Sad Obituary

Geezerjohn

Fractal Fanatic
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- And maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death,
-by his parents, Truth and Trust,
-by his wife, Discretion,
-by his daughter, Responsibility,
-and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 5 stepbrothers;
- I Know My Rights
- I Want It Now
- Someone Else Is To Blame
- I'm A Victim
- Pay me for Doing Nothing

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
 
The question is: how..?

How did such nonsense become the norm without someone in a position to influence such things saying, "Hold on a minute..."

shrug.gif
 
As much as I like this thread, the spilled coffee story is the exception. There is a documentary on that case, and the burns the woman received on her lap were not minor, but hideously awful. She had to hospitalized. They show the burns. McDonald's made the coffee, and it was their failure. McDonald's policy was dangerous to consumers.
 
True statement. The world is turning into a nut house. Claxor, only a moron puts a hot cup of coffee in their lap while driving. That is what the cup holder is for. The documentary will always try to portray them in a better light.
 
As much as I like this thread, the spilled coffee story is the exception. There is a documentary on that case, and the burns the woman received on her lap were not minor, but hideously awful. She had to hospitalized. They show the burns. McDonald's made the coffee, and it was their failure. McDonald's policy was dangerous to consumers.

Totally agree. The car didn't have cup holders (1989 prove), the car was stopped, and the coffee was too hot to consume. The problem is people just assume that she's a moron for spilling it, but had she simply drank it, she would've had horrific burning in her mouth and throat. A piping hot cup of coffee is around 175 degrees, but at the time, McDonald's policy was to serve it at 190-204 degrees. Idiocy was the cause of this lawsuit, yes, but it was not idiocy on the side of the consumer.
 
Totally agree. The car didn't have cup holders (1989 prove), the car was stopped, and the coffee was too hot to consume. The problem is people just assume that she's a moron for spilling it, but had she simply drank it, she would've had horrific burning in her mouth and throat. A piping hot cup of coffee is around 175 degrees, but at the time, McDonald's policy was to serve it at 190-204 degrees. Idiocy was the cause of this lawsuit, yes, but it was not idiocy on the side of the consumer.

I totally disagree. If this was a young child she may have been justified, but since most parents seem to busy to teach their children about danger, manners, respect for common sense principals etc.... she may have had an excuse.

We are responsible!!! If I buy a lighter and catch myself on fire, am I justified to sue Bic? They don't put a warning on the label against this!! What a careless company?

We have become a nation of blameless pussies.... suck it up Nancy and be an adult, the world will be a better place!!!!!!
 
I totally disagree. If this was a young child she may have been justified, but since most parents seem to busy to teach their children about danger, manners, respect for common sense principals etc.... she may have had an excuse.

We are responsible!!! If I buy a lighter and catch myself on fire, am I justified to sue Bic? They don't put a warning on the label against this!! What a careless company?

We have become a nation of blameless pussies.... suck it up Nancy and be an adult, the world will be a better place!!!!!!

I agree with taking responsibility for ones actions. That's precisely why McDonald's was held accountable.

If you bought a butane lighter and it was instead filled with acetylene, which then exploded in your hand as soon as you flicked it, then yes, the company would be responsible.

If you bought a gun and said gun had a faulty safety, which caused it to misfire and you shot yourself in the leg, the company would be liable.

If you pay for a cup of hot, but drinkable coffee and they instead give you a cup so hot that it causes 3rd degree burns upon touching your skin, the company is liable.

It's very easy to hear "old lady spilled a cup of coffee and got millions" and instantly judge her as irresponsible, but if you read the facts of the case it was absolutely irresponsible to serve the cup to her at that temperature. Had she took a sip, it wouldn't have been a little "oh, that's hot". It would have BLISTERED HER LIPS. Would you still think it was her fault had that been the case?

The bottom line is this: if you give a customer a dangerous item and they are injured, you are liable. Doubly so if you hand them an item that is usually safe to drink, but is instead almost boiling. To the best of her knowledge, the coffee is hot and spilling it would hurt. The coffee didn't hurt. It caused enough damage to require skin grafts.
 
This will change your mind:
This is an actual picture of the wounds caused by the hot coffee spilling in the lady's lap. She only sued for medical costs, but the jury found such huge negligence by mcdonalds that they awarded punitive damages in the millions to get McDonald's to change their practices. McDonald's had many other reports of injuries caused by the coffee being too hot. The judge later reduced the award (if I remember correctly) to around 150k. This case has been used to sway public opinion against the US jury system and has caused most big corporations to require employees and consumers to accept arbitration that almost never favors the consumer. It is an important thing to look into.
 

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This will change your mind:
This is an actual picture of the wounds caused by the hot coffee spilling in the lady's lap. She only sued for medical costs, but the jury found such huge negligence by mcdonalds that they awarded punitive damages in the millions to get McDonald's to change their practices. McDonald's had many other reports of injuries caused by the coffee being too hot. The judge later reduced the award (if I remember correctly) to around 150k. This case has been used to sway public opinion against the US jury system and has caused most big corporations to require employees and consumers to accept arbitration that almost never favors the consumer. It is an important thing to look into.
Errrghh... what the heck is with her legs? I don't mean the burns, I mean the legs in general... does she actually have ANY body fat on her? That's just disgusting!


... reminds me: add anorexia and the twisted sense of modern beauty to the list of common sense's death.
 
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