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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters reuse a condom just once more next time they do the dirty, we'll save a collective $9.
COCKTAIL FACT
On April Fool's Day 2000, a paper reported that FL researchers had developed Viagra for hamsters, writing that guinea pigs often wonder, "I haven't had sex for months. Am I so unattractive?"
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home › tip library › Reusing Condoms
Is the third time really a charm? [April Fools' Day]
The Bite
Yes, yes, yes! Everyone knows to turn used condoms inside-out for another go, but with a quick rinse, you can save additional latex and cash by using condoms three times before chucking 'em, instead of just two. Recycling just got 33% sexier.The Benefits
- Making cents while making love. Think of all the pennies you coulda saved if you'd adopted this tip during your slutty phase in college.
- Saving the planet, one love glove at a time. According to science, if we don't start reusing condoms more frequently, we'll drive the wooly mammoth to extinction.
- Pre-lubrication. Reusing saves lube too.
Personally Speaking
Condoms can tear during rinsing even if you're careful, so be gentle. That said, we've been doing this for years, and it's resulted in only three unexpected pregnancies.Wanna Try?
- Centers for Disease Control and Planned Parenthood - y'know, just in case.
Apr 01,2008
Sponsor
All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
100 More Ways to Go Green
We've posted Radar magazine's "100 ways we're trying to go green" on one of the doors in our SF office.
I think you'll find #63 especially relevant.
-Toshio...off to respond to a million confused emails...
Biter Comments...
April Fools or not, this tip was out of the range of my sense of humor. As a counselor at an inner city Planned Parenthood, I witness the anguish misinformation causes --anguish in the form of unplanned and unwanted pregnancies, fractured families, poverty --- do you want more? The list is a long one. Sorry, but this does not tickle MY funny bone at all.
Yeah, kind of gross, if not poor taste.
Hilarious. Lighten up, people.
Anyone dumb enough to turn a condom inside out and reuse it needs to be sterilized.
Thank goodness you were just JOKING. For a moment there, I thought I would have to (sniff!) UNSUBSCRIBE....
As I was reading this I kept thinking Ew, Ew, EWWWW! I was not willing to go THIS far to save the planet. When I saw the last line I breathed a sigh of relief. Now I'm prepared for the rest of this day!
I honestly can't believe you put this out there, even as a joke. Unwanted disease and/or pregnancies aren't funny. You'd be surprised how many people will miss the last line of this "tip" and think you're being serious. I used to work at a Planned Parenthood in NJ and it's bad enough trying to get good information out there without this type of crap.
Unfortunately, some of your younger audiences may take this tip seriously. My hubby asked if all three unwanted pregnancies happened with the same condom?
I am so disappointed by today's "joke." People take your tips seriously and trust you. And you never stated clearly that this is unreliable form of birth control and offers no protection against diseases.
Even if this was a joke, it was in very poor taste. Could you really not think of any other topics to create an April Fools joke about? I'm very disappointed that I actually wasted time this morning to read this. Disgusting, poor taste, and very inappropriate.
IdealBite needs to get back to its roots--real tips that help real people. I'm surprised there wasn't a mention of getting a goat in this tip. . . .
My 22 year old single daughter is pregnant as a result of condom failure. Ha, ha - not so funny.
I didn't realize that this was an April Fools joke and was immediately outraged by today's bite. I read these bites religiously and love them...until today. REUSING CONDOMS IS NOT A LAUGHING MATTER! If I hadn't chosen to read other biters comments I would have continued to think this was serious. I wouldn't be surprised if someone took this email to heart and reused their condom the next time they "did the dirty." You should immediately retract this email, apologize to your biters and reinform them about proper condom use!
Oh my gosh! So funny! I could not believe what I was reading... I kept thinking "do people really do this?"...
Your tip about condoms is wrong and has incomplete information at the very least. I am leaving this site and not suggesting it to anyone anymore.
Serious poor taste and immature. How many people do you think got disgusted/misinformed before getting to the bottom of your email?
I was very relieved to get to the end and see that this was an April Fool's joke. The whole time I was thinking, they can't be serious. The mental image of someone trying to turn a used condom inside out - well - let's just say it was not the picture I wanted to have in my head while I ate my breakfast.
It's clear from some of the above comments that you have many readers who did not get to the end. I really do enjoy the wit and creativity with which you write these tips. Otherwise it would be so dull and serious.
I have made many changes due to ideas I've gotten from these tips. So do carry on. I seriously hope no one gets an STD or pregnancy as a result of not getting this joke.
Today's 'joke' was entirely inappropriate. As an educator in the field of sexual health I actually get this question often. I always enjoy your light hearted nature, but I think you need to understand the power that you have to influence people.
I often just glance over your e-mails and take the jist of what your saying. If someone were to glance over this one...
Freaking brilliant!
I needed that laugh! Made my day, in fact.
LOL... ya'll totally had me going, I was like WTF, people can re-use condoms!?!?! Glad I read it to the end, the greenie in me wanted it to be real!!! ha ha. I can see why people are freaked out though... but seriously ya'll this is funny as hell.
OMG - you got me! I kept reading and reading thinking 'How could they not know...??? Didn't they at least see Charlize Theron on Oprah telling teen-aged boys in Africa NOT to reuse condoms?' Then I saw the very bottom and sat with my mouth dropped open (secretly thankful I had not spouted off an email!)...FUNNY! I get the sensitivity about this but you guys aren't responsible for the 'life lessons' that some peeps are upset about...parents are.
The day was looking pretty bleak until I read this. Hilarious! Thanks for the great April Fools joke, and to those who have a problem with it, I only have one thing to say: Lighten up! lol
I thought it was pretty funny... after all, it is April Fool's Day. I think everybody just needs to lighten up a little bit!
Again with Planned Parenthood?! I realize you think you are including an informational source with regards to sex, but there are few, if any, organizations that have done more to propagate a Culture of Death (read: abortion) in America. The rest of the joke was funny, but I suggest finding a non-biased site next time.
I laughed so hard reading this e-mail I almost started crying.
Didn't think ppl would get so worked up about it, but I've gotta say you added a little humour to my day! (although maybe just sending one more e-mail so ppl know it's april's fools could't hurt :).
I've sent it off to my mom and sister and can't wait to hear their comments.
Happy April Fools!
Man, you totally got me on the SF bite for today... I was sitting there thinking "They can't be serious... They can't be..." I thought SF was supposed to be cool! haha!
Well done!
Today's tip...abso-freaking-lutley hilarious!!! Laughing out loud at work and bringing people in immediately to read it!
I thought you guys had completely gone off your rocker. He ha... very funny. Yes, I think we all as environmentalists can agree that a condom is one thing that never needs to be reused.
a) I got this "tip" at 1:06 p.m. Everyone knows April fools is over at noon. Next time, take into account time zones...
b) STD's and unwanted pregnancies are a plague on the already well-informed.
What of the not-so-brilliant who fell for this "joke" as truth and didn't read until the end? What of the unwanted children that are a result of such a joke... THEY ARE BORN TO MORONS AND IT'S PARTLY YOUR FAULT!!!
I feel lawsuits coming your way...
c) For those of us that are not complete idiots... THAT WAS WICKED HILARIOUS! HAHAHA!!!
As a high school teacher, I can tell you that young teens, especially the sexually active, can be 1. dumb 2. credulous 3. inclined to look for information they'll think they can trust through random googling. 3. inclined not to read things all the way through once they think they have an answer.
And "Can you turn condoms inside out and reuse them? is by far not the dumbest sincere question I've heard from a teen.
Whether or not this entry is funny (I wasn't especially regaled), it has the potential to do some serious damage, since it will remain on your searchable website pretty much forever. If there's a way to remove it, please do.
What, indeed, were you thinking?
april fools day goes on for at least 24 hours. im still waiting for my boyfriend to wake up and find his car "stolen". Ideal bite. very funny. i was beginning to feel that this site was a little too goody goody and i might leave. now im definitely staying. so you may have lost some with no sense of humor, but this bite will keep me biting.
Wow, its really sad to see so many people who don't understand life in general.
A failed condom, an unwanted pregnancy... and they lash out at this? Obviously these are people who don't want to take responsibility for their own actions.
Your post was hilarious and appropriate social commentary, and I think the responses here make a great point of how the majority of society has lost the concept of individual responsibility -- and turned to expecting society to provide for them.
Trusting "google" is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. P.T. Barnum was right...
IdealBite, you folks rock!
As a certified health educator, I am extremly dissapointed in your choice of topic for your April Fools joke. Reusing condoms, and especially rinsing them with water significantly increases the chance of tearing, which can increase the risk of catching or spreading an STI. Considering that 1 in 4 adults will have an STI in there lifetime, this is a very serious public helath issue, not something to joke about. I always appreciate Ideal Bite's humor, however, it is not funny when you place people's health at risk. I would strongly suggest that you send a follow-up tip with suggestions for safe sex, and I would be happy to contribute material for that tip.
Well, I thought it was funny. :)
It only took me a few seconds to realize this was an April Fool's Day joke. That said, it's in very poor taste, and even if it were easy to find an explanation that this is a joke (the only explanation being these replies), it's still in very poor taste. Surely there is another joke that could have been made?
Personally, I think all this April Fool's Day stuff is stupid. Almost all "jokes" I encounter either fall pathetically flat, are in poor taste, or is only funny to the "prankster." Please, in the future either have someone who is funny write your April 1st tip or just ditch it altogether and act like adults.
WHAT? Are you guys kidding? first of all there is no way to adequately clean a condom by just washing it to prevent the spread of HIV, and other STDs.Second of all condoms are made for one time use----Read the package instructions. from an RN who is also living with HIV/AIDS, putting this on your page is not just irresponsible, it's dangerous!!!
When you communicate with so many people you don't know, you have to think about the foolest person, the youngest, the one who doesn't fully understand the language... all the possible readers. They could read this, and it's your responsibility not to confuse them.
And diseases and unwanted pregnancy are not individual problems. The entire society pays for it.
Seriously. I agree with all the workers who are ahgast. I have several younger sisters in their late teens for whom JUST MENTIONING this idea would lead them to consider it one day. Just planting the idea does damage, and negation may only serve to emphasize the fact, and not the context, in people's minds. Negating it with a blithe "April Fools, Biters!... we'll be sorting through all the hate mail from readers that didn't get this far" offends me even more because you KNEW this would be a bad idea. This is the best one you could come up with? Shame on Ideal Bite for spreading the very idea of rinsing condoms. And shame on Ideal Bite for having such limited creativity.
That is by far the most HORRIBLE recycling thing a person could do. By turning it inside out, you've just undone all the work a condom is supposed to do. You've just infected the person with whatever you were trying to protect them with and you risk pregnancy. Recycling doesn't mean we go backwards in technology's purpose. Throw this one out! NOW! What are you people thinking!
come on, people. if you didn't get it when you read the "we'll drive the wooly mammoth to extinction" part without thinking WTF...
;)
(hint: it's already extinct! doh!)
You guys really got me this time! I was in shock at this tip at first. I almost closed the page before reading the last line. It was a good April Fools joke but so many people only read half of what comes in, this could be really dangerous. Maybe something like reusing a trash bag or using an old hose for a straw or making clothes out of paper bags or something like that might have been a little better.
This was a good April Fools, I agree. But, for the people yacking about personal responsibility, lightening up, and only idiots would believe this, it is sooo obvious you have not had to deal with an accidental birth, or related problem and have no empathy for those who have.
These are TIPS - never represented or guaranteed as fact. I am astonished that so many of you are so naive. If you believe and follow every TIP you ever heard or read you would be dead…
It is not the responsibility of the media to make decisions for you. You have a choice to be gullible or to think for yourself. I feel sorry for those of you who are outraged- you must not feel empowered to question advice. Here is some advice you should follow - USE YOUR BRAIN!!
Personal responsibility isn't an option. Everyone should be responsible for himself or herself, excluding those who cannot (like children - who should be supervised not by idealbite.com or any other website, but their PARENTS). If you think turning a condom inside out is reliable birth control or STD prevention, if your children think that and end up sick or pregnant... that's reaping what you've sown, and that's life. Sorry, guys, you're on your own.
I started reading and thinking,"what a bunch of morons." Then it kept getting worse. I really thought your researchers had taken the day off. When I saw the CDC I scrolled back to the top and re-read it not wanting to believe someone was that stupid. On the second read I caught the April fools line. I forgot what today was. LMAO. Hats off to you guys!!! I haven't laughed that hard in a LONG time. I sent it to everyone I know!!!
Wow! The person who posted around 4:00
saying that these are just "tips" and to believe in them is so "naive" needs to chill out. You have some serious anger issues. Let people voice their thoughts. It is so important for the idealbite staff to hear from their readers, in instances like this, that they may have crossed the line. They are responsible for the information they are feeding to their readers. Even when they ment it as funny. It was written well though, had me thinking you were all nuts.
Wow. well my heart is still beating little faster than usual from that one! Whole time I was reading it, all I could think was NO NO NO! what a relief when I got to the end..
I'm not sure exactly where I fall on the outraged vs. amused line yet - I 100% understand why ppl are so outraged, but also think it's pretty funny that so many ppl flew off handle before reading all the way through. I do agree with the point that you should keep in mind your least... slick reader when writing these, and I'd also like to point out that personally, I don't read these tips with my full attention and had no recollection that today was April Fools Day. I would never follow "advice" like this,and wouldn't change my birth control methods without serious thought but it is scary to think that ppl may rely on this tip - and that fright should be enough to keep it from being published. Maybe putting the April Fool's line in all caps or something would help if this is kept in your archives. All that said - I did enjoy my shock and I hope you enjoy your hate mail.
i've never posted before, but i really think that this tip was inappropiate. I'm from Costa Rica and although i speak and read english very well i't really make say WTF!, i'd read it twice before putting attention to the last line. I know that each of us has to take responsability for our actions and all that, and I'm young enough to laugh of this kind of jokes, but you really could pick another topic for this day. STD's and accidental pregnacy is not something funny, is a serious matter and is a big problem all over the world, so, next time be a little more cautios, we don't really know if somebody is that stupid to belive this thing
Came home from work today and read the rest of the responses and was glad to see more people got the humor as the day wore on.
For those people so concerned about spreading misinformation, I highly doubt that it's even possible to re-use a condom. I mean, if you think about it for half a second I think you'll realize how utterly ridiculous that is.
And last but nit least for those humorless ones among us, the moment when I knew this was an April Fool's prank was when you said if 10,000 biters recycled their condoms it would save $9. Nine dollars! That's when I howled with laughter!
I had recently subscribed, but now I must unsubscribe. This tip was not funny, but was in very poor taste. Shame on you! I don't have time to waste on adolescent pranks. See ya.
This is like the 100th time that Ideal Bite has sent out a tip in "poor taste." They really don't care what the readers think because they do it over and over knowing they will get the comments.
If the "poor taste" tips weren't sent out so sporadically it might not catch so many off guard leaving a bad taste in their mouth or picture in their mind.
Maybe just so people who subscribe understand Ideal Bite a little bit more you guys should change your "sassy shade of green" tag line to "slutty shade of green"
P.S.
For some people, an email like this one is like spam.
That's right Ideal Bite...SPAM...cheap, cheesy, sex emails. You really don't have a right to put things like this in people's inbox's. It's rude.
Ha-ha. Got me. Almost. It took a couple of seconds or three, but finally a smart April Fool's. This kind of satire drives home how important it is to be safe. You are responsible! Adding the Wanna try? real links to Planned Parenthood.
This has got to be the worst tip ever. Even as a joke. How many people will read this far and how many people are you going to send in the wrong direction 'for a good laugh'?
Sex and safety is not something to play with, even as a joke.
Einstein once said: 'Only 2 things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity. And I have my doubts about the 1st one.'
Next time bear in mind that not everyone in the world is smart, kind , maybe, green, trying, but reading all the way to the fine print is not a human trait that we can pride ourselves on as a species.
I loved it. I had not even realized what day it was until I read my bite of the day. My tip-offs were the wooly mammoth, 3 pregnancys, and the links for the Center for Disease Control and Planned Parenthood.
Seriously, a person should not depend on a green site of any kind for birth control and std prevention. I wouldn´t call this a medical information site and I don´t believe anyone will come here looking for guidance on re-using condoms (and if they are, they are already in trouble...).
I thought it was a hoot. I shared it with the instruction to read it ALL to the bottom.
OH SERIOUSLY PEOPLE! ALL THIS TALK FOR NOTHING! It was a joke. Stop taking everything you read on a blog seriously.
Where are all these comments on topics that really matter, huh?
If you're intelligent enough to be reading/receiving these letters, you should be intelligent enough to laugh at a joke. It seems silly to unsubscribe because of an April fools day joke, personal or no. Perhaps just voice your opinion.
Usually Ideal Bite is a great source of humor and information, but today's tip about the animal-friendliness of kosher meat is clearly unresearched and downright naive. "Despite the humane intention and spirit of the Jewish dietary laws, there are no standards to ensure that kosher slaughter is any less cruel than conventional slaughter. In some instances, it's been shown to be much worse.
In the face of horrifically cruel and ecologically devastating factory farms and a kosher industry that has sanctioned even the most grisly abuse of animals, it's difficult to see how eating animals is compatible with Jewish values." --http://www.goveg.com/kosher.asp
Also, Kosher Parve doesn't mean it's completely vegetarian, as eggs are considered parve.
Please do a little digging before sending this kind of information out into the world.
to drew - i hate whenever someone insults planned parenthood - they help women PREVENT pregnancies and detect cancers and take care of other diseases.
also, i thought the tip was really funny, but unfortunately it is the stupid ones who are procreating and increasing their carbon footprint with more dumb kids. and yeah, i bet some dumb kid would skim it and do it (gross as it sounds). maybe a mention of plan b or something (or vitamin c! its a great abortifacant)
Carri - since everyone who gets these tips subscribes to this newsletter, they actually really do have the right to put this in all of our inboxes. We signed up for it!
Hey thanks for the great blog, I love this stuff. I don’t usually do much for Earth Day but with everyone going green these days, I thought I’d try to do my part.
I am trying to find easy, simple things I can do to help stop global warming (I don’t plan on buying a hybrid). Has anyone seen that www.EarthLab.com is promoting their Earth Day (month) challenge, with the goal to get 1 million people to take their carbon footprint test in April?... I took the test, it was easy and only took me about 2 minutes and I am planning on lowering my score with some of their tips.
I am looking for more easy fun stuff to do. If you know of any other sites worth my time let me know.
Rebecca - Actually, I signed up for a green tip newsletter, not classless jokes...
It's too bad that Ideal Bite is wasting electricity, etc. to put this kind of crap out...it kind of offsets their initial purpose.
Gave the condom thing a whirl. Worked GREAT! Thanks for the tip!
I run a corporate transport company.
Transport has a huge impact on the environment.
I wanted to introduce a product we have been using in the Smartcar Australia & Hughes Limousines fleet, the MPG Cap, a combustion cylinder treatment. We have seen huge results with savings of around 20% on fuel and the government test results show a drop of harmfull emissions by up to 75%.
www.lessfuellesspollution.com to find out how it works. At less than $2 per cap, we should be using these in our cars.
I gave $100 of this product away on Earth day.
Tip #101 - watch Discovery's Planet Green! Just launched on June 4th....lots of cool eco friendly original entertainment
I looked at the Radar Magazine tip list and could tell it was satirical at TIP NUMBER ONE. Why are people so slow-witted? I'm shocked at what a world full of simpletons I live in. No wonder Bush has managed to be in office for two terms.
And why is it that so many idealists have to be so humorless? Being liberal and progressive should mean that you DON'T have a prudish, judgmental stick up the hinder (although, hell, I guess I do, too). Clearly, few IdealBite subscribers read The Onion.
The list was funny. I enjoyed the hell out of it. Now I'm going to go download some world music for a better planet.
Thanks Caz for tip#101, you can learn a lot from watching Discovery's Planet Green.
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