"Blurred Lines" Response

This was an entertaining subject to read about. Everyone knows the song "Blurred Lines", so it allows for a seemingly universal medium to debate through. Both articles brought forth worthy arguments that made it tough on the reader to choose a side. I was slightly swayed prior to the articles, and I have stayed put in terms of how I feel about the song. While "Blurred Lines" may be rather inappropriate in terms of its content, I do believe the song is relatively harmless, and not as evil as some subjects make it out to be.
The article by Jennifer Lai discussed whether the summer tune was a "rape anthem." Lai disagreed with this statement for several reasons, but possibly the best reason can be found in the words that escape Pharrell's mouth. Lai references how Pharrell sings in the background constantly, "I know you want it." No surprise, critics hear this and immediately get the wrong idea. Lai does make a valid point about this statement. She states,"Yes, "I know you want it" could be said by a rapist—but so could “Do you want to go to a movie tonight?”" This was an idea I had not really considered until after Lai mentioned it. Lai also compared this song to other R&B works in today's music industry. While the lyrics of the song are seriously questionable, they seem harmless in comparison to some of today's lyrics. Lai feels similar, and she explains this when she states, "I've listened to the song a few hundred times (yeah, I like it, and I don't find it any more offensive than other R&B songs), and I really can't imagine it depicting anything more than a flirtatious scenario in which a cocky guy (we all know the type) teases a girl who's flirting back (she's hugging him and grabbing at him)." A song like this makes me realize the inconsistency of critics these days. Maybe because "Blurred Lines" was so popular, but many other offensive and inappropriate songs stand in the top fifty also. From time to time, you may hear a critic rip on some new popular song about its content, but it appears "Blurred Lines" has been the ultimate magnet in attracting critics. Tricia Romano does a fine job revealing some obvious reasons why many show opposition to the number one song of this past summer. Romano states early on about the obvious problems, "Not surprisingly the combination of the lyrics and the video’s nudity has irked some female music fans." I entirely agree with this statement. The nature of the song is bound not to work in accordance with everyone's morals. Romano brings this basis of opposition to light various times in her article. She implements a direct quote from Robin Thicke that works in her favor immensely. The quote reads, "“We pretty much wanted to take all the taboos of what you’re not supposed to do—bestiality, you know, injecting a girl in her bum with a five-foot syringe—I just wanted to break every rule of things you’re not supposed to do and make people realize how silly some of these rules are.”" After a quote like this, the author has to do little to persuade at all. The logic just does not appear to be there in Thicke's quote. No rhyme or reason really resounds for the events in which he mentions. While these events might "break every rule", they are surely not as bad as other works and lyrics as Lai mentioned earlier. Both authors bring up great points about the subject, but the turning point for me was the quote by XOJane's Grace Rasumus. The statement by this subject reads, "these lyrics seem more like temptation after a lame relationship as opposed to impending sexual assault." This quote sums up how I feel about this topic of debate. While some see the song as a sexual misdemeanor, it seems more of a parody, or "lame relationship" than anything.