Music

There's a petition to have Robin Thicke removed from the Junos

by Mark Teo

Most years, we view the Junos like we view tax season: they’re necessary, boring, and usually, offer very little in return. (Did we just drop a tax joke? Dear lord.) This year, however, it’s been marred with controversy—first, the Flatliners were included in the metal category, causing a polite uproar. Then, Dallas Green announced that he wouldn’t be performing, saying that the Junos should give emerging artists a shot. Now, it’s Robin Thicke’s turn.

A petition has been circulating demanding that Thicke be removed from the Junos—both in terms of his ballot and his performance. But while the Flatliners earned flack for not being metal, the criticisms against the “Blurred Lines” singer are much more serious: He’s being accused of trivializing sexual assault, enabling rape culture, supporting rhetoric that blames victims. (In a heavy hitting moment, the petition also links victim shaming to bullying, citing the tragic Rehtaeh Parsons case.)

They certainly have a point. “Blurred Lines” has plenty of incriminating evidence. “I hate these blurred lines, I know you want it, I hate them lines, I know you want it,” he sings in the song’s chorus. And elsewhere: “But you’re an animal, baby it’s in your nature, just let me liberate you.”

Listen to the song below and judge for yourself.

Read between those less-than-blurry lines, and it seems like Thicke could be making a disturbing conclusion about consent. And in supporting Thicke’s misogyny, the petition argues, the song opposes the Canadian values of “equality and human rights.”

“Let the JUNOs and Robin Thicke know that there is a clear line when it comes to respect for women,” the petition forcefully concludes, “and they’re on the wrong side of it.”

Check out the petition right here. Meanwhile, here’s the message that accompanies it.

Despite the blatant sexism, degradation of women and promotion of rape culture in Robin Thicke’s song and music video “Blurred Lines”, Thicke is nominated for three awards – Artist of the Year, Pop Album of the Year, and the JUNO Fan Choice Award – at the upcoming Canadian JUNO Broadcast Awards in Winnipeg, Manitoba on March 30, 2014. This is not a song, nor a message, that should be rewarded.

“Blurred Lines” contributes to rape culture in a number of ways, including:

– By suggesting that there is a “blurred line” with regard to consent;

– By insinuating that the “good girl” in the song actually wants “liberating” through “crazy wild sex”;   

– By trivializing the very real and prevalent issue of violence against women and girls through lyrics such as “you know you want it” (repeated 18 times) and “I’ll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two”. Approximately 1 in 3 Canadian women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.

Robin Thicke has also demonstrated contempt for women in his interviews. In an interview in GQ, Thicke agreed that his music video – in which women parade around clad only in nude thongs and posing in compromising positions – is degrading to women. He states, “we tried to do everything that was taboo. Bestiality, drug injections, and everything that is completely derogatory towards women.” He later says, “What a pleasure it is to degrade a woman. I’ve never gotten to do that before.” In Elizabeth Plank’s analysis of Thicke’s song, video and comments, she points out that his comments signal that degrading women is fun, funny and totally acceptable. 

His comments, the song and the video (which has almost 300,000,000 YouTube views between the rated and unrated versions) contribute to a growing rape culture that disregards the importance of consent and blames victims for their abuse rather than their rapists. This is reflected in the bullying of rape victims such as Rehtaeh Parsons and the frosh week chants glorifying rape at St. Mary’s University and the University of British Columbia in 2013. It needs to change. 

The Canadian JUNO Music Awards are a celebration of Canada’s best and brightest musicians and Thicke is not one of them. Thicke’s music is in direct contradiction to Canadian values of equality and human rights. Tell the JUNO Awards not to reward rape culture, but instead to take action against it by removing Robin Thicke from all nominations and cancelling his scheduled performance at the award show. Let the JUNOs and Robin Thicke know that there is a clear line when it comes to respect for women, and they’re on the wrong side of it.