Tired of Misogynist Bullshit, Edinburgh Students Ban ‘Blurred Lines’

If Robin the director of the “Blurred Lines” video that the internet has gender-swapped to the power of infinity (just twice, really), could talk to the Edinburgh University Students’ Association, he’d probably say that “Blurred Lines” was, like, a feminist movement in itself, or whatever. LOL, IT’S CALLED SUBVERSION, COLLEGE (nevermind that Robin Thicke basically said the exact opposite thing in a GQ interview). Not that it would matter at this point, though — the EUSA has recently banned “Blurred Lines” from playing in any of the student unions’ buildings on Edinburgh’s campus.

According to the BBC, the EUSA’s decision to ban “Blurred Lines,” which has the dual benefit of fighting misogyny in pop culture AND curing students of their summer club-going nostalgia, falls in line with one of the organization’s official policies, called “End Rape Culture and Lad Banter on Campus.” That so-called “lad-banter” was basically, according to an excerpt from Thicke’s May GQ interview, one of the song’s sources of inspiration, since he an Pharrell began the songwriting process by “acting like we were two old men on a porch hollering at girls.”

An excerpt from the EUSA’s policy contends that “lad culture promoters” often “trivialize rape,” and therefore cannot be tolerated by the students’ union. EUSA vice-president Kristy Haigh told the BBC more pointedly that the overt misogyny in the lyrics to “Blurred Lines” flew in the face of the organization’s policy to end rape culture on campus:

The decision to ban Blurred Lines from our venues has been taken as it promotes an unhealthy attitude towards sex and consent.

There is a zero tolerance towards sexual harassment, a policy to end lad culture on campus and a safe space policy – all of which this song violates.

Moral of the story? If you’re tired of this song’s endless radio replays, spend the semester in Edinburgh, where J.K. Rowling wrote her first Harry Potter book, and where a young Sean Connery worked as a milk deliverer.