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serious question for people 70 or older


Alpo

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This would have put you in your early twenties in the early 1970s.

 

At that time, do you ever recall hearing a condom referred to as protection?

 

In the early 1970s I was in high school, and the only thing I ever heard them called was rubbers. I never even heard the term condom till sometime in the 80s.

 

There was a TV show. The Wonder Years. The show was made from the late 80s to the early 90s, but it took place from the late 60s to the early 70s.

 

One episode - it was supposedly 1972. These five friends. The parents of one of them had gone out of town for the weekend, so the others gathered at his house to play penny-ante poker. During the game Chuck confesses that he and Carla had gone all the way. Three of the other kids give all sorts of congratulations. "Way to go", "you the man", "atta boy Chuck".

 

{Call} DAMN, OTTO, WHAT SORT OF MORON WOULD NAME A KID CALL? IT'S PAUL - the extremely serious Jewish kid - says, "Well I hope you used protection".

 

In the late eighties along came AIDS, and they were explaining that the only thing that would protect you from it was wearing a condom. And to my memory, that's when people started referring to them as protection. Because when I was in high school the only reason you wore a rubber was so you didn't get your girlfriend pregnant. It was not to protect you against disease. "My girlfriend ain't got the clap." And even if she did it was just a shot of penicillin. No one needed "protection".

 

But since this "taking place in 1972" episode was actually made in 1992, this was a very common term for them.

 

Just wondering if this was an anachronistic mistake on the part of the script writer. Or if people actually called them protection back then. Although, like I said, I never heard the term.

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I'm in that age group, and heard both terms.
One of my youthful indiscretions wound me up in a court-ordered movie about wholesome looking young lads and the clap.
The actors and movie appeared to be made in the 40s, and it was quite camp.

I've slept a lot since then, but am pretty certain both terms were in use in my time and location.
Protection from the clap, protection from pregnancy.

When the cell phone introduced the "hook up" apps, the syphilis rate here in Sacramento went through the roof.
Apparently the Phonies learned the hard way, that phones don't protect you from STDs.

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7 minutes ago, bgavin said:

I'm in that age group, and heard both terms.
One of my youthful indiscretions wound me up in a court-ordered movie about wholesome looking young lads and the clap.
The actors and movie appeared to be made in the 40s, and it was quite camp.

I've slept a lot since then, but am pretty certain both terms were in use in my time and location.
Protection from the clap, protection from pregnancy.

When the cell phone introduced the "hook up" apps, the syphilis rate here in Sacramento went through the roof.
Apparently the Phonies learned the hard way, that phones don't protect you from STDs.

There is a hookup app in Iceland that warns about dating a near cousin.  ))))

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I'm 79 and we always called it a French Safe in my younger days.  Don't know where the term came from or why it was called that but. it wasn't regional as I served across Canada and it was usually referred to as a French Safe.  However, having said that, people today refer it as a condom.

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Yep.  The "protection" term long pre-dates AIDS/HIV...  think 1950's, Saturday night at the drive-in theater... "Oh, Jimmie!  Did you bring 'protection?'"  :rolleyes:

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I'm still closer to 60 than 70 but I remember reading of condoms being called "protection" in the late 1960s, and I assume that the usage goes back many years before that.  In fact,

Quote

"1918: A judge ruled that condoms can be advertised and sold to prevent diseases from spreading. Phew."

 

You could make a case from this case that the term "protection" dates to at least 1918.

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I'm 71 and back when I was in high school, ('65-'67) we called them rubbers.  It was a "badge of honor" back then to carry a packaged one in your wallet and after awhile you could see the distinct impression of it whenever your wallet was out. It let the other guys know that you were "doing it", even if you weren't.

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I remember a joke about an eastern city girl who went out west on vacation. She planned to have sex with a cowboy.

 

When she got back to the big city her friend asked her if she had followed through on her plans.

 

She told her, "God no. I was scared to. Have you ever seen the size of that condom ring in a cowboy's back pocket?"

 

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On 7/31/2021 at 10:34 AM, Buffalo Creek Law Dog said:

I'm 79 and we always called it a French Safe in my younger days.  Don't know where the term came from or why it was called that but. it wasn't regional as I served across Canada and it was usually referred to as a French Safe.  However, having said that, people today refer it as a condom.

In this case the region would be “North of the border”.

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