Sign of the Times

While Uncle Bubba travels the byways, traversing the various country sides, he has noticed an aggervatin’ anomaly and has expressed his disgust of a growing trend. Y’all know Uncle Bubba can get down on some dark topics and when he’s in a mood he’ll freely share it. Anyway, the growth of this trend is so evil and insidious that it may just doom us as a civilization. If you disagree with that you may agree that at the very least it is a symptom of the grave illness that our society suffers from. What is it you ask? Warning signs! Now before you through the baby out with the bathwater listen; remember when a warning sign meant something horrible might happen to you? Danger—Slippery When Wet—Icy Road—Steep Grade—Flammable, No Smoking.

The new breed of warning sign now expresses the implication of harm, but is really intended as just a precursor to a declaration absolving the property owner of culpable responsibility. Here is an example that Bubbie showed me today:



Obviously if the driver of this truck doesn’t clean it off after loading it with dirt or debris prior to driving it down any old road ahead of you, and a rock falls off and cracks your window, it’s your fault. By the way, following at 200 feet is about the length equivalent to two-thirds of a football field; not an easy feat behind a crawling rock-hauler in any town or city.

I can see how walking around your rig to quickly inspect and sweep of any potentially dangerous material might be too challenging for the average truck driver. How could anyone expect to do that every time; after all, I’m sure his job description is truck driver, not truck driver/cleaner? And of course they post this warning on there because rocks never fall off and crack windshields or chip paint. It’s just because.

Here is another:



So if the ol’ Ford is parked, waiting for the moving machinery that opens the gate to launch into gear, and the chain snaps and lands smack across the hood of Bubba’s truck, it’s his fault. You reckon if a fella were to slap a warning sign on his .45 Smith & Wesson with some duct tape and a sharpie, he could shoot whom ever he wants and he’s not responsible. Hey, just like Dick Cheney!



Uncle Bubba thinks it’s time we all grow up just a little bit and take responsibility for something, even if it’s just a little bit to start. Like the Duke says, don’t worry 'bout the mule son, just load the wagon (translation: just do your part and I'll do mine). Smile at a stranger, make a handshake count, and let the lawyers starve.