This was the challenging early Monday morning query that greeted me today on my return from the dentist. He Who Lives In My House had just spotted a headline in the Independent newspaper. This is the headline:
High-tech boxer shorts protect men’s sperm from smartphone and wifi radiation damage
New pants are a cage for your crown jewels, protecting them from the ravages of the modern world (rest of Ben Chapman’s article HERE)
It seems French entrepreneur, Arthur Menard, had become so concerned about the health of his and other men’s testicles that he set up SPARTAN, so providing a new brand of chaps’ protective undergarment.
After much research, he and his team have come up with a knicker fabric that combines cotton and silver. This, they say, “blocks more that 99% of mobile phone and wifi radiation”. The silver also “has anti-bacterial properties meaning the pants should stay odour-free.”
This is all highly commendable of course. The reproductive health of present and future generations is clearly at stake here. We cannot have a scenario wherein the human race is wiped out due to obsessive compulsive Smartphone, laptop and tablet usage. That would be too daft, wouldn’t it? Except somehow, you can see it coming can’t you – our endlessly driven pursuit of pleasure gizmos and our too small grasp of the unintended, multiplying consequences; the outcomes – like ‘fake news’, ‘fake presidents’, social media tyranny and manipulation of reality that, to my mind, truly are pants. No cotton and silver mesh to shield us from that kind of fall-out.
Tish Farrell 
I’m with you, Tish….and I HATE the expression ‘pants’
I hate the expression too – but it seemed to have its moment here 🙂
That’s what I was hoping you would say, that’s fine, then!
Oh! This time we are living in is ???? It is population control. Survival of the fit: of which there aren’t going to be any.
Just sitting here sipping my warm lemon water and shaking my head, Tish. Can’t wait to tell my husband about this. 🙂 Of course you know this means all IT guys are doomed. We’re lucky we had our two girls, I guess. 🙂
janet
Considering the threat of overpopulation the earth is under maybe a few less humans around might not be such a bad thing ?
That is one take on things, Ark 🙂
Well, I’ve done my bit for the species so I’m in the clear!
Hear, hear 😀
In the interests of equal opportunity stupidity, can someone please make similar pants to protect a woman’s ovaries?
I like that phrase ‘equal opportunity stupidity’ 🙂
😀
I used to know someone who covered their body in silver foil against unwelcome rays – but alas he was ‘up the pictures’ as the saying goes. Sperm counts are down but populations are up so perhaps these garments are surplus to requirement – ‘don’t drink the tap water’ says He Who Lives Here – those oestrogens in plastic and water supplies cannot be filtered out with or without Spartan pants.
p.s. thank you for starting the week with a hot topic
Am now holding on to a vision of trying to strain Thames oestrogen through a pair of Spartan pants. Yikes!
We had one of those in our area a decade or so ago. He wore an aluminum foil hat and declared his house to be a sovereign nation. Poor soul. I love the expression “up the pictures,” by the way.
I love a Monday morning rant, Tish 🙂 🙂
Nothing like it 🙂
……! and can you imagine how expensive would be the whole hit to be safe?
And then people wonder why people don’t trust science…it’s because corporations are just making shit up and saying science supports their claims. But why buy expensive underwear when you can just pack your pants with tin foil to go along with your tin foil hat!? lol
And I agree that this man’s world gets annoying…there is only one egg…somehow that doesn’t need protection but if the sperm count drops from 18 million to 10 million, humans will start dying out. LOL Give me a break. Women, don’t put your cell phone in your purse at uterus levels!
Lovely to hear from you, Swarn. Good to have a scientist’s eye view 🙂
I’m pretty sure that we have not quite reached the nadir of stupidity, but we are working hard to get there. I hope they charge a LOT of money for these shorts. Anyone who feels they need them should pay dearly for them. That way, not ONLY can they brag about their protected testicles, but brag about how MUCH they PAID to protect them. Stupidity on stupidity!
Very funny, Tish. Made me giggle. Typical though, isn’t it? Never mind about what the phones might be doing to their BRAINS!! Perhaps it would be more appropriate for them to wear the pants about their heads instead.
Now that is a good thought 🙂
Talk about something I’ve never thought about, this is it.
I just want to know why a man would have a smart phone anywhere near his sperm in the first place. 🙂 PS. I always have a bit of trouble with the word pants because it means trousers in the US. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Tis a problematic word ‘pants’ and its use here v. English (I think). But yes, that’s a v. pertinent question, Marie 🙂
What next??! Haha made me laugh!
LOL! 🙂
“No cotton and silver mesh to shield us from that kind of fall-out.”
Hear, hear!
Thanks for that, Lucile
All this scientific genius for these foolish things that ought to be avenued for cancer and other important matters.
I don’t know weather to laugh or cry.
Alison
Glad mine is in my purse. I don’t have to worry about reproductive issues but I think we have to be careful not to get too much radiation. I am about two feet from my computer.
I’m sure we do need to take more care re the stuff we are exposed to. In that regard there are natural hazards (e.g. granite) as well as man-made emissions. I rather wish I hadn’t thought of this 😦
I agree.
Funny. And terrifying !
I have never heard of that word Pants in this context but it is fitting here. I have an ongoing fantasy of shutting off from the world and all it’s fake news nonsense but that means shutting off from beloved WordPress. If only there was a search engine filter for fake news, quacks and fake health products
We definitely need that filter 🙂
This is so worrisome, and like Marilyn said we are surely getting there. Gosh!