Censorship at QUBSU: ‘Blurred Lines’ Banned

First things first, I hate Robin Thicke. He reminds me of a kind of perverse ‘lad’ uncle roaming the streets of Belfast, wolf whistling at women from his modified Corsa. He is a creepy scumbag.

 To say that ‘Blurred Lines’ has some dodgy lyrics is like saying Edwin Poots has some dodgy views on homosexuality. But this doesn’t mean that I support the ban of the song on campus.

Yeah, I wouldn’t mind it being banned on the grounds that the song is god awful, but censoring it due to the fact that, as Queens University VP of Equality and Diversity Caoimhe MacNeil puts it, the song “is dangerous and compromises the safety of our students”, is ridiculous.

Connor Daly, Queens University campaigns VP states that:

 “Student unions have a proud history of welcoming forward thinkers and instigating progressive movements. A culture of censorship, however, is neither forward thinking nor progressive. Rather than advise and educate members, this culture demands that others adhere to the standards and activities that certain groups consider appropriate. It misses the wider point; making scapegoats through piecemeal tactics rather than constructively tackling issues head on.”

‘Here to help’ with all important student issues. Like discussing pop songs.

 Surely connecting feminism and equality as an attack on popular culture will only hinder the cause.

Censorship is not the answer, especially in a university where debate and discussion are supposed to be encouraged. Rape culture is a serious issue and an ongoing active discussion needs to be opened up, not silenced.

Lets not sweep society’s problems under the carpet.