Why, oh why, must history repeat itself?

[reveal]

The only time when Caveat Venditor is the proper response to merchandise liability claims is when the good is too complicated for the buyer to easily understand, and therefore it's easy for the buyer to be swindled. Coffee is not complicated. We've had hot liquids on this planet for a while now, so her experience should have made her well acquainted. She spills boiling water on herself? I'm sorry for that, truly. But it's not McD's fault.

It's not their fault that she spilled the coffee on herself. It's not their fault that the coffee burned her. What is their fault is that the coffee was specifically kept at 185 degrees when it didn't need to be over 140. What was their fault is the customer was not warned of this hazard. I've spilled hot coffee on myself. Accidents happen. And it hurts like hell. And she has probably had the same experience. From experience she knew that she needed to be careful and to not spill it. And she knew that if she did spill it, it would hurt. But what she didn't know was that she would accidentally spill it. What she didn't know was that the coffee was kept at a temperature which most resturants do NOT keep it at; a temperature where third-degree burns would happen within 7 seconds.

I don't buy the Caveat Emptor argument on this when McDonalds kept the coffee at an extremely high temperature, which is uncommon for most resturants, and did not even put a warning on the cup (such as "Warning: Coffee kept at 180 degrees" not just "Coffee is hot" because it was hotter than normal).

By your argument, if something goes wrong with a product I am using and it is because of the neglience of the manufacturer, Caveat Emptor. If I buy a car and I get into an accident because I was travelling at a high rate of speed and tried to brake when a car cuts me off but the brakes fail because the manufacturer installed them in a faulty manner and I get into an very bad accident and am somehow injured, Caveat Emptor because I should have known not to travel at a high rate of speed even though I could logically assume that the brakes would work properly and should be no different then any other car whose brakes work properly.

 

[Psychic Warrior]

I have a real problem with violent video games, and if this serves as a wake up call to violent video game makers, then good.

Do you play D&D?

The minority should never speak for the majority. It's what makes democracy great!

 

[Klaus]

Damn those kids and their dance offs! We need to do something about competitve dancing. I blame Bollywood and their "item" girls.

Personally, I'm blaming Baz Luhrmann and Paul Mercurio.

"Love's in the air" my #$@%! Sophie Ellis Bextor was right when she called it "murder on the dance floor"!

 

[Raloc]

I remember when I was in high school. It was a small town, mostly filled with small town types. I had moved from a large city. Not long after I started attending, the school made a huge fuss about those bracelets with the spikes. They banned them on the premise that they could be used as weapons. I pointed out that anyone attempting to use one of those things as a weapon would be a moron (I used that exact phrase), considering the ceramic and metal chairs in *every* classroom would make a much more effective weapon, and that the spikes on the bracelets are DULL as hell, and couldn't possibly cause a stab wound. The chairs however, would cause serious damage in a blow to the head, since they were heavy. The leg of the chair entering someone's eye would probably kill them fairly quickly. I said the same about another item in *every* classroom in the complex, pens and pencils. I was completely dismissed.

Later they banned students wearing their hair in spikes. I didn't ask about the reasoning of THAT. However, I believe it was due to the reasoning that hair in spikes somehow equates to "devil worship."

 

[Pielorinho]

Moderator's Notes
Okay, and with the last two posts in the coffee wars, I'm gonna put the kibosh on it. I've watched this subject come up innumerable times on messageboards that explicitly allow political debates, and while I've seen threads on the subject stretch on to seven or eight pages, there's never a resolution of it.

There's good links out there now to the facts about the McDonald's coffee; while I encourage everyone to read it and think about it, please don't discuss that case further here.

Thanks!
Daniel

 

[Umbran]

The minority should never speak for the majority. It's what makes democracy great!

Well, as a practical matter, you always have a minority speaking for the majority. The minority that is comprised of elected public officials speaks for the majority that are their constituents...

However, there is some truth in saying that the minority should not speak for the majority (and vice-versa). But, the minority should speak to the majority. Frequently, with eloquence, and occasionaly some fervor. Communication is at the heart of democracy.

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

I have kids, and I buy video games and play D&D, d20 Modern, d20 Future and play paintball and other violent forms of entertainment.

That being said, I have to admit there are some games out there that "push the line" a bit as far as I've heard since I refuse to purchase any game I find questionable.

I want that said so that anyone who wishes to flame me on what great games the following ones are will think twice. I'm not saying they should be banned, but I refuse to buy them, rent them, or otherwise support them based on what I have seen and read about them.

Grand Theft Auto series seems little more than glamourizing crime. Beating up hookers? Stealing cars? Assaulting police? All with photo-realistic graphics. You can bet when law-makers look for a game to villanize, this one will be at the top of the list.

Now, there are some games that are violent, but I love. HALO-2 for example. Deus-Ex is another.

But, some people, mostly those that are mentally deficient or lack real parenting, seem to take video games too far. I actually had a nephew (who has serious problems that I won't bring up) thinks he's a G-Homey (he's white, BTW) because he plays GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas. He's let those games affect his perception of the world he lives in.

Of course, he literally lives in his mom's basement and is 23 years old, has never had a job, and is what I kindly refer to as: "Living afterbirth kept after the baby was mistakenly thrown out."

HE is the type of person that this law champions and seeks to protect, not your average person who actually deserves protection from something that would harm them.

Of course, some video game companies aren't helping with the quest to put out more and more violent games with better and better splatter effects.

And morons like my nephew should have been drowned at birth and my sister should have sold the milk.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

He's let those games affect his perception of the world he lives in.

Of course, this isn't limited to video games. This happens with movies, TV, books, anything. Remember the idiot kids trying to do the things on Jackass? Or the whole backyard wrestling in which a couple kids got killed. And of course, how could any of us forget the 80s demonizing D&D because of a select few that happened to play D&D and were screwed up anyway.

 

[Qlippoth]

I have kids, and I buy video games and play D&D, d20 Modern, d20 Future and play paintball and other violent forms of entertainment.

That being said, I have to admit there are some games out there that "push the line" a bit as far as I've heard since I refuse to purchase any game I find questionable.

I want that said so that anyone who wishes to flame me on what great games the following ones are will think twice. I'm not saying they should be banned, but I refuse to buy them, rent them, or otherwise support them based on what I have seen and read about them..

I hardly think you're being "flame-worthy" here. You're a parent who takes active steps in raising your kids (which, unfortunately, seems to be the exception to the rule in these times). People largely underestimate Voting With One's Wallet.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

I think I'd have more an issue with his portrayal of violence towards his nephew than his choice of video games......

It's like, "who needs the help now...?"