I've never thought about this...

Marina Hyde on "warnings:"

Guardian


She does have a point. I like this bit particularly well:

"...there is so much unsolicited advice on how we should be making other people's journeys more pleasant that our own journey somehow feels much more uniquely unpleasant than it ever was before."

That's true. Regardless of an evidence to the contrary, I am of sound mind. Therefore:

• I do not need signs on the freeway telling me "Don't Enter - Wrong Way." No shit, Sherlock! Anybody who purposefully drives into oncoming traffic for whatever reason should be taken out and shot. Summarily.
• I do not need signs in public lavatories informing me that hands must be washed. Good heavens, of course they need to be washed.
• I also do not need signs in public lavatories advising me to not flush feminine care products. Really?
• The warnings printed on frozen food containers just infuriate me, too. "Cook before eating." Isn't that obvious? What kind of idiot eats frozen pizza or cold, raw fish sticks?
• "Not a beverage. Do not drink." It's dishwashing liquid, you know. Sounds just yummy.
• "Caution: Contents may be hot." I certainly hope my coffee is hot. I didn't order iced coffee, now, did I?
• Alcohol is flammable, right? Lest we forget: "CAUTION: CONTENTS FLAMMABLE." Sure, I intended to light up while spraying my hair.
• "WARNING: For External Use Only." Anyone who has ever taken a good look at, or smelled, Absorbine Jr. isn't likely to drink that stuff. Maybe a small child but it would seem that some people can't be trusted to keep bad things out of children's reach.
• From the pull-off top on a soup can: "WARNING: edges may be sharp." That's beating a dead horse, too. Anyone who has ever opened a can knows those edges are sharp. If I am stupid enough to intentionally run my finger or other parts of my anatomy around the top of an opened can, I deserve whatever pain I inflict on myself.
• Last escalator I saw had a sign that stated something Like "WARNING: these stairs move1" I don't remember exactly what it said but, gee, who hadn't noticed the steps are going up or down?
• As for the "Electrocution hazard" warnings on electrical appliances? Anyone over the age of 6 or so who plugs an appliance in and the dunks it in water shouldn't be let out without a keeper.
• What are propane torches used for? They make fire, right? Warning of "Flammable Gas: Explosion hazard" probably are vital so people don't mistake them for logs and toss them on a campfire.*
  

Since when did we need the government to look over our shoulders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the rest of our lives? Do we really need red-light cameras to be able to arrest the occasional rat-fink who runs a red light?

* I concede that this might be a good warning to have and probably the only one on the list that really is necessary.