NBC canceled The Playboy Club.
I will admit, it wasn’t really a “super-excellent” show. It was an okay show, a light mystery-drama-soap opera with a bunch of hot chicks in bunny outfits. I should mention that a month before the show aired, the actress who plays the lead role did an interview in Playboy Magazine. She gave her reasons why she choose to do the show. It should be mentioned that she is openly and proudly gay.
And I know a lot of people feel that Hugh Hefner “exploited” women, but I feel that he did a lot for the empowerment of women. We are not talking porn here, I am talking about women who choose to pose for more artsy nudes. And Playboy always promoted women’s rights and equality. (As well as a whole bunch of other people’s rights and equality.) So I think that Playboy is one of the more reputable and trustworthy brands out there.
That’s one reason why I subscribe to the magazine. I mean, yes, they have naked women in it, and…okay, that’s a great draw…but if I wanted real real porn, I’d subscribe to Hustler or something. I happen to like and, yes, respect Playboy. And yes, I do read the articles. Do I always agree with them? Of course not. But I still like and respect the magazine and the Playboy brand.
Now I’ll admit that on a personal level, I’ve always wanted to go to a Playboy Club. I can remember wanting to go to one, just for one night, just to say “I’ve been to a Playboy Club”, since I first saw an issue. I knew that the women didn’t do anything other than be waitresses in cute bunny outfits, I knew that there it was basically a glorified high-end bar, but I wanted to go to one. All through high school and college, I knew where they were: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Boston. There wasn’t one in Washington DC, which is where I was near. But around 1983, I moved from Westminster, Maryland to Boston. The VERY FIRST THING I did was go to where the Playboy Club’s location. Unfortunately, I arrived too late. Meaning, I arrived after they had closed down the club. It was recent, too, because the map of the subway stop where it was still showed the location. So I was disappointed that I had missed the chance to say “I’ve been there.”
However, back in 2004, Playboy hosted a bunch of parties across the country and one of the stops was here in Hartford. I did get to go to that. So I have been to something like a Playboy Club. Also, there is one Playboy Club still opened in Las Vegas.
Also, even though I’ve never been to a club, I have, in fact, been quoted in Playboy! I have the issue at home and I don’t remember what issue (I’ll have to find it, it was several years ago and in the Reader’s Response section.) But they have actually taken a part of a reply to an article they posted.
So even though I can’t say “I’ve been to a Playboy Club”, I can say “I’ve been quoted in Playboy Magazine.” And personally, I think that’s cooler.
Anyways, because I like and respect the brand and because of the lead actress’ interview, I thought I should give the show a try. As I said, it wasn’t ground-breaking or anything. It was a mystery-drama-soap opera than anything else. Strip away the Playboy Club setting and it could be stuck in any kind of bar, really.
But since it was Playboy, it caught me. And, again, since it was Playboy, it caught the attention of a whole bunch of other people. Like “The Parents Television Council”, “Morality In Media”, The San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women” and Gloria Steinem all who demanded that NBC remove the show on the basis of a) it’s pornographic and bad for children (claims of the first two organizations), and b) it demeans women (claims from the other two). So these groups have been protesting heavily calling for the cancellation of this series.
And it was canceled after the third episode. Not because of these people, but because the ratings were poor. As I said, it was just a stupid soap opera, and if the Playboy logo wasn’t on it, it would just be another canceled series. But because of the name, it’s a big deal and one that organization like “The Parents Television Council” will show off as a “victory”.
THAT’S what bothers Me.
I can’t stand anyone who wants to cancel a show simply because it includes nudity and/or sexuality is “evil” or “demeaning” or “exploitative”. Sex can be those things, depending on how it’s used. But then, you can say the same for religion.
For example, I have known a lot of people who use religion to scare people into doing what they define as “right”. Marriage between homosexual people is banned, not because of anything legal, but because of the prejudice. That prejudice is justified by the religious people claiming that it is evil because their book told them it is. That, to me, is exploitative and demeaning. More so than any television show about the Playboy Club.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying all religion is exploitative or demeaning, it just that, in a case like homosexual marriage, or even trying to get this simple little show off the air, the use of religion is. Especially to people who are really religious and whom understand that their religion, morals and views do not agree with others. That makes the real majority, the ones who can accept and understand different views, even if they do not agree with them, look bad.
The Playboy industry understood that. They did not censor, in fact, part of the naked women in their magazine was a statement that even if a woman chooses to use her sexuality, it is her choice, despite what others may think of her. That’s not a popular statement nowadays, but it is still true. There are men who still use their own sexuality for their own gains. Yet, no one says boo about that.
The basic point is sex and sexuality is part of who we are as humans. You can choose not to explore it in yourself and others, you can choose to explore it to the hilt or, as most people tend to do, they explore their sex and sexuality somewhere in between. But the point is that whether you are repulsed by it or can’t resist it, it is human. And we as Americans have to right to explore it any way we can without infringing on the rights of others.
You don’t like a show? Turn off the television. You don’t like a book? Don’t buy it. You don’t like a game? Don’t play it. I don’t even mind you telling others what you think.
But don’t force others not to watch, or read, or play something because you don’t like it.
So fine, this show is taken off the air. But to these organizations who think that they are keeping “decency” alive, I have a message for you:
You failed. You did not force the show off the air. Lack of ratings did. All you really did do was point fingers at what you thought was “indecent”. But remember that when you point a finger at someone, three of your own fingers are pointing back at you.
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