Warning the obvious : an Anglo-Saxon thing??
Last weekend in London we also experienced some great examples of how the British (or should I say Anglo-Saxon world???) warn you for the most ridiculous things.
Before I could order my plate with grilled sardines I had to confirm 3 times that I wanted the sardines because there could be fishbones in it. .... DUGH I know that, I have had enough biology knowledge to know fish contains fishbones, and I have never seen sardines served as a fillet. I would be worried about my fish if it didn't contain fishbones.
The next day we saw a big sign in a buffet next to some fish as well "CHOKING HAZARD". I think they should put up such signs next to bowls of pretzels as well ...didn't George Bush choke once in a pretzel? And maybe next to chips and corn flakes and ... and ....
I also always am amazed on the signes "caution" wet floor that are spread over everywhere. I do see the point of putting that up because it is not always visible and falling on a floor can be painfull (I experienced it once in the supermarket making a nice slip over a leave of lettuce...painful and very embarrasing). But in Belgium we don't put such warnings and I truly don't think we trip that much more over wet floors? It dries very quickly and when it is still wet it usually smells very much like detergent products to warn you.
And those yellow signs...if you don't watch out you could trip over them, so maybe you need a sign that warns you that there is a warning sign coming up!? It's just a suggestion.
I also wonder what people with nuts allergies eat in the UK? On all products it is mentioned that it might contain nuts. Apperently all food processing factories in the world all process nuts as well. How do they eat if you have an allergy? They must be starving or having to start their own farm. Such a warning is not pointless or rediculous at all, I am just surprised on the amount of products that potentially could contain nuts.
The funniest and most pointless warning I saw last weekend in London: near the metro station Embankment (when coming from Trafalgar Square walking up to the Thames) , the following sign is on the sidewalk "Caution Pedestrians" . DUGH? Of course there are. It is a freaking sidewalk! Did a car ever hit a pedestrian and sued the city for not putting up a warning that the pedestrian could be there, or what?
I don't know...it sure is a great form of amuzement when visiting the US (carefull HOT on each cup of coffee...it'd better be hot or I'd complain) or the UK. It makes you wonder how stupid the population is? Is there that many law suits resulting in this overload of warnings??? I cannot find any other reason for these rediculous exaggerated warnings everywhere. The western European justice system are different and more based on laws than on precedents so we don't have a culture of law suits. That could be an explanation.
Anyway, just found today in another blog a great example of warning the obvious:
Rous Ramblings: Stating the obvious
Before I could order my plate with grilled sardines I had to confirm 3 times that I wanted the sardines because there could be fishbones in it. .... DUGH I know that, I have had enough biology knowledge to know fish contains fishbones, and I have never seen sardines served as a fillet. I would be worried about my fish if it didn't contain fishbones.
The next day we saw a big sign in a buffet next to some fish as well "CHOKING HAZARD". I think they should put up such signs next to bowls of pretzels as well ...didn't George Bush choke once in a pretzel? And maybe next to chips and corn flakes and ... and ....
I also always am amazed on the signes "caution" wet floor that are spread over everywhere. I do see the point of putting that up because it is not always visible and falling on a floor can be painfull (I experienced it once in the supermarket making a nice slip over a leave of lettuce...painful and very embarrasing). But in Belgium we don't put such warnings and I truly don't think we trip that much more over wet floors? It dries very quickly and when it is still wet it usually smells very much like detergent products to warn you.
And those yellow signs...if you don't watch out you could trip over them, so maybe you need a sign that warns you that there is a warning sign coming up!? It's just a suggestion.
I also wonder what people with nuts allergies eat in the UK? On all products it is mentioned that it might contain nuts. Apperently all food processing factories in the world all process nuts as well. How do they eat if you have an allergy? They must be starving or having to start their own farm. Such a warning is not pointless or rediculous at all, I am just surprised on the amount of products that potentially could contain nuts.
The funniest and most pointless warning I saw last weekend in London: near the metro station Embankment (when coming from Trafalgar Square walking up to the Thames) , the following sign is on the sidewalk "Caution Pedestrians" . DUGH? Of course there are. It is a freaking sidewalk! Did a car ever hit a pedestrian and sued the city for not putting up a warning that the pedestrian could be there, or what?
I don't know...it sure is a great form of amuzement when visiting the US (carefull HOT on each cup of coffee...it'd better be hot or I'd complain) or the UK. It makes you wonder how stupid the population is? Is there that many law suits resulting in this overload of warnings??? I cannot find any other reason for these rediculous exaggerated warnings everywhere. The western European justice system are different and more based on laws than on precedents so we don't have a culture of law suits. That could be an explanation.
Anyway, just found today in another blog a great example of warning the obvious:
Rous Ramblings: Stating the obvious
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