CTA Tattler

Wow, people still read Playboy?

Playboy isn't meant to be read, is it? I'm just glad he wasn't taking words to actions so to speak. Well at least on the train...

See the pen in his hand? He's gonna do the crossword! Or maybe he's circling 'items' for his Christmas wish list, haha.

I would prefer someone reading playboy over the guy I saw a year or so ago watching porn on his computer.

J-Box, Playboy actually is fairly well-known for its interviews and style advice, and I'm not just mounting a jokey defense ... before the advent of all the various men's style magazines and websites, Playboy was the place a guy turned to in order to learn what kind of suit was considered classy, how to tie certain kinds of ties, etc., etc. -- a definite "style guide" resource in pre-Internet times.

Those things were actually the reason why you hear the line "I read it for the articles" in television sitcoms when a character's caught with porn ... reading Playboy for the articles was a potentially plausible defense.

Despite all that, it is not, as they say, very "couth" to be reading it on the subway.

I think it's way more uncouth to take up two seats like that than it is to read Playboy on the train.

Okay, in all seriousness, I've got to buy this issue myself because there's a previously unpublished story by Stephen King in there. And yes, I really am a girl.... buying Playboy....

Speaking of people who notice what others read on the train, can someone tell me what the word is for those who look over your shoulder trying to read your paper without being too obvious about it? I'm doing some informal translation work into English and I'm _sure_ such a word exists but I just can't think of it. I figure who better to ask than my fellow commuters :)
Thanks a bunch!

The funny thing about Playboy is, compared to its non-nude male counterparts, such as Maxim or Stuff, the difference is as vast as that between Socrates and Carrottop. But because the former shows some nipples, and the latter just barely avoids it, it's taboo to read the intelligent magazine but acceptable to read those that are dumb as shit.

I must agree with Vanna, Playboy has some of the best journalist (and writers) of the present time. But it is a good idea to read in private - not only are the articles pushing the conservative norm, so are the pictures!

I occasionally enjoy the writing in Maxim. Journalism, it's not, but it is entertaining. Though I haven't read a copy in a few years.

I haven't read Playboy for years, but back in my youth, I was interested in stereo equipment, cars, cameras, and other things young men are interested in. The pictures in Playboy may have provided 5 minutes (a couple times a day) of entertainment, but the articles kept me entertained and informed for many more hours a month.

I've looked at the contemporary magazines, like Maxum and Stuff, and I weep for the current generation. The articles in those magazines remind me more of Hustler, but without the nudity.

Still, Playboy probably isn't the best reading material in public. Not because it's pornographic. It's not. But because I think it's a bit crass. And after all, the Playboy philosophy was about having a little class in how you live your life, and reading Playboy on the subway isn't exactly a classy move.