Reflections on Playboy: Hef turns 80 today

April 9, 2006

Hef turns 80 today

Hugh Marston Hefner was born 80 years ago today in Chicago, Illinois. During a recent television interview session, the cameraman asked him to remove a statue of Barbi Benton from the shot because of its bare breasts. From the AP story: “‘As much as things change, they stay the same,’ Hefner remarks, disappointment in his voice. ‘There is still controversy about, maybe even more than before, not just nudity—a nude statue.’”

With all due respect to the big man on his big day, maybe he doesn’t need to experience so much disappointment. Although I wish the Federal ~~Communications~~ Communist Commission didn’t have the power to force TV stations to act this way, I’m actually grateful that somebody somewhere wants the statue’s breasts to be concealed. Eroticism and shame are two sides of the same coin. In their mission statement, the editors of the online sexuality magazine Nerve.com identify their purpose as “less to celebrate the gymnastics of sex than to appreciate the way it humbles us, renders us blushing teenagers....[W]e think shame (in small doses) is to be cherished—it makes us honest and human and trims our paunchy egos.” I might humbly suggest that, if he accepted the fact that sexual shame may never die, Hef could have a deeper and more cheerful appreciation of his own legacy. All utopian dreams lead to disappointment, but a somewhat tragic view of the human condition can paradoxically lighten us up.

In any case, I wish Hugh Hefner and his magazine many more happy birthdays.

Posted by Brian Sorgatz at 9:21 AM

Jetting Through Life left this comment at April 9, 2006 7:00 PM
Happy Birthday to Hef!!

XXOO,
JTL

And hi Bri!!

Dr.John left this comment at April 10, 2006 6:02 AM
Let me add my happy birthday to Hef. His legacy will long be debated. Is this a better world now than before Playboy? I suppose history will have an answer to that.

Cat left this comment at April 10, 2006 4:40 PM
My husband and I were discussing religion and sexuality just the other night while watching a movie.

He said, "Some people think religion has made sex and sexuality a sinful act that's to be made shameful...I feel it has tried hard to make sex and sexuality more sacred."

I thought it was interesting. Do you feel this way or otherwise? Curious.

Gidget Bones left this comment at April 10, 2006 5:07 PM
Very interesting, I am not big on spelling correctly, or getting names right! LOL

Brian Sorgatz left this comment at April 10, 2006 6:43 PM
Readers,
Gidget refers to my correction of her misspelling of Hef.

Brian Sorgatz left this comment at April 10, 2006 9:13 PM
Cat,

Your curiosity flatters me. I think that sexuality is a perennial problem for organized religion just because it’s a perennial problem for humanity as a whole. Individuals and institutions manage (but never solve) the problem to varying degrees of success. At any given time or place, religion has taken either approach to sexuality or both at once.

“Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man,” said Thomas Paine. But he may have gotten cause and effect mixed up. Did belief in a cruel God make Osama bin Laden a cruel man, or does he believe in a cruel God because he was cruel to begin with? I’m inclined to think the latter. Similarly, prudes come to believe in a prudish God.

Did the movie you were watching inspire this particular discussion? If so, what was it?

Cat left this comment at April 10, 2006 9:53 PM
Yes, we've been watching the series "Big Love" on HBO -- familiar with the show?

But, we have conversations like this often. He's very analytical and I tend to be but with more emotion. It's quite interesting!

You seem to take on a lot of beliefs that we're born into the world with views and feelings and a tendency to go with that...I take the belief that it's parents. In many cases, I've met (and been an example of) people that were raised to believe something specific and they firmly held to that until they were shown another path somehow.

Think of children with parents that are divorced. They are affected by experiences and some choose never to marry. They dreamed of marriage prior to that experience but then made the decision later.

I did that with religion. I wouldn't have known otherwise unless he had been raised to believe what he believed and taught that to me. He didn't know that practice until he experienced it in life.

I've stayed quite close to my teachings by my parents through life. My brother is the same in many ways. I think there'd be many siblings that are more diverse if this was the case and I've seen families stick to beliefs often.

Have you seen the opposite then?

quotidian left this comment at April 11, 2006 3:02 AM
hahaha - hef's still the man, eh? :)

Brian Sorgatz left this comment at April 11, 2006 11:05 PM
Cat,
Unfortunately, I haven’t seen Big Love yet, but I’ve read some good reviews of it. At the Mansion party, Playmate Deanna Brooks recommended it to me.

Have you seen the opposite then?

I’m convinced of the opposite by two of my favorite authors, Steven Pinker and Judith Rich Harris. It’s not self-evidently true that our personalities are formed by our relationships with our parents. Pinker and Harris debunk this conventional wisdom in their respective books The Blank Slate and The Nurture Assumption. If the hubby is a good analytical thinker, he’ll appreciate their knack for slaughtering sacred cows and exposing pseudo-intellectual hokum. But beware: They could change your view of human nature forever.

Cat left this comment at April 12, 2006 5:29 AM
Thanks for the suggestion, Brian--I'm a reader. I eat books :)

Robert Paulson left this comment at April 13, 2006 11:41 AM
In honor of Hef's 80th, I made a list of my top 20 playmates:

http://southsideofthe5.blogspot.com/2006/04/top-20-playboy-playmates.html

Comments or criticisms are welcome

April 9, 2006

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