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Thu 15 Apr, 2004 04:33 am
Quote:Don Deixel is one of those people who always have to be reading something and who want to read everything. If it's in print, he hates to pass it by. If the paper hasn't been delivered, he'll reread the cereal box over breakfast; at a museum, he'll spend more time reading the descriptions than looking at the paintings.
Standing (somewhat idly) in the men's room of his fitness center recently, he had a moment with nothing to read but the inspirational poster on the wall in front of him - but, alas, it bore only one lonely word.
Happily, he noticed a sticker on the lower corner of the frame, which in very small print assured him that the advertising company took no responsibility for, did not exert any control over and made no representations about the information contained in this advertisement. The products and information in this advertisement were not intended to replace professional medical advice or treatment. The information in this advertisement was not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
The apparently controversial advice contained in the poster's one word was: Breathe.
I loved reading the above from the NYT's Dear Diary, but this kind of nannying of America sometimes gives me the willies. How about it? Are we too well warned about everything or is this a much more complex world and all the flags must be put out there for people to see, read and know?
I would suggest that a climate of litigation, combined with incredible awards for dubious claims have made the goys and birls in legal so paranoid. This not a political statement; this statement has not been approved by the legal department. This statement is not intended to replace the advice of a legal expert. The reader is advised to consult their preferred law dog before taking any action.
This is what worries me. Did someone actually touch a hot iron, get shampoo in their eyes, forget to open the can of soup, become horribly disfigured, sue and win a case against manufactures because they had failed to see a future customer as an idiot?
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