Virtual rape is what could best describe Playboy writer’s Guy Cimbalo’s article “So Right it’s Wrong.” In the article posted Monday at Playboy.com, Cimbalo lists the top ten conservative women he’d like to “hate f***.” Playboy has since pulled the article from its website.
You can find screen captures of the offending article here (Warning: Not Safe For Work).
But this isn’t the first time this year Playboy.com has pulled an article for being too controversial. Playboy skimmed the surface of investigative journalism on February 27, 2009, when the article “Exposing The Rightwing PR Machine: Is CNBC’s Rick Santelli Sucking Koch?” was published, only to be pulled days later after a possible libel suit. The Alantic’s Megan McArdle blasts the article and Playboy’s toying with investigative journalism saying:
Playboy’s latest retraction did them no favors either. Indeed how an article, or even a blog post, of Cimbalo’s caliber even made it past an editor raises serious questions towards Playboy’s online journalistic integrity. The Cimbalo article singles out and describes sexual feelings towards ten conservative women, and even gave them ratings. He gave Washington Time’s Amanda Carpenter a “Hate F*** rating” saying, “This foul temptress is a walking, talking Faustian f*** bargain.” Cimbalo continues the list with The View’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck who, “elicits our filthiest thoughts,” and is, “endlessly perky.” According to John Hawkins of Right Wing News, Playboy’s public relations department specifically sent him the article and to various other conservative bloggers. Writing in an update after the Playboy article was pulled Hawkins said: “The article is no longer up — which I find very fascinating, since they obviously put it up and sent out a release to conservative bloggers in an attempt to generate controversy.” Stephen Gutowski, of newsbusters.org, was also contacted by Playboy’s PR, saying: “His piece, which has since been removed by the skin mag’s Web site, was actually promoted to conservative sites like NewsBusters by Playboy’s PR people (see editor’s note at bottom of the post).” And it largely succeeded. Right now there’s a Playboy boycott on twitter, as well as a sea of right wing bloggers lambasting, and linking to, the Playboy article. And it’s not just conservatives that are attacking Playboy, liberals are too. Jezebel’s Megan Carpentier posts: “Because it’s not as if Cimbalo does anything in his piece but slag on these women for having the audacity to be attractive, conservative, opinionated and loud about those opinions. In other words, if he didn’t agree with us mouthy liberal broads, he wouldn’t want to f*** us either, and apparently prefers his women quiet and agreeable.” Tommy Chistopher writes: “I get that Playboy is a sex magazine, but I don’t see what hate has to do with sex. While the author might think it’s funny or edgy, none of these women consented to be “hate f***ed,” and the whole exercise is just foul and creepy.
What’s worth noting, too, is that although he singles out conservative women, the author belies a hostility toward all women.”
In case your curious, and don’t want your blood pressure to rise too much, here’s the full list of Cimbalo’s top ten women he’d like to “hate f***.”
Michelle Malkin
Megyn Kelly
Mary Katharine Ham
Amanda Carpenter
Elisabeth Hasselbeck
Dana Perino
Laura Ingraham
Pamela Geller
Michele Bachmann
Peggy Noonan
