Quick Hit: University of Edinburgh bans “Blurred Lines”

Here’s proof that campuses don’t need to be the cesspools of misogynistic violence they so often prove themselves to be.

The University of Edinburgh has banned Robin Thicke’s summer rape anthem “Blurred Lines,” also known as “No Means Yes, the Musical.” The Independent reports:

Featuring lyrics such as ‘I’ll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two’, the American’s international number one has sparked widespread criticism of sexism and been accused of referring to non-consensual sex in lines like ‘I hate these blurred lines, I know you want it’…

The campus ban on Thicke’s worldwide chart topper falls in line with an Edinburgh University Students’ Association policy, entitled ‘End Rape Culture and Lad Banter on Campus’, to shut down ‘myths and stereotypes around sexual violence’ and stop the sexual objectification of female students.

An extract from the policy argues that ‘lad culture’ promoters, such as lads mag websites and Facebook groups, “trivialize rape and by doing so contribute to a culturally permissible attitude to rape which is disgusting and cannot be allowed by our union”.

“The solution to sexual violence is for rapists to stop raping, not for women to restrict their movement,” the mission statement reads.

EUSA vice president services Kirsty Haigh said: “The decision to ban ‘Blurred Lines’ from our venues has been taken as it promotes an unhealthy attitude towards sex and consent. EUSA has a policy on zero tolerance towards sexual harrassment, a policy to end lad culture on campus and a safe space policy – all of which this song violates.”

Check out the whole article here.