Ross Douthat, Bloggingheads, and Condoms

...because those three things just naturally go together.

I like to indulge in some Bloggingheads on the few days at work at the library when I get to work at the computer that has internet. Robert Wright initially brought me there, but I was thoroughly entertained when I discovered this conversation involving Ross Douthat about "red" and "blue" families. I have a soft spot for conservative New York Times columnists. While the entire diavlog is worth a listen, I laughed in my cubicle when (around 5:15, should you care to hear for yourself), Douthat noted that great "controversy" recently ensued when the Washington, D.C. Department of Health "bowed to pressure in its condom distribution program and it started distributing larger Magnum condoms" because "people said they didn't want to use...Durex, and nobody really wants to use Durex, you know,it's not...Trojan is really the brand name, and people really want the Trojan Magnums."

Indeed, this is true, The Washington Post reports:

"High school students and college-age adults have been complaining to District officials that the free condoms the city has been offering are not of good enough quality and are too small...So D.C. officials have decided to stock up on Trojan condoms, including the company's super-size Magnum variety..."

Of course, as health officials and consumer advocates note,

"...in terms of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, there's no difference between Trojans and the less-expensive Durex condoms that the city is offering... But because Trojans are considered the better-known brand, city officials say, they are willing to spend an extra few thousand dollars a year to try to persuade sexually active teenagers to practice safer sex."

Luckily,

"the Durex condoms will still be offered."

In addition, Michael Kharfen, of the city's HIV/AIDS administration, notes:

"The gold package [of the Magnum condom] certainly has a little bit of the bling quality."

::::Warning: the following paragraph contains some personal information and opinions. Mom, I know you're the only one who reads this. Proceed at your own discretion::::

This is all great news (isn't it?), but I can assure you, both from experience as a peer sexual health educator in college, where we did condom demonstrations with baseball bats, and from, um, personal experience, no one really needs a Magnum condom. Besides, I've always found Durex to be far superior to Trojans. However, my friend Ben recently informed me that " the Japanese have it figured out pretty well with the Crown brand," which I was not formerly aware of. Ben says "they get good reviews. clearly an important thing to be to able to read reviews for. yay internet." Indeed, upon further research, they do get consistently favorable reviews on teh interwebs. Personal research to be conducted at a later date.