Poor kid, learned to tie his necktie from Playboy. Despite what anyone may think of the publication Playboy, I'm pretty sure most people would agree that it has slightly more than zero effect on society's quality of character. So either here were the only two people who possessed them "for the articles" or they(the Playboys) were around for another reason.
But I guess the article on tying a necktie, Wahls felt, was just as good as a father. Either that or Wahls doesn't exactly know what impact growing up as he did had on him.