As a technologist I go crazy about the warning labels and judicial rulings that attempt to say that one doesn't need common sense or any kind of knowledge to live these days.
- Ladders have warning labels not to use them on ice or you could fall.
- Lawnmowers warn you that if you pull the starting cord enough and have a heart condition, you could get a heart attack.
- Hair dryers warn you not to use them while sleeping.
- Clothes irons tell not to use them on the clothes that you are wearing.
- A syrup of ipecac bottle had the caution: May cause vomiting.
These in and of themselves are not bad, but each represent a successful lawsuit against the manufacturer for not explicitly telling the user that they should not do something that common sense would tell them not to do.
Have you seen crazy warning labels? I'd love to hear about them.
