NROP: Press here – On how condoms became more difficult to use.

You are in the heat of the moment.

You and your partner are locked in a tight embrace.

Hands moving up and down.

Your lips glued to their lips.

In the olden days reciprocity was understood as consent. Today? Not so much.

Today, we need to obtain consent for every move we make. Some people joke that attorneys should be involved so that there is not chance for litigation at a later time.

“Stop, stop! Are you sure you want to kiss me?” – he asks.

She continues to kiss his neck.

“Seriously, stop.”

He pulls away, stands up and makes her say the words.

“Yes, I wanted to kiss you, but you have ruined the mood” – she says while putting her shoes back on.

In order to assist us with getting consent (or avoiding getting sued), an Argentinian company came up with a “consent condom“. Their tagline is: “If they don’t say yes, it means no.” How does it work? Supposedly, you need four hands to open a box containing the rubber. So far, this product is a limited edition one, available at some bars and events in Buenos Aires. It is said to roll out to the public later this year.

As you can imagine, I have an opinion about that product. However, before I go pointing out its faults, I will say this: “It is an innovative product with some good in mind. Kudos to them for trying.”

It is my belief that this product will be sought out by curious people, wanting to see how it works. When I first read about a box that requires two people to open it, I was skeptical. (Spoiler alert: I still am.) It seems like there are two buttons on four sides of the box, which need to be pressed at the same time. Maybe I could maneuver my fingers in such a way that I could open it by myself? (If anyone from Tulipan reads this and wants me to review this product as a sequel to this post, please go to my Contact page and send me a message.) Or maybe I could use other items to help hold some buttons in place while I press the others? Also, what is the box made out of? Can I not just tear it open?Another issue that I thought of was the potential of someone not having fingers, or a hand/ an arm. What then? Admittedly, my first thoughts went towards the adequacy of the design. As you can see, the product is nowhere near perfect.

Another thing is that there must be just one condom in that box. How expensive will that be? If there is so much tech packed into an otherwise cardboard box, the prices must be accordingly adjusted. And are people not complaining about the prices of rubber already?

Where will the condom fit? Do you need to have a closet full of boxes? This idea is not really space friendly.

Since this product was made in order to raise awareness about consent, let us talk about that aspect of the new item. Does it solve the problem of consent? Not really. Since people can change their minds at any time, agreeing to open a condom together does not mean that those two people will end up having mutually accepted relations. Either one of them can opt out at any time, and the other one will not be able to do anything about it. “But she opened the condom box with me” will not be an appropriate excuse. Will it be possible to force someone to open the box with you so that you would be covered in case assault charges are brought against you at a later time?

The #MeToo movement has made it its mission to ruin men. I do not negate rape. There are victims of sexual assault on many levels. However, like in any other situation, there are people who are innocent, yet they are caught up in the after effects of the tsunami. In this instance I mean men, who are worried to even look at a women, in fear of getting sued for harassment. This condom helps them a little, by adding another piece of evidence that “she wanted it”.

Unfortunately, it does not seem like this new condom protects potential victims of sexual assault. The consent condoms are not universal. There are plenty of other brands people have access to. And do rapists really care about safety and condoms in the first place? Probably not.

What do you think of this new invention?

What are your views on consent?

Stay golden,

signature5c0482f66325e1

***

Did you enjoy reading this post? Hit LIKE.
Have some thoughts on the topic? Share in the COMMENTS.
Do you regularly enjoy my blog? Be sure to FOLLOW.
Are my posts getting lost in your busy Reader? Try SUBSCRIBING.

49 thoughts on “NROP: Press here – On how condoms became more difficult to use.”

Add yours

  1. What do I think about this invention? Throw it on the garbage heap with the pile of Keurig K-cups. You already did a great job of covering the reasons why it is a dumb idea.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

        1. I can totally understand your reasoning. I’m not a coffee person, so I don’t care. But I think it’s all about convenience. You pop a cup from a box and boom, done. That’s why people go to Starbucks in the morning – because it’s easy. And then they wonder why they have no money to pay their bills.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

              1. The same idea with regular coffee pots, yes. BUT…those things are designed to brew cup sizes at a time. The average person isn’t going to spend time brewing an entire container of vinegar-water, one cup or mug at a time. Or, are the insides designed to take vinegar-water? And, on the heels of that, say you don’t want to go that route…the water reservoir, you can’t clean by hand. My stepmom had one. It always grossed me out because I couldn’t figure out how to clean it, effectively. Don’t EVEN get me started on the plastic cups. Unbleached paper filters with used coffee grounds can be consumed by worms and turned into compost.

                Liked by 1 person

                Reply

  4. I can’t see anyone believing these would work. Are these buttons large enough to pick up a clear finger print? Then do you store the box in an evidence bag forever more? Oh and don’t forget to put the date on the bag. I find it laughable.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Yup. Aside from it being a novelty item, I don’t think it will take off. That’s probably why they are distributing it through clubs, and later will sell through their website (ordering condoms in advance… hmmm…). Because they know it’s silly.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

    1. It’s funny that you say that.
      Whenever I write a post criticizing something, I get people say things like “well, at least they’re trying”. So when I started this post, I figured that I’d acknowledge them TRYING to do something. I’m not arguing whether it’s really about consent for them, or just a marketing ploy for future products.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Exactly. More caution for those that are already cautious, and nothing for those who aren’t.

      I didn’t mean to ask if there needs to be consent. I was wondering about the intricate details. Does there have to be a verbal “I want to do it”, or are actions enough?

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  9. You make a good point here, and let me put the image of someone trying to open this box with hands and feet and look at it this way – if someone does buy this box, it means they’re thinking about the other person – what their say in the matter will be.
    And, let’s not forget all the sales this product will bring to the company. it’s all about money these days.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. I agree that this “invention” is just another gimmick, but I don’t concur with your criticism of #MeToo on the grounds that it has ‘made it its mission to ruin men.’ It is ruining the men who deserve to be ruined, who’ve assaulted or raped women. You say that men are worried to even look at women now. That is the complaint of many other critics of the movement as well, who say that harmless flirting and office romances have died out because of #MeToo. Look, men, women are not stupid. We know the difference between flirting and assault. We will not sue you if you ask us whether it hurt when we fell from heaven. We will sue you if you grab our ass. As simple as that.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. If only everyone was as logical as you. In a perfect world, I’d agree with you. Unfortunately, we live in a far from perfect society. Maybe yours is different from mine. Around me, there will always be someone who tries to abuse the situation. And the #MeToo movement is no different. Careers are ruined for much less than an ass grab.
      Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. There are always two sides to a coin, since, as you rightly say, we live in an imperfect society. I agree that abusers of #MeToo do exist, but the movement has caused more good than harm. It has prompted women to come out with their stories, exposed men who have done those dastardly deeds, and has made it safer for women by sending out a warning to sexual assaulters. And in an imperfect world, the best we can expect from something is for its pros to outweigh its cons.

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

  12. Wow, impressive post, impressive comments, l started reading yesterday and arrived today 🙂

    As to the invention – well its rubbish and absurd, gimmicky? Of course it’s gimmicky – l cannot see any purpose to it, and or functionality apart from the obvious, when you eventually get it out of its box, and seriously one rubber per box? What’s that all about? Maybe the inefficiency of it all is meant to simply make you forget even thinking about sex – hell if you are that desperate you might just hump each other’s brains out anyway and forget about the boxed condom, or maybe the message is about reducing population and not about sex at all and let’s be honest perhaps there isn’t even a rubber in the box, and its whole purpose really is to see which Muppets buy a boxed single condom that requires a high IQ and four hands to open it up, never mind this complexity has probably cost you more than a packet of three in the first place?
    Stop Think Forget It!
    There’s the message, good grief whatever next.
    Good post.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing.
      Did you just call my post long? Kidding. I tend to do that often (start reading at one point, but then finish and comment later in time).

      That’s a thought! The purpose is to make us forget about sex. Isn’t our world funny? Sex is being sold everywhere, and yet we are told sex is bad. A bit of a mixed message. This is a vast topic in it of itself.
      Very curious thoughts. Thanks for sharing them with me.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Ha ha Goldie – no not the post being long – the compliment of length was to the sheer volume of comments as in l started reading them yesterday and finally got to the bottom so l could respond 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

  14. I think it’s dumb, but I don’t agree that me2 is about ruining men. Men do that to themselves when they act entitled to other people’s bodies. The condom is wasteful like so much of today’s excess packaging, and as mentioned it won’t help if someone forces you to continue if you’ve changed your mind.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  16. Pingback: The end of 2019. On my terms. 3rd edition. – One day at a time…

Hmm? What did you say? I did not hear ya.

Website Built with WordPress.com.

Up ↑

DeCatalyst❣️

Life is just a reaction...adding up a catalyst would propel the reaction

Mr. Ohh!'s Sideways View

For those of you who aren't me...and I've noticed a surprisingly large number of people who aren't.

a. e. branson

Author