A few years ago, many people were made ill when they followed a suggestion made on social media. People were directed to eat Tide Laundry detergent pods. Why anyone would want to do this I am not sure. Laundry detergent contains harsh chemicals which help dissolve dirt and other stains from laundry. Why anyone would thing that they should swallow such a thing as part of a social media dare is beyond me? Imagine what those chemicals do to a persons stomach. AFter several people being made ill from accepting this dare, Tide was left with no option but to put a warning label on their bottles of detergent and their television commercials stating that their product was not fit for human consumption. Even though no one in their right mind would swallow a plastic package full of washing soap, people seemed to need this warning.
A number of years ago there was a story in the newspaper about a woman who had been awarded a large sum of money in a lawsuit. The woman had bought a coffee at McDonalds. She accidentally spilled the coffee on herself, and was scalded quite badly. As a result of losing the lawsuit, McDonalds had to put a warning label on their coffee stating that the coffee was hot. That seems so strange to me. Who would have thought that a beverage made from boiling water might be hot?
Warnings. You see them everywhere these days. For years, smokers have been warned about the dangers of smoking. Commercials warn us about the dangers of drinking and driving. These seem to be common sense warnings to me. Smoking is dangerous.Impaired drivers are not safe on the roads. Certain video games warn that their games involve violence. This warning almost makes sense to me. Games which involve shooting others or rape or robbery are violent. Many movies and some television shows are graphically violent or have sexual content and thus deserve to be flagged.
Too many times though, there are warnings that don't need to be there. I like to watch old movies and re-runs on TV. Sometimes a warning is placed on a movie and you wonder why. One re-run I like to watch is that of Frasier. And during each commercial break we here the warning that this program may contain coarse language. For the life of me, I can't think of any coarse language on any episode of the show. Yet three or four times an episode I am warned to "cover my ears".
Some warnings are very important. Right now warnings to cover your face with a mask and practise social distancing save lives. Commercials that warn about getting high and driving also save lives. We need to hear those warnings. Warnings against ultra violent movies or video games do effect my buying choices. However, these important messages are diminished when other needless warnings are given. A friend recently sent me a collection of these needless warnings. Things like "Caution! Fire is hot." Another sign above a bin of peanuts saying that items in this bin contain peanuts. Another sign at a swimming pool warning people not to breathe under the water. These needless warnings diminish the important warnings that we do need. Yes there will always be those few who will be surprised that the fire is hot, but I think those people do not heed warnings anyways. Blessings.
