Keith Laws wrote:
>Without being too insulting to all you folks on the wrong side of the
>Atlantic, I never cease to be amazed at the general lack of intelligence
>that Industry and the Law over there credit you with.
>
>Even to the extent that some US products we have in the UK have "Will be
>hot when heated" written on the packet.
>
Keith:
Blame lawyers searching to make a buck pitting people against each other. In
all countries save the US if you launch a suit against someone and lose,
thier costs are automatically on you. In the US it's up to the judge. Most
judges won't impose the onorous charges of a corporation's legal department
on an individual. Add in the fact that many lawyers work on a tiny retainer
plus 50-60% of the award. Also many corporations choose to settle rather
than fight a long expensive battle in court. So for all effective purposes,
spurious law suits cost the individual very little.
These lawyers and their avaricious clients constitute what in old Europe
weree called "duellists". Those were people of some martial skill who would
insult a wealthy person publicly in order to force him into a duel he would
not win. However, an apology from the duellist could be purchased at a high
price. Better that than a sword thrust.
Anyway, the legal scene in the USA is such that user's manuals and such are
written language that is so depressingly idiotic it's unbelievable. I bought
a small appliance recently, and the mult-language manual had among its many
languages a section for "English" and another for "American". Among the
sterling advice in the American section was "Do not put the appliance in the
kitchen sink full of water when it is operating." This for a toaster!!! This
sentiment was conspicuously absent in the English, French and German (Can't
read japaneese, sorry) versions. The phrase came out as Appliance is not
submergible (presumably for washing). Different concept. The same holds
true for safety equipment on cars; my Buick manual reads like instructions
for a precocious 2-year old on advanced potty theory.
I find it unbelievable that the electric windows on my car don't have little
manual handles, in case of a fault. Two years ago, we had a man and woman
slip on some ice in their car and slide into a canal. The electric system
shorted out. i.e. no electric windows. Horrified passersby watched as the
two pounded franctically on the rear windo as the car sank. They drowned.
Yes, yess they could have waited until the car filled then pushed the doors.
However, I guess something went wrong. They probably asphyxiated before the
pressure differential had lowered enough.
By the way the US has over 1 million lawyers. I assume that they will
resist any effort to reform the system as it would cut their income
dramatically. Anyway, enough said on an irritating subject.
Mark Hooper
hooper@alex.com
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