It bothers me just a little how litigious American society has become. An effect of this is the warning labels that we see on so many products. Some of these serve a genuine purpose, but many of them are simply companies covering their backsides. I can’t blame them for protecting themselves; I just wish they didn’t have to.
For each of the outrageous safety warnings you see on a product you have to wonder what moron prompted the need for said warning. “Do not drink” on a bottle of liquid drain cleaner. “Contents may be hot” on a cup of coffee. “Not for use on lakes” on a can of counter cleaner.
Long ago, while lunching at a McDonalds, I spotted a can of cleaner that an employee had left out near my table. Reading the warning label revealed the expected suggestions that you not use the product on eyes, or drink it, etc. But at the end of the list was “Not for use on lakes.” I can’t even being to understand how the producers of this product felt that warning was necessary.
Another place you see excessive (although in many cases necessary) warnings are with drugs. Never mind the issue that drug companies are over-advertising their products and that such a practice can (and I think has) lead to an over-dosed culture. My favorite example of this was a sleep aid with the side effect “May cause drowsiness.” How freakin’ ridiculous is that.