The death of common sense

[Orion1967]

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.
    No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
   
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:-
    Knowing when to come in out of the rain; -
    Why the early bird gets the worm;-
    Life isn't always fair; -
    And maybe it was my fault.
   
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies, don't spend more than you can earn and adults, not children, are in charge.

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.
    Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
   
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
    It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
   
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
   
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
   
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
   
Common Sense was preceded in death,
    by his parents,Truth and Trust,
    by his wife Discretion,
    his daughter Responsibility, and
    his son, Reason.
   
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
    I Know My Rights,
    I Want It Now,
    Someone Else Is To Blame,
    I'm A Victim.
   
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

Note: This was sent to me by someone so I can't take credit for authoring it, I just found it funny and very applicable to the prevalant entitlement mentality of quite a few Americans today and thought folks might enjoy it.  Maybe it has relevance, maybe not 

[Sigz]

The whole concept of 'common sense' as it relates to political discourse is complete bullshit. If whatever you're arguing for is so obvious that you consider it's belief common, you should have no problem intelligently supporting it rather than just handwaving any questions away with "oh it's common sense".

[Ħ]

The whole concept of 'common sense' as it relates to political discourse is complete bullshit. If whatever you're arguing for is so obvious that you consider it's belief common, you should have no problem intelligently supporting it rather than just handwaving any questions away with "oh it's common sense".

[Super Dude]

What those other guys said.

[Orion1967]

The whole concept of 'common sense' as it relates to political discourse is complete bullshit. If whatever you're arguing for is so obvious that you consider it's belief common, you should have no problem intelligently supporting it rather than just handwaving any questions away with "oh it's common sense".

Maybe.

Also leave room for the concept that some things in life ARE in fact... just that simple. 

Case in point, I posted this simply to give folks a chuckle.  Some folks chuckle because we agree with it, others because they don't.  Common sense, no? 

[Super Dude]

Nothing is simple. There is no such thing as a truth that is complete and universal.

[Ħ]

Nothing is simple. There is no such thing as a truth that is complete and universal.

As you posted that I think you knew that someone would disagree with you.

I also think you knew that that someone would be me.

[Sigz]

The whole concept of 'common sense' as it relates to political discourse is complete bullshit. If whatever you're arguing for is so obvious that you consider it's belief common, you should have no problem intelligently supporting it rather than just handwaving any questions away with "oh it's common sense".

Maybe.

Also leave room for the concept that some things in life ARE in fact... just that simple. 

Sure, there are things that are that simple - hence why I said "as it relates to political discourse". You drop a bowl, it's going to fall and it might break. That's common sense.

However, arguing against gay marriage or for a specific monetary policy because it's 'common sense' is intellectually lazy, simple as that.

[Orion1967]

Nothing is simple. There is no such thing as a truth that is complete and universal.

So in your world there are no absolutes of ANY kind?   Gravity must be a bitch for you to work out then huh?

[Orion1967]

The whole concept of 'common sense' as it relates to political discourse is complete bullshit. If whatever you're arguing for is so obvious that you consider it's belief common, you should have no problem intelligently supporting it rather than just handwaving any questions away with "oh it's common sense".

Maybe.

Also leave room for the concept that some things in life ARE in fact... just that simple. 

Sure, there are things that are that simple - hence why I said "as it relates to political discourse". You drop a bowl, it's going to fall and it might break. That's common sense.

However, arguing against gay marriage or for a specific monetary policy because it's 'common sense' is intellectually lazy, simple as that.

Sure it is....  you're wrong and I'm right. Simple.  (Just kidding m8)

Actually it all depends upon your perspective.  In life there are many things that people assume are common sense items, I believe that it IS possible to completely over-analyze something.  Take Gay marraige for instance.  Personally I think that if you want to marry a dude if you are a dude, why should you not be able to enter a legal union with that person.  Personally I don't get it but to me it's common sense...  why should only heterosexual couples have to suffer? 

You may have a different viewpoint but in my mind it's common sense and I shouldnt be forced to argue my points on something that is as ridiculous a topic as that tbqh.

[Super Dude]

Morality, not general phenomena, my dear Notson (self-censored to avoid the banhammer).

[ehra]

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

People bringing this story up pisses me off so much because it's a perfect example of intentionally leaving out important details just to try to make a shitty point about how stupid everyone else in the world is. That little amount she spilled was enough to cause third degree burns.

[XJDenton]

FWD: FWD: FWD:

Nothing is simple. There is no such thing as a truth that is complete and universal.

So in your world there are no absolutes of ANY kind?   Gravity must be a bitch for you to work out then huh?

Its actually extremely difficult to work out. So yes.

[bosk1]

Nothing is simple. There is no such thing as a truth that is complete and universal.

I'm beginning to think you either recently suffered a traumatic head injury or have just decided to troll P/R for fun.

[ehra]

If it were true that nothing was completely and universally true then wouldn't that statement, in of itself, not be completely and universally true which means some things are?

[Super Dude]

If any one event can be seen by two people from the same vantage point and still be interpreted two or more ways, how do we ascertain truth? I assure you neither of your guesses are correct, bosk.

[bosk1]

How can you assure me my guesses are incorrect if there is no truth to base your assurance on?

[Super Dude]

Very funny. I give you my word that I'm not trolling, and I haven't experienced head trauma recently.

[bosk1]

Very funny.

It's not meant to be funny.  If you believe in the universal truth that there is no such thing as absolute universal truth, then you are caught in a contradiction.  The issue isn't whether there is universal truth, but whether we understand what the universal truth is.

[Super Dude]

Regardless, it boils down to the inescapable conclusion that there can never be universal truth because we'll always conflict.

[bosk1]

That isn't remotely an inescapable conclusion.

[ehra]

Regardless, it boils down to the inescapable conclusion that there can never be universal truth because we'll always conflict.

What is it with you saying there can be no universal truth then immediately claiming something as a universal truth?

[XJDenton]

Universal truth exists, humans merely have no way of establishing what it is.

[Perpetual Change]

Universal truth exists, humans merely have no way of establishing what it is.

This.

Some people know more than others, but everyone else is just pretending.

[Super Dude]

Yeah, XJ got it. A universal conception of truth cannot exist, for the reasons thus stated.

[Ħ]

Musical objectivity exists, humans merely have no way of establishing what it is.

This.

[Pirate]

I think a more accurate phrase would be "there is only one absolute" and that is "there is only one absolute"

[TL]

In the OP;
The whole 'person suing over hot coffee being hot' thing has been very misrepresented over time. The coffee in question actually was excessively hot (far beyond the temperature of a typical cup of hot coffee), and the 'huge settlement' was actually just her medical costs.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

In the OP;
The whole 'person suing over hot coffee being hot' thing has been very misrepresented over time. The coffee in question actually was excessively hot (far beyond the temperature of a typical cup of hot coffee), and the 'huge settlement' was actually just her medical costs.

I actually just read about this case for a class. It's definitely not as simple as the media has made it out to be.

[ehra]

Who needs facts when you've got smugness.

[emindead]

Nothing is simple. There is no such thing as a truth that is complete and universal.

Says the guy who just uttered an absolute.

[hefdaddy42]

In the OP;
The whole 'person suing over hot coffee being hot' thing has been very misrepresented over time. The coffee in question actually was excessively hot (far beyond the temperature of a typical cup of hot coffee), and the 'huge settlement' was actually just her medical costs.

I actually just read about this case for a class. It's definitely not as simple as the media has made it out to be.

Then complicate it explain it for me.

[Super Dude]

Nothing is simple. There is no such thing as a truth that is complete and universal.

Says the guy who just uttered an absolute.

Obviously you have not read the posts that came after that.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Some key points from the article I read which I no longer have:

- The coffee wasn't just hot. It was 185 degrees and it was supposed to be between 120 and 130 (I'm pretty sure this was violating a law).

- The lady spilled it on her lap. If it was 155 degrees, it would have done nothing, but because it was 185 degrees, it gave her permanent physical damage.

- At 185 degrees, the coffee was actually burning people's throats who drank it straight away. So, between 1982 and 1991, there were 700 cases of McDonald's coffee burning people in some way or another.

I don't think this information will sway that many people, but I think some important points to take away from this are:

1) McDonald's was not innocent in all this. They knew their coffee was dangerous for nine years and did nothing about it.

2) The media way oversimplifies things, and over time those oversimplifications stick.

[ZeppelinDT]

Some key points from the article I read which I no longer have:

- The coffee wasn't just hot. It was 185 degrees and it was supposed to be between 120 and 130 (I'm pretty sure this was violating a law).

- The lady spilled it on her lap. If it was 155 degrees, it would have done nothing, but because it was 185 degrees, it gave her permanent physical damage.

- At 185 degrees, the coffee was actually burning people's throats who drank it straight away. So, between 1982 and 1991, there were 700 cases of McDonald's coffee burning people in some way or another.

I don't think this information will sway that many people, but I think some important points to take away from this are:

1) McDonald's was not innocent in all this. They knew their coffee was dangerous for nine years and did nothing about it.

2) The media way oversimplifies things, and over time those oversimplifications stick.

I don't know that the temperature violated law, but it definitely violated internal policy and industry standards that had been set for this very reason.  And another point is that she didn't initially want to take this to court.  She asked to settle the case solely for the amount of money necessary to cover her medical fees.  But because this had happened so many times before (i.e., people burning themselves on McDonalds' unnecessarily hot coffee), McDonald's basically said "screw you, we're sick of having to pay people for this.  If you want your money, sue us".  So she did.  And she won.  As she should have.  And yeah, the jury rewarded her an absurdly high reward, as juries usually do.  And as is usually the case, the reward actually paid out was reduced significantly.  But people prefer to quote the initial amount rather than the actual amount, as that makes it seem more shocking.

This case is the perfect example of a straw man argument - people love to just distort and simplify the facts in order to argue against it so that they can get their point across without having to actually think.

edit:  Note also that it was a lot more than "a woman spilled a little coffee in her lap".  She was like a 70-year woman and the coffee was so scalding hot that, even through her pants, it gave her serious burns (3rd degree maybe?) across her entire inner thigh/groin area.