Star Trek superstar William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk, weighed in on the current cultural battle over the Christmas classic, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Shatner put those who are trying to censor and ban the song on blast, calling them out for their shenanigans.
Shatner, a Canadian, specifically called for his fans to call into CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), who were planning on banning the song.
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
As you can expect with all things Twitter, a number of people were upset with Shatner’s stance on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” A Tampa Bay radio station, WMNF 88.5 FM tried to push back against Shatner claiming what happens in the song made them “feel so uncomfortable.” They go on to insinuate that what happens in the song also happened to them.
That song always made me feel so uncomfortable. It is creepy. It is supposed to be charming, but when it has happened to you it doesn’t feel charming.
— WMNF 88.5 FM (@wmnf) December 11, 2018
Another fan attempted to trivialize Shatner’s opinion asking him there wasn’t something “more important to rally for.” The implication was that the censorship and push to ban the song was a non-issue. Shatner wasn’t having it and explained how viewing things out of historical context was wrong. He even made a reference to George Orwell’s 1984 in the process.
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
At least one fan thought Shatner was just joking about his opposition to the ban on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Shatner made it crystal clear that he wasn’t.
I’m not, actually. ? https://t.co/CzdP0cKIcB
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) December 11, 2018
Eventually the Canadian Broadcasting Company would relent and see the folly of their decision to censor and ban the song. But Shatner continued to encourage his followers to keep calling and requesting the song to hammer the point home to what he describes as the “Myopia Censorship Club members.”
?? 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 took it to the next level when one person tried to claim censoring the song was equivalent to sexual assault. Shatner provided the original choreography that accompanied the song when it debuted in 1949. He even mocked “myopic Peter” claiming he clutches his pearls when he hears rap music.
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
He went on to add that the choreography of the song is “the interpretation of the lyrics from the timeframe when it was written (the 1940s).” He then goes on to explain that “if 2018 prudes want to interpret the lyrics as something else; the problem obviously lies in their own minds not in the original lyrics.”
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
Shatner eloquently points out one of the major problems in our current culture. Context doesn’t matter to those who want to be offended. And in fact, I would argue that most of the people whining about the song’s lyrics don’t really care about the song’s lyrics anyways. What they care about is control. They care about enacting their will and getting the song banned so no one else can listen to it and get enjoyment from it.
We’ve seen this exact type of behavior in the comic book industry where comic book store owners, much like the CBC and other radio stations were organizing themselves to ensure that Richard C. Meyer’s Jawbreakers – Lost Souls would not be carried in their stores. In fact, they were doing this before the book was even published or that they even knew what the content of the book would be. They specifically wanted it banned because they didn’t want other people consuming it. They wanted to control your behavior.
Fortunately, folks appear to be standing up to this nonsense with both William Shatner and Deanna Martin publicly denouncing radio stations and those who tried to pressure them into banning a Christmas classic.
William Shatner has been busy this Christmas season. He has a brand new [easyazon_link identifier=”B07GJ56YX5″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Christmas music album[/easyazon_link] out and he’s also been spreading the Christmas spirit by helping fulfill young Maddox Hyde’s Christmas wish. And now he’s come to the defense of classic Christmas music. Is there nothing Kirk can’t do?