What I Think Of Ridiculous Warning Labels

This morning my human found this picture going around on Facebook.  After taking a look and reading it, she began to laugh hysterically.  I went over to look and began to chuckle myself.  You see, it deals with a subject that she and I have discussed often.  The need for ridiculous warning labels on products of all types. 

For some unknown reason, people do stupid things all the time and then want to blame the maker of a product for the disastrous results.  Not once do they consider themselves responsible for their own actions.  Instead, the assign the blame and hire a lawyer who files a lawsuit.  Once the lawsuit has been filed with the clerk of the court, a judge then decides to hear the case because there is absolutely no way on Earth that person could have known not to do what they did.  Is this making sense yet?  Let me give you a few examples of some ridiculous warning labels that should NOT have been needed.

First, we have this warning label on a bottle of medicine for a dog.  Now let me ask you…how many of you are going to give your canine companion an alcoholic beverage with their medicine?  I would say not many of you.  However, somewhere someone gave their best friend an alcoholic beverage with their medicine and now this warning label has to be put on a prescription for the human who is too stupid to realize that mixing any prescription medication with alcohol is a bad idea.  If it isn’t something humans should do, it’s something you shouldn’t do to your pet. 

Second, we have this lovely little label on a glass bowl full of those decorative glass stones.  Now, why on Earth does it need a label on it telling people not to eat it?  Probably because some parent decided that it wasn’t their responsibility to watch their child and prevent said child from sticking decorative glass rocks in their mouth.  This probably resulted in the child choking and the office where this was located getting sued.  Brilliant! 

Next we have this sign letting people know their higher off the ground than they think they are.  We thought about this one and finally my human came up with what I think is a reasonable explanation as to why this sign was needed.  “Shasta, someone was probably leaning over the balcony to get a better peek at what the person in the next room was doing and just ‘forgot’ they were not on the ground floor.  Then they fell over, got hurt and sued the hotel/motel where they were.”  Ok…now my doggie head is starting to hurt.  Any moment it’s going to explode at the idea that people are too stupid to know they are high up off the ground and could get hurt if they lean too far over a balcony.  Sheesh…even dogs know that one!

And last, but certainly not least, we have this lovely little sign.  I know that canines frequently drink out of things we probably shouldn’t, but do you honestly think most of us can read well enough to stop us from drinking out of a public urinal?  C’mon.  This sign has to be the direct result of some moron deciding he couldn’t wait for the water fountain to become free and took a drink out of the urinal resulting in his getting sick.  Of course, if common sense were common, he/she would have waiting for their turn at the water fountain.

I’m sure by now you can see my point.  More often than not, warning labels are the result of some idiot doing something he/she shouldn’t have done in the first place and suing the maker or owner for not placing a sign dictating proper behavior to them.  Really people?  Grow up!  It’s time you stop blaming everyone else and take personal responsibility for your own actions.  The rest of us don’t have time to read every stinking warning label that resulted from your moronic actions!