Fail Quote: Penn Jillette really hates “cunt” Ophelia Benson [updated]

UPDATE (07/16/12 7:13 PM ET) – Confirmed fake. Turns out it’s just another one of misogynistic fucktard Franc Hoggle’s fabrications. Consider everything below this retracted.

I really used to love Penn Jillette from his Bullshit! days, before learning about his rather glaring ethical issues. And this is perhaps the most blatant yet, in an unsourced, screencapped Facebook comment about feminist blogger Ophelia Benson:

(Disclaimer: The only source I could find for this pic was this horrible little blog, which says nothing about the comment’s authenticity. If it turns out it’s a fake, consider this whole post retracted.)

However, the sad thing is how easily conceivable it is that Jillette actually wrote something like that, given what we’ve seen from him in the past (he’s catching up to Vox Day and Bill Donohue in the number of Fail Quote entries to his name on this blog). To be honest, I don’t believe he’s got anything against women in general, and I’d fully expect him to be one of the first to hammer on anyone who tried to take away women’s civil/legal rights. But just as there are other forms of racism than parading around in white robes or excusing Jim Crow, one doesn’t need to complain about women voters or try to force them beneath veils to exhibit the exact sort of latent, ingrained sexist streak that’s rampant throughout society – and that brave women like Ophelia Benson (along with too many others to count) are creating such a disturbance by protesting.

I would very much like to see what exactly triggered this reaction from him, though I don’t suppose it would matter much, given that there is nothing that would remotely excuse this sort of disgustingly gendered attack. I’m just wondering how much lower the man will have to sink before others start losing interest in him as well.

(Interesting note: Jillette (along with Teller) is a keynote speaker at TAM 2012, which is happening as of this writing. This, along with all those classy “I’m a woman and I feel safe at TAM” shirts, is a perfect representation of the problem – and the petulant contempt exhibited towards those who dare point to it.)

(via @rhysmorgan)

Tags: Penn Jillette • misogyny • Ophelia Benson • TAM • The Amaz!ng Meeting