Does Adele promote stalking? Students at the University of Oklahoma apparently think so. Protestors have erected posters on campus accusing Adele’s hit “Hello” of normalizing sexual harassment. Kathy Moxley, director of the Gender + Equality Center, launched the campaign as part of “Stalking Awareness Month.”  Adele is public enemy #1 because… wait for it… she includes the line “I must have called a thousand times” in her song “Hello.”

“To begin a much-needed conversation about harassment on college campuses, the University of Oklahoma Gender + Equality Center used popular songs that students listen to, to attract students’ attention and to bring awareness to subtle messages in popular song lyrics,” Ms. Moxley told Fox News. “The music examples were used to demonstrate how aspects of popular media could be interpreted to normalize unhealthy relationship behaviors.”

Also in the group’s cross-hairs?  Maroon 5, for including the lyrics “Baby, I’m preying on you tonight. Hunt you down eat you alive.” in the song “Animals.”

Good grief.

Of course, I can’t help but think the history of pop music is FULL of songs far more rapey and more stalkery than “Hello.” Just off the top of my head I’m thinking “One Way or Another” by Blondie, “Every Breath You Take,” by the Police, “I Will Possess Your Heart” by Death Cab for Cutie, “Stan” by Eminem, “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran, “Obsession” by Animotion, “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield, “Keep on Loving You” by REO Speedwagon, “Baby It’s Cold Outside” by Dean Martin, “Sex Type Thing” by Stone Temple Pilots, “Wrong Way” by Sublime, “Rape Me” by Nirvana, “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails, and the rapiest songs of ALL  TIME: “Summer Lovin’” from Grease (“Did she put up a fight?”) and “Hello” by Lionel Richie (about a teacher stalking his blind student!). Then,of course, there was the recent controversy over “Blurred Lines”? None of these songs destroyed the fabric of society and neither will “Hello.”

(via The Washington Post)