To the Editor:

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

It’s time to drop “Baby It’s Cold Outside” from the holiday playlist. Call me a Scrooge, but a song about a man doggedly coercing a woman to stay at his house and drink more, despite her continual protests, doesn’t put me in the holiday spirit. It creeps me out.

Listen to the lyrics–we all know what the male in the duet’s intentions are. Nonetheless, this song, which was written in 1944, is still playing in department stores, restaurants, and in commercials today. As a society, we are slowly recognizing the broad problem of sexual violence. We go to great lengths to educate college students about consent and responsible use of alcohol. However, year after year we play (and artists re-record) a song about a predatory man cajoling a woman for sex. There’s a reason the song’s original score calls the characters the “Wolf” and “Mouse.”

“Baby It’s Cold Outside” isn’t cute, fun, or cheery. It might be cold outside, but this song gives me the shivers.

William J. Durkin
Somerville, MA