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Richard Botto, Editor in Chief / CEO of RAZOR Magazine, has created the definitive men's magazine which features the best in men's fashion, travel, sports, autos, celebrities, technology, humor, fiction, fitness and more.
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 WRITINGS:
RICHARD BOTTO
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December / January 2005
Tempted By Temptation
Let's face it, you're
not here to see me. You aren't inside this magazine, at this very page
because I am destination reading. You're here because you were tempted.
Tempted by our Eve, the ultimate temptress, Marisa Miller. You're here
because you were drawn in, wanting to know what awaited you beyond the
cover. You were tempted and you surrendered to your wants.
That's OK. We do it every day. The lure of the forbidden is everywhere.
It draws you in like a child eyeing that just-out-of-reach cookie jar
on the top shelf - and therein lies the problem. Today, nothing is out
of reach. The fulfillment of our longings a short drive, a cell phone
call or a mouse click away. Whereas the desire to be sinful could once
be squelched by the complexities of reaching the definitive goal (the
means to an end), these days, the overwhelming accessibility to all
things sinful makes it almost a crime not to partake. The cookie jar
is at eye level and less than an arms length away at all times.
Surrendering to your temptations has never been more convenient. Feel
like placing a wager or two? Legalized gambling is no longer limited
to two states. Riverboats, Indian reservations and internet gambling
are mere minutes away. Want that bootlegged copy of the latest theatrical
release? You no longer have to trek into the nearest city and deal with
the shady guy on the corner, simply download it off the web. Looking
for the perfect mate? Why leave the house and actually speak to people?
Misrepresent yourself on a dating site and worry about the consequences,
or don't, later.
This month we make it even easier; we not only lead you to the apple,
we take a bite for you with our "21 Sins To Commit in 2005."
In "Virtually Cheating," we take a look at men and women who
follow their temptation to cheat on their spouses courtesy of the information
super-highway - probably not what Al Gore had in mind when he invented
the damn thing. Also surrendering to the supposed plethora of successful
yet still eligible men on the web, our sex columnist, Anna David (who
isn't married) speaks about being tempted and then not and then tempted
again to find the, well, average but perfect guy while sitting in the
shadows cast by the glow of her computer screen.
Finally, we get Nicholas Pileggi, whose books Wiseguy and Casino closely
follow the lives of men who lived to excess without apology, to comment
on a man who has made a living out of making films about people driven
by temptation.
From Henry Hill to Jake LaMotta to Jesus Christ Himself, no filmmaker
has captured the weakness of man, the weakness of the heart and the
mind like Martin Scorsese.
It was Oscar Wilde who said, "The only way to get rid of a temptation
is to yield to it." This compliments the words Shakespeare placed
in King Henry IV's mouth: "Commit the oldest sins the newest kind
of ways." Or perhaps Sinatra said it best when he said, and I'm
paraphrasing here, "I'd rather do the things I want to do, no matter
what the damage to myself and worry about my bill at the end of the
ride."
Who's to argue with such great minds. But if you do need a little added
incentive, feel free to borrow one of my favorite lines: Give in to
your temptations and sin a little - it's a victimless crime.
Enjoy the issue.
RICHARD J. BOTTO
Editor in Chief, CEO
www.razormagazine.com
As always, we welcome your comments via e-mail to
letters@razormagazine.com
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