My family happily listens to XM radio in the car and at home. Well, I used to listen happily. But after Ben Taylor's Wicked Way played on my favorite station (Channel 51-Coffehouse) , I have been too offended to continue supporting XM radio. In Wicked Way, Taylor sings about wanting to get a girl drunk so he can have his wicked way with her. He goes on to say that he has no interest in getting to know her and tells her "So don’t you fight it cause I know you’re gonna like it."
Listening to this song literally gives me chills. The music itself sounds like a lovesong but the lyrics are distasteful and disturbing. One might argue that this is just a song about casual sex, but it is only his pleasure that is considered. The female in this song is merely an outlet for his sexuality. And after "three hours or more" she is no longer useful to him. And we wonder why girls invest all of their self-worth in their sexuality?
This song glamorizes sexual aggression yet it is being played over and over again. Is this the kind of song we want people to be humming at work or on the way to school? Please contact XM radio at listenercare@xmradio.com and tell them to stop playing such offensive songs!
Thank you,
Lilly
P.S.- If anyone has any suggestions about how to most effectivly stop XM radio (and all radio stations) from playing this song, please let me know. I am still high school and this is the first time I have tried to do something like this.
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Some would argue that this song is about casual sex? If he's trying to get her too drunk to refuse and telling her "don't try to fight it", it sounds more like it's about RAPE to me.
Also, I might add that trying to make them stop playing this song, however distasteful it may be, might not be the best approach. Not only is censorship not something I personally want to muck around with, but it tends to confer on the censored party sort of a "cool rebel" status and gains them more publicity. I think the best thing to do is be vocal about why we don't like this, refuse to support this Ben Taylor guy, and spread the word to others that his songs contain this type of mentality so they know not to bother with him either. But don't let him get to play "martyr", he doesn't deserve it.
It's not censorship. The radio station is a private entity and is free to choose playlists based on corporate objectives. If the corporate objectives are anti-rape, then Ben Taylor is history. Mr. Taylor has a right to free speech, but he does not have a right to airtime on any given radio station.
i agree with rustyspoons. cries for censorship are not likely to be productive, because they just push the assholes further in the other direction. sad but true...the people who enjoy listening to this crap won't change their minds if we ban the song. they will, however, sneer at feminists for our "hysterical" reaction.
however, if feminists open up the discussion in forums like the news media, then it's more likely that we'll reach people. i bet most people who like this song just don't realize that attitude's potential to do harm...they'd see our point if we spoke civilly about it.
in the meantime, vote with your audienceship. i remember listening to a radio station when a song called "date rape" or something started playing - "if it wasn't for date rape I'd never get laid!" (honest to god, that was the line!) as you might guess, i've never listened to that station since.
I think that was an anti-rape song actually, about a man who raped a woman at a bar and then was convicted for it. the song ends with him getting anally raped in prison. i forget who wrote it.
The song is "Date Rape" by Sublime, and it is in fact an anti-rape song. It's worth a second listen.
Is he related to James Taylor? James Taylor kicks a lot of ass, so it would make me sad to think that he spawned such a dueche-bag son:(
it was Sublime who wrote that date rape song and it was actually anti-date rape, saying the asshole who raped the girl got sent to prison and now gets raped by the people in prison.
that line "if it wasn't for date rape i'd never get laid' was making fun of the asshole who raped the girl, saying he's so pathetic and can't get girls to sleep with them on their own free will, so he does it to get laid.