Are we getting stupider?

[StealthPolarBear]

Or do manufacturers want us to think we are?
I bought 12yo ds some new socks today. A warning in red letters on the cardboard bit holding them together warns him to unroll them first so he doesn't get his toes caught 'in the loops'. These are bog standard plain grey socks.
I've just pulled a freezer bag out of the pack, the bag itself tells me solemnly I am to refer to the box it came in for use instructions. It's a freezer bag not a nuclear missile launch pad!

I have wanted almost teenage ds that I will supervise the first few puttings on of the socks until I am confident he has got the hang of it and his little tootsies are safe

I bought a cake from M&S which had “how to slice” instructions on the back, plus a link to an online video if you still didn’t grasp it.

I think it’s a consequence to the litigious ‘ambulance chasing’, “where there’s blame, there’s a claim” nature of modern society. We have to have arse covering health & safety disclaimers for everything.

Actually DD would watch that. Did it include a close up of them opening the box and oooing and aahhong followed by shrieks as they cut it open? Just her kind of thing :o

Yes, we are generally getting more stupid (or at least less common sense), which combined with fear of litigation, results in that kind of "obvious" instruction.

I bought some bedding sheets this week that felt the need to tell me I had to take them out of bag before trying to put on the bed

They'll be selling bunches of flowers with a 'This Way Up' label on them next.

Consequence OF the

Clearly I am getting stupider

Love these!

It's alright Don just have a sit down. Put your bottom on a sofa or chair, checking it for pets, small children or sharp implements first. Warning, if no chair exists DO NOT SIT ON IT.

Dunno.

Dunno

And that was before I read contessa's comment! !

Maybe you're struggling to read?
I said YOU NOT REEEEEAD

warning in red letters on the cardboard bit holding them together warns him to unroll them first so he doesn't get his toes caught 'in the loops'. These are bog standard plain grey socks.

^

Am I the only one who doesn't understand this?

I READS GOOD

The sachets of jelly mix where there are two sachets with a perforated section down the middle annoy me.

The back of one usually has a serving suggestion, ingredients list and manufacturers' details and the other one includes instructions on how to make the jelly AND AN INSTRUCTION TO USE THE OTHER SACHET FIRST IN ORDER TO RETAIN THE RECIPE.

Who forgets how to make jelly??

You laughin' at me?!

A bottle of milk labelled 'allergy information-contains milk'

I wonder sometimes. I bought a bag a few weeks ago that came with that little packet of silica in. The packaging was covered in “do not eat”, which which begs the question which fool decided it would be a god idea to eat it in the first place to warrant a warning on the packet?

I think we are, yes, and I think that technology is helping our decline in some ways, for example auto-correct meaning people don't see, notice or even know the difference between "definitely" and "defiantly" or driving aids in cars meaning people can't reverse park without sensors and cameras etc.

In the spirit of actually answering the thread, my DM and DGM once puzzled for ages over how to prepare a pre-made Christmas pudding for the table. My 10yo self helpfully pointed out the word MICROWAVABLE on the front of the packaging

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