The Sponge

There is a shortage of tampons in Argentina due to import restrictions.http://www.eleconomistaamerica.com.ar/actualidad-eAm-argentina/noticias/6374574/01/15/Polemica-en-Argentina-por-la-falta-de-tampones-ante-la-restriccion-de-importaciones.html#.Kku8IG0VeBJaOjC

Due to import barriers, there is a shortage of tampons in the country.http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1757920-por-las-trabas-a-las-importaciones-faltan-tampones-en-el-pais

Import clamp: when tampons will return to the country.http://fortunaweb.com.ar/2015-01-08-155485-cepo-importador-cuando-volveran-los-tampones-al-pais/

Tampons will be imported from Brazil to solve the product shortage in the country.http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1758072-tampones

These are the headlines one can read in the newspapers these days; I have only selected a few, but the news is everywhere in the media, including pro-government ones like Página12, which ran the mocking headline "Tampon, hit of the summer" http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/economia/2-263481-2015-01-08.html In this article, it says: "On the Atlantic coast, the shortage is even more noticeable. The tampons sold in the country are imported from Brazil, where companies have located their factories." In other words, following this pro-government article, one can understand that Argentina either lacks a national tampon industry or, if it exists, it is insufficient.

This would be yet another case where reality surpasses fiction. And why do I see it that way? When I read the news, I immediately remembered an episode of the TV series Seinfeld. A fabulous comedy series, which I will talk about on another occasion. The episode in question belongs to Season 7, Episode 9, which is the 119th episode of the series. It was titled "The Sponge." Date: December 7, 1995. 1995! Almost 20 years ago.

In that episode, among other situations that took place, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) walks a 25-block radius to find contraceptive sponges. When she finally reaches a pharmacy that still has some in stock, she buys a full box. Once she manages to get her hands on the last available box of this product, she puts her current boyfriend to the test to see if he is "sponge-worthy," in case she decides to use one of them when having sexual intercourse with him, due to their scarcity and the difficulties in acquiring them. The punchline comes when Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), at his new girlfriend's house and opening the closet, finds out that she has a lifetime supply of contraceptive sponges (assuming the boxes shown are all she has, there are approximately 720 sponges).

What was a laughing matter twenty years ago in the script of these comedians is today a matter of sorrow in part of Argentine society, regarding something elemental, basic, for daily use, and yet it is missing! An absent product resulting from state policies. Good thing bread isn't imported.

Returning to that episode of the series, it contained other hilarious situations. One of them involved Kramer (Michael Richards). Kramer played an eccentric character and used a lot of gestures, exaggerating all situations. In the episode, Kramer participates in the AIDS Walk and refuses to wear an AIDS ribbon in opposition to "ribbon bullies." Let's remember that in the mid-1990s, the AIDS pandemic was at its peak; a year earlier the movie Philadelphia (a film of global significance) had been released, and the series—which was a reflection of the era in a comedic way—often touched upon the issues of that moment. Hence the connection I see between the "AIDS issue" and the "contraceptive." Not only that, but the comedy touched on various aspects and on many occasions served as social criticism. It is said that Kramer's refusal to wear the AIDS ribbon was intentional, aimed at parodying a real-life controversy involving an actress named Deidre Hall, who in 1993—two years before the series episode—publicly refused to wear AIDS ribbons at public events like the Daytime Emmys.

Returning to the Seinfeld episode, the clip of the scene in question has been uploaded to YouTube, where Elaine goes from pharmacy to pharmacy looking for the sponge until she finally finds one that has the last box, and asks for three, then asks for ten, asks for more, and takes the box.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy7BotZqVy4

In this regard, it is interesting to know that a doctor of economics named Avinash Dixit wrote an economic paper referencing this episode of the series. Dixit, Avinash (2012). "An option value problem from Seinfeld".Economic Inquiry. Volume 50, Issue 2, pages 563–565, April 2012. The topic is "Option value (cost-benefit analysis)" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Option_value_(cost_benefit_analysis

During the episode in question, more comic situations occurred. The complete plots of the discussed episode can be found here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sponge

Link to the episode's page in the IMDB database:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0697783/