, but that some were.  Now, with the view held by Blurred Lines we don't even need to get that far.  A couple of years ago we had a Blacked Eyed Peas song dedicated to nothing other than the lead singers chest, and what that would get her, and now Robin Thicke has effectively answered that question.

Baby can you breathe? I got this from Jamaica
It always works for me, Dakota to Decatur, uh huh
No more pretending
Hey, hey, hey
Cause now you winning
Hey, hey, hey
Here's our beginning
I always wanted a good girl

I know you want it
I know you want it
I know you want it
You're a good girl
Can't let it get past me
You're far from plastic
Talk about getting blasted
I hate these blurred lines

I know you want it
I know you want it
I know you want it
But you're a good girl
The way you grab me
Must wanna get nasty
Go ahead, get at me.

On those female models, or whatever a person would consider them, shame on them too.  Women have long campaigned for equality in this country, and everywhere.  Women in the western world have long struggled for full equality with men, and complained about being held back.  Women elsewhere, having started so very far behind those in the European based civilizations, dare, for the most part, not to even hope.  Great strides have been made, but ever single woman who takes her shirt off for public display in this fashion drags all women back decades.  How are young men going to take their message seriously when they not only aren't up to the Secretary Is Not A Toy level, but somewhere centuries behind it.  This conduct confirms every male instinct that they are just that, and less.  Not smart, and for the taking.  Some may have bought off on the old Playboy male view that this "liberated" women to act like men, which discredits men to start with, but what it really did is liberate men to totally disregard women, the impacts in our society of which are plain to see.  In other societies, the globally broadcast Western debasement of women is powerful ammo for those who would literally keep women barefoot, pregnant, and in berkas, as the argument becomes that rejecting Western values protects their virtue.

I don't know where all of this can be addressed, but it has to be.  I see Thicke is defending himself as a family man now, not even realizing the irony of that statement.  Would he want his daughters viewed the way his song would have it?  But there's certainly a long ways to go. Even the dress of teenagers at this point had declined to the point of nearly offering wares on the market.  But perhaps the fact that this song has hit rock bottom to such an extent that it's actually taking criticism for it is a bit of a sign of hope.