Today, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon ruled against the FDA’s proposed warning labels for cigarette packs. See story here
If you don’t think smoking is terrible for your health, then you must in a) living under a rock, b) deaf, dumb and blind or c) a rock star that believes he/she is immortal .
Warning labels are meaningless to us. Jerry Seinfeld astutely pointed this out 18 years ago on episode #84 of Seinfeld, “The Wife”.
Jerry’s stand-up: Of all the places that you go all the time, the dry-cleaning relationship is one of the most bizarre. Because you keep giving each other the same thing, back and forth, over and over again. He gives it to you, you give it to him, he gives it back to you. It’s like it’s half his shirt, in a way. He has it as much as you do…you oughta go shopping with him. ‘What do you think of this shirt?’ ‘That would look good with a light starch.’ The only warning label people really respect is ‘dry-clean only.’ Y’know what I mean? Speed limits, lung cancer, cigarette warnings – your very life is at stake! People go, ‘Ah, the hell with it!’ But dry-clean only? ‘Oh, don’t put that in the wash! It’s dry-clean only! Are you crazy?!’
Maybe the FDA needs to team up with the makers of the clothing labels….
I don’t really want to see a picture of a fat person splayed across the next bag of Cheetos I buy or a diseased liver on the label around the neck of a bottle of beer.
I don’t want to have to explain to my kid why there’s a picture of rotting teeth on the package of all the candy in the store.
Maybe they should go ahead and put those labels on. I doubt it will deter people from enjoying their vices. I ignored the Do Not Walk sign today when I crossed the road to make sure I caught my train. I also texted a message to a client while driving. I’m also consuming a Maker’s Mark Manhattan despite the label warning me that consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery. Does my laptop count as machinery???
Susan Van Sciver 