Nanny state shenanigans.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

The problem with our public safety mindset is that we keep reiterating the rarity of the perceived dangers. For instance, at a zoo where they have signs like, "A DINGO WILL EAT YOUR BABY! STAY BACK!" The idiot-masses just think, "Oh that only happens one in a million times. We'll be ok..." And so they put their kid over the fence and their baby gets eaten.

Instead, we should put up safety signs that emphasize your imminent doom by taunting. Instead of "STAY BACK! YOU WILL DIE!" They should say: "Go ahead, come on, I DARE YOU." This makes the possible danger incredibly more threatening, more viable and elicits inherently defensive reactions.

Poisoned rivers should not have signs that say, "NO SWIMMING." Rather, they should say, "HELL IF WE CARE, ENJOY THE CONVULSING DEATH SYNDROME!" And so on. Being too imperious and direct simply provokes people's "That'll never happen" reflex, and as we all know, lots of people have the "That'll never happen" reflex. It's time we start communicating with the idiot masses like idiots.

Comments

[reflaxion.livejournal.com]

I rather prefer a system where the people too stupid to listen to sound advice fish themselves out of the gene pool. I'm not so sure that's actually happening, but if it is, I'm okay with it.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Nah. Those even reproduce en masse, due to that same stupidity.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

And furthermore they is often us. Denying that *everyone* does stupid things that they later think 'that was stupid!' is part of the doing stupid things.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

I know that when I ignore safety warnings, it is only because they are for stupid people, and not for people like me.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

exactly.

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]

or we should simply ban Warning Labels and let nature run its course. ;)

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

Warning Labels are nature's course.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

Indeed. And part of our advantage....

[debergerac.livejournal.com]

they have nothing to do with safety. they have to do with lawsuits.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

Probably both, but I'm a notorious dualist.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

en garde!

Oh wait.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Not doing stupid stuff ain't no fun.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Triple negative = no.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

It is our genes that is doing it though. A healthy denial is part and parcel of our every day life. We get into rolling death traps, fly in soaring death machines, live next to poison-belching plants and walk the streets with teenaged drivers. We have to deceive ourselves just to live.

You tell someone; "The tiger will eat you." and they will immediately say, "No it won't."

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

No, I'd say, "What tiger?"

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

I don't think I said anything about not wanting cars or planes or electricity.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

Because when people die on the road, the people involved don't say, "Oh well, them's the risks!" No, they say, "I AM SHOCKED AND APPALLED AND HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?! GODDAMN YOU GOD! GODDAMN YOURSELF!"

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

I agree that a healthy dose of denial is prudent and honest.

[penguin42.livejournal.com]

full awareness of risk would likely lead one to sitting motionless in the center of an empty room.

Which is why it makes it so annoying that people use incremental risk arguments to justify hugely inconvenient restrictions on how they live.

Personally, I think a good standard is: if something isn't riskier than driving my normal commute every day, ignore it.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

Well, actually, as for non-fatal accidents, your probability is way up to a significant percentage bordering on "certainly".

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

Maybe. Also that "these things happen to other people". I agree that people are aware of the risks, it's just that these risks always happen to other people.

[torpidai.livejournal.com]

I rather prefer a system where the people too stupid to listen to sound advice fish themselves out of the gene pool. I'm not so sure that's actually happening, but if it is, I'm okay with it.

oh you mean like the Darwin awards?


http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/ (http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/)