.Oh Those Wacky Warning Labels
January 25, 2001 - Well theyre out, as of last
week. The fourth annual Wacky Warning Labels as sponsored by the Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch,
or M-LAW. In 1997 M-LAW sponsored their first contest, which they have done every year since to
bring attention to "how lawsuits, and fear of lawsuits have prompted warnings against even
the most obvious misuses of products." And the word that we want to focus on is
"obvious." And once we show you the winners, we here at X10 are going to be doing a
contest of our own, and were giving away a $30 gift certificate.*
First place for the Wacky Warning Label from M-Law went to a Michigan man who won
five hundred dollars, and a copy of the book "the Death of Common Sense." His submission
was a warning he found on a label on a pair of shin guards made for bicyclists. That label
warned: "Shin pads cannot protect any part of the body they do not cover."
Second place went to a man who found this warning on the back of a public toilet.
The warning read, "Recycled Flush Water... Unsafe for Drinking."
Third place went to a Walla Walla, Washington resident who spotted a warning label
on a jet ski. Their warning looked like this. "Warning! Riders of personal watercraft may
suffer injury due to the forceful injection of water into body cavities either by falling into
the water or while mounting the craft."
A man in Texas won honorable mention when he found a label on an electric wood
router made for carpenters. Their label read... "This product not intended for use as a
dental drill."
"Despite the obvious humor in the wacky warning labels, the purpose of this
contest is not to make fun of those who put obvious warnings on products," Robert B. Dorigo
Jones, President of M-LAW says. "The contest was created to reveal that frivolous lawsuits
have become such a problem in our society that many companies feel common sense warnings are
necessary. When all judges become serious about throwing out frivolous lawsuits, well see
fewer wacky labels."
M-LAW describe themselves on their website as "a non-partisan coalition of
consumers, professionals, job providers, and others working to stop the lawsuit
lottery being played in the nations courts. M-LAWs supporters believe
all victims have a right to due process of law but are concerned that a growing number of
frivolous lawsuits are making a mockery of personal responsibility and piling costs on
consumers."
Past winner in their contests have been a container of underarm deodorant that
read "Caution: do not spray in eyes." Or a cardboard car sunshield that sits on the
windshield that read "Do not drive with sunshield in place." And then theres the
household iron that warns, "Never iron clothes while they are being worn."
The way some of these ads read, it would give the reader the impression that
there is a group of people out there with absolutely no common sense whatsoever. One has to
wonder just who would try to iron clothes while they were wearing them. And it stands to reason,
if youre only wearing kneepads, then thats all you can expect to be protected. And no
matter what may happen in my lifetime, I guarantee that theres no way Im going to be
drinking out of the toilet. Even if it is recycled. And Im going to keep any drill or drill
bit as far away from my mouth as possible.
But there are those out there, who, for one reason or another, dont think
things through. What ever happened to common sense? Or did we ever have it in the first place?
So we at X10 thought we might look for some other "Wacky Labels," and
we found that there are many of them. Theyre everywhere. Heres a list of our
favorites.
We found this one on a box of Kelloggs Pop-Tarts:
"Warning: Pastry Filling May Be Hot When Heated!"
Heres a warning that was attached to a Bat Man the Animated Series Armor
Set Halloween costume box.
"Warning: Please exercise caution-mask and chest plate are not protective; cape does not
enable wearer to fly."
This one was found on a hammer, of all places.
"Caution: Do not use this hammer to strike any solid object."
Heres one from a butane lighter:
"Warning: Flame may cause fire."
How about his one found on a box of Tampax Tampons:
"Remove used tampon before inserting a new one."
A warning on a baby stroller said:
"Warning: Remove child before folding baby stroller."
Who can forget the sleeping pill prescription that had this warning?
"Warning: this drug may cause sleepiness."
And the list goes on and on. So we were wondering, should we put labels on our
products? Perhaps we could put a label on the XCam2. It
would read: "Warning: not to be taken internally." Or a label on the EagleEye motion sensor, "Will not sense the motion of
the earth. In case of earthquake, duck!"
There are so many other ideas that we could use, but we were having a hard time
thinking of some. So we thought we might elicit your help. What kind of wacky label would you put
on our equipment? Well be giving away a $30 gift certificate to the person who gives us the
funniest label. So put on your funniest thinking cap, and lets hear your ideas.
Winners will be posted in the middle of February, so dont get too lost in
thought, you might not have time to find your way back.
Email your entries to xzone@x10.com
*Limit one entry per person. Employees of X10 WTI,
X10 Ltd, or X10 USA or any of their affiliates are not eligible for entry. Winning entry will
be determined by the staff at X10.com.
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