Shatner: The Me Too Movement Goes A Bit Too Far
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While promoting his new Christmas album Shatner Claus: The Christmas Album for the Daily Mail, William Shatner spoke about the newly-controversial Christmas song Baby It’s Cold Outside as well as the MeToo movement.
Last week, Shatner tweeted that his fans should call a radio station in his native Canada and demand that they play the controversial song. The station had pulled Baby it’s Cold Outside over complaints from listeners. “Call in to CBC radio all day and get them to play Baby It’s Cold Outside over and over until midnight,” he said.
Part of the reason for the tweet is that Shatner believes those judging the song by today’s mindset are wrong to do so; but the other reason is that Shatner enjoys trolling and “the kick of getting somebody upset about something and playing with them verbally.
“I’ve tweeted about it just to get it out there and have some fun with the people who think differently. On my part there’s no animosity, just a difference of opinion”
As for the song, “You’re not saying I’m closing the door and you can’t leave,” said Shatner. “It’s not force; it’s verbal persuasion, which works in the act.
“The choreography is the interpretation of the lyrics from the timeframe when it was written (1940s). If 2018 prudes want to interpret the lyrics as something else; the problem obviously lies in their own minds, not in the original lyrics.
“I would think that censorship of classics because certain ‘types’ need to judge things through their own 2018 myopic glasses and demand they be stricken from history is important. Or is this 1984 only thirty-four years too late?”
Shatner believes that the MeToo movement has been generally positive, but that it has spun out of control. “I’ve got three daughters and I’m glad that they have more opportunity,” he said. “At the same time, it’s become hysterical.
“It’s a whole new culture. The whole business has changed. The whole man-woman relationship has changed to a severe degree.”
Shatner’s own behavior has changed after taking a training course on sexual harassment in the workplace. It made him realize that he couldn’t do some things anymore. “It’s all about sensitizing you to what is harassment,’ he said. “You might say, as I have on numerous occasions, ‘looking good’, ‘wow, what a great dress’, ‘great legs’, ‘I love your hair’. Nothing grabby, touchy-feely, nothing sexual.
“Just innocuous compliments that one might say to anybody, with no intent of lasciviousness.”
And while Shatner will allow fans to put their arms around him when having their photos taken with him, he no longer puts his arm around fans. “…I don’t,” he said. “I’ve changed my behavior to quite a degree…because it’s a revolution.”
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