Protecting us from ourselves

Is it just me, or does it seem as though it's getting more and more difficult to get hurt these days? Not that I'm in favor of getting hurt, mind you, but I'm not totally opposed to a little "Darwinism" kicking in every now and again to ensure better choices from the gene pool, so to speak.


Maybe it's just me, but it seems that the opportunity to use one's own intelligence or wherewithal to avoid injury is a thing of the past. You can TRY to get hurt and not be successful!!!

The examples are numerous! On an errand this afternoon, we passed a construction site where there were numerous rods of re-bar sticking straight up in the air. I asked MDB if she knew why these rods had those little "mushroom caps" on them, but she didn't know. I told her that, once upon a time, a kid decided to sit on just such a rod and wound up impailing himself, so such rods now must be protected with the little mushroom caps to prevent some other genius from sitting on them.

Huh?

What about the clown who burned himself with coffee at McDonald's, filed a lawsuit, and went home a millionarie? Uhhh....did you not KNOW that coffee is hot?



If not, WHY NOT??????



I told MDB that I have a "get rich quick" plan; take a blind guy into McDonald's and have him spill hot coffee on himself, then sue because the warning isn't in Braille!

Foolproof!!!

The examples are all around us! Those pesky "kick out if you sneeze" ground-fault circuit interrupter plugs in bathrooms; air bags in cars; pressure sensors on garage door openers; caps on medicine bottles that require a PhD to open them, etc.

I'll grant you; a lot of what I've mentioned are improvements to keep helpless children from injuring themselves and that's a good thing, for sure!

Of course, a better thing would be for parents to watch their children so all the "fool-proof" stuff to protect them wouldn't be necessary, but that would be inconvenient, wouldn't it?

I mareveled earlier today about the disappearance of "the backhand."

You know what I'm talking about; you'd say something smart-Alec as a kid and Dad would give it to you; THE BACKHAND! Oh, it didn't hurt too long and it was usually pretty long-lasting, meaning that Dad didn't have to break it out very often, but my oh MY was it effective!!!

It seems as though "the BH" has been supplanted by "time out;"

No wonder kids are such smart-Alecs these days!

I say it's time for CPS to take a coffee break and for The BH to make a comeback!

Please, God, before it's too late!