# Reversing the Polarity **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 11, 2002, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345 "2002-08-11T01:48:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/21 "2002-08-12T19:41:22Z")
In the _Spider-Man_ newspaper strip, there was one series where the Kingpin had created a super-powerful remote-controlled robot. Spidey defeated it by flipping a switch on the remote control (the _only_ switch on the remote control, incidentally) so that when Kingpin ordered it to attack Spider-Man, it attacked Kingpin instead. Does “flipping the toggle switch” count as “reversing the polarity”? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/22 "2002-08-12T20:01:57Z")
Let me get this straight. You were reading the _Spider-Man_ newspaper strip, and _something actually happened_ in it? Whoa, man, you must have reversed the polarity on your funny pages that morning. Did Cathy skip dessert that day, too? ---
**Author:** ![SteverinoAlaReno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SteverinoAlaReno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteverinoAlaReno)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/23 "2002-08-12T20:08:28Z")
I reversed the polarity on my old VW bug, and it became a Ferrari. I then reversed the polarity on some airport baggage screeners, and got a group of polite, intelligent, and friendly people. Finally, I reversed the polarity at the Department of Motor Vehicles, and they came to _my_ house, sat around for 3 hours and finally put new registration tags on my cars. I wish I’d known about this polarity thing years ago… ---
**Author:** ![Tygr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df788c/32.png) [@Tygr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tygr)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/24 "2002-08-12T20:26:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ukulele Ike \* > \*\*Whoa, man, you must have reversed the polarity on your funny pages that morning. Did Cathy skip dessert that day, too? \*\* No. But a snowman did cut off Calvin’s head… :eek: I reversed the polarity on my Mac… [and now I can’t get anything done!](http://www.microsoft.com/windows/) ---
**Author:** ![Gartog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/22d042/32.png) [@Gartog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gartog)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/25 "2002-08-12T20:27:45Z")
I reversed the polarity of my girlfriend\* and she became a bunch of guys with beers . . . . I reversed the polarity on my cat and he started slobbering everywhere, not burying his . . you know . . . and humping my leg. I reversed the polarity on my Frank CD and ending up with a Limp digestive! ---
**Author:** ![Gartog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/22d042/32.png) [@Gartog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gartog)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/26 "2002-08-12T20:36:08Z")
- free and single. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/27 "2002-08-12T20:47:03Z")
Mike Myers has seen this done once too often as well. In the new Austin Powers movie, Foxy Cleopatra reverses the polarity of the beam that is attracting the asteroid to smash into earth by switching two giant boxes with handles. The boxes are conveniently labeled Polarity - Positive and Negative\*. The result is not to push the asteroid away but to blow it up. Right at the last second, too. Imagine that. \*Or something like that. OK, so I may have a detail or two wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/28 "2002-08-12T20:48:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by slortar \* > \*\*This thread reminds me of the opening scene from **Slave Girls From Beyond Infinity** where the girls escape by “reversing the polarity of their handcuffs.” \*\* Ah, interesting; I missed that bit. They weren’t naked, so I skipped through the scene. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2002, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/29 "2002-08-13T02:32:35Z")
I reversed the polarity on my desk lamp by pulling out the plug and putting the plug back in upside-down. Now the light bulb emits ANTI-photons! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Chavardz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@Chavardz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chavardz)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2002, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/30 "2002-08-13T04:58:55Z")
I reversed the polarity on my black & White TV and got color cable. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2002, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/31 "2002-08-13T06:13:07Z")
I am a man who reversed the plan on the canal that is panama, but it came out exactly the same. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2002, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/32 "2002-08-13T06:38:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Baldwin \* > \*\*I knew a girl who reversed the polarity on her vibrator, and she had anti-orgasms. \*\* So she got tense and grumpy? Ick, that’s not a vibrator. That’s a menstrotron[sup]TM[/sup]. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2002, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/33 "2002-08-13T06:56:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wolfian \* > \*\*So she got tense and grumpy? Ick, that’s not a vibrator. That’s a menstrotron[sup]TM[/sup]. \*\* Aaah, so if I reverse the polarity on my wife when she has cramps period, she’ll have an orgasm? Excellent. ---
**Author:** ![albatross37](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@albatross37](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/albatross37)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2002, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/34 "2002-08-13T07:45:19Z")
there was a hole in the condom, the spermicide didn’t work, the IUD malfuncitoned, the diaphram sprung a leak and one little squiggly fella got by to the majestic egg. the odds were in our favor, but i would like to reverse the polarity on that situation. if you’re out there, spock, help me please! 😉 m ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2002, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/35 "2002-08-13T14:05:11Z")
I aimed reserve polarity at myself, and got a fat, old, conservation, famous, anti-feminist pro-gun deaf guy. Hello, Rush. ---
**Author:** ![jmalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8edcca/32.png) [@jmalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmalin)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2002, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/36 "2002-08-13T14:16:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Yllaria \* > **This is like saying that you can turn around the batteries and your flashlight and throw a cone of darkness.** No, no, no you’ve got it all wrong! Do this and a beam of light shoots out the other end of your flashlight! Unfortunately the end cap is in the way so you can never see it. But trust me, it’s there. If you unscrew the end cap _really fast_ you might be able to test this…:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![fgarriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c6cbf5/32.png) [@fgarriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fgarriel)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2002, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/37 "2002-08-13T14:20:12Z")
I reversed the polarity of the magnetic strip on my credit card, and got paid with interest every time I used it. ---
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2002, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/38 "2002-08-13T17:07:29Z")
I reversed the polarity on my Bible and suddenly it was filled with contradictions! No, wait a minute… ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2002, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/39 "2002-08-13T17:11:12Z")
I reversed the polarity on Everquest and made friends ---
**Author:** ![emmerel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8797f3/32.png) [@emmerel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmerel)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2002, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345/40 "2002-08-13T17:14:07Z")
Reverse the polarity of your record player and hear the country/western singer get his house back, get his wife back, get his dog back, … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reversing-the-polarity/123345.md?page=3)