“Star Trek” actor William Shatner has taken a stance on the controversy surrounding the classic song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” — and some fans are not happy.
Radio stations across the country have been banning the tune in the wake of complaints by social justice warriors that it promotes a rape culture.
The song — written decades ago, at a very different time — follows the flirtations between a man and a woman and includes such lines from the woman as, “What’s in this drink?” and “I really must go.”
Shatner took to Twitter this week to encourage his fans to call into the CBC radio station to demand it reverse its ban on the song.
“Call in to CBC radio all day and get them to play ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ over and over until midnight!” Shatner wrote.
This was in response to an announcement the radio station would remove the song at midnight on Tuesday.
Call in to CBC radio all day and get them to play “Baby It’s Cold Outside” over and over until midnight! ?? pic.twitter.com/qrRwAHOwYX
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) December 11, 2018
Some fans challenged Shatner on his stance, but the “T.J. Hooker” actor stood his ground and argued his point.
“C’mon, Bill. Isn’t there something, anything, you can find that is more important to rally for?” one user said.
“I would think that censorship of classics because certain ‘types’ need to judge things through their own 2018 myopic glasses and demand they be stricken from history is important. Or is this 1984 only 34 years too late?” Shatner, 87, responded.
I would think that censorship of classics because certain “types” need to judge things through their own 2018 myopic glasses and demand they be stricken from history is important. Or is this 1984 only 34 years too late?? https://t.co/sU4JgIA80i
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) December 11, 2018
One user later suggested Shatner was joking about his opinion on the song — but the actor and musician assured his fans that he was serious.
“He’s only joking around. Be cool,” a user said.
Shatner responded by saying, “I’m not, actually.”
I’m not, actually. ? https://t.co/CzdP0cKIcB
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) December 11, 2018
When it was announced that the radio station was reversing the ban on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” Shatner still warned about the myopic viewpoints of the politically correct.
“I’d still call and request the song be played just to stick it to the Myopia Censorship Club members!” he wrote in response to an article saying the song was put back into rotation on CBC Music.
?? I’d still call and request the song be played just to stick it to the Myopia Censorship Club members! ? https://t.co/5s8pRZaw92
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) December 11, 2018
Shatner continued to defend the song and interact with fans on the topic.
He even posted the original version of the song.
Have you watched the original choreography, myopic Peter or are you one of those who needs to take the lyrics & extrapolate worst case? You must clutch your pearls over rap music. ? Here’s the original choreography from 1949: https://t.co/bYvhvJg8Zt https://t.co/Jr4FNJccUs
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) December 11, 2018
The choreography is the interpretation of the lyrics from the timeframe when it was written(1940’s.) If 2018 prudes want to interpret the lyrics as something else; the problem obviously lies in their own minds not in the original lyrics. https://t.co/vXWJiw9M4X
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) December 11, 2018
Other users defended Shatner, which is no surprise considering some radio stations have reversed their bans on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” after outcries from listeners.
Deana Martin, daughter of Dean Martin who famously covered the song, also came forward recently to defend the song and said her father would be doing the same if he were alive today.
“I know my dad would be going insane right now. He would say, ‘What’s the matter with you? Get over it. It’s just a fun song.’ ‘Cause he was so sweet anyway … He was a great guy. Fun guy. Nice. And he wouldn’t want to do anything offensive. That wasn’t Dean Martin. So this has just been outrageous,” she recently said on “Fox & Friends.”
For more on controversy surrounding “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” check out the video below:
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