Regarding your “tweet” about Dominique Strauss-Kahn, his alleged sexual assault of Nafissatou Diallo, and oral sex.
You are sorry “if” someone was offended by your connection between forcing a woman into performing oral sex and instructing women to give a blow job to their partners? You know, because sexual assault and pleasing your man are close enough acts, right? That is the link you want your readers to make, right? It is all in good fun, right?
What a real apology looks like: We linked sexual violence against women to an article on getting head. Our second grade sense of humor meant that we went for a cheap and horrifying joke. We realize that men and women read our magazine to learn all kinds of things, but mostly to be entertained. Thus, the so-called joke, making associations between sexual violence and entertainment, was a failure on two counts. It was offensive and not funny. We feel deeply ashamed. Dominique Strauss-Kahn has not been tried in a court of law and therefore is innocent until proven guilty. But, at Esquire, we want to be clear: There is nothing funny about sexual assault. Forcing any one to sexually gratify another should never be used for entertainment value; because there is no entertainment value in forcing anyone to suck your dick. So, we are actually sorry we did offend people.
So here is what my actual response looks like: I want to make sure there is no ambiguity. No ifs, ands, or buts. I have been a long time subscriber. I have purchased subscriptions as gifts for others. I have loved this magazine for years. I have not always agreed with everything on your pages, but often I have been better for the journey. Not this time. Cancel my subscription. Sorry if I offended you.
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