Sure, IKEA assembling instructions will undoubtedly be referenced—albeit with lots of hair-pulling–but there is certain literature attached to the merchandise that is conveniently forgotten.
The neglected piece of information is the warning label, and contrary to much public denial, they're there for a reason.
What is it about them that makes us conveniently gloss over the fine print, even if the word 'WARNING' is in bold and all caps? Do we, as educated consumers, think our common sense is sufficient?
Curious to explore this notion, Redditor rynoman12 asked:
"What is the 'WARNING: DO NOT...' label that is ignored the most?"
The following warned against specific body contacts.
See What I Mean?
"Glitter eyeshadow usually has a 'Warning: Do not use in the immediate eye area' and can cause damage to your corneas (even send you to the ER if you can't get it out) if even a particle gets in your eye."
Hear Me Out
"Do not insert inside the ear canal."
"Okay but why does my ear have a gspot then?"
– Cannanda
Screw Labels
"In my case would be like 'warning, do not wash/Gentle cycle/Hand wash...' and other shirts labels because I hate the feeling of that square thingy on my neck and first thing I do when I buy a shirt is ripping it off."
– V02D
Careful the things you ingest.
Toxic Chemicals
"WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer, are known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm."
Harmful Sip
"My sis came back to Scotland from San Fransisco a few years back with a tourist-tat coffee mug for me. Bloody thing said on the bottom that there was a chance I'd get cancer if I drank from it.
That's Just Nuts
"The warning on a 100% pure peanuts bag that it MAY contains peanuts."
"Lucky i always get a peanuts bag with peanuts."
Bad Combo
"Don't drink alcohol with medication."
"I swear everyone I know seems to just ignore that one or just not read the warnings or interactions with their medication in general."
These are warnings specifically aimed towards the safety of children.
Questionable Caveat
"That stupid warning on nerf guns that tells you not to shoot them at people."
"Uh, okay, sure."
"I think it says 'Do not shoot directly at the face', probably because if it hits an eye, the damage may be serious."
– ACA2000
Half-Baked Warning
"Eat raw cookie dough. Better to die hunched over the toilet from salmonella poisoning than live on my knees."
Gotta Bounce Solo
"The warning on every trampoline ever that says to only allow one person on the trampoline at a time."
"Part of my job is actually to write these types of warnings and precautions (I'm a technical writer - I don't decide what the warnings are, lawyers do that, but once they know what warnings they want, I work with them to make sure it's worded clearly and concisely)."
"Anyway, my company used to do trampolines, and my boss remarked on how he has never known anyone to follow that precaution, and that in fact, if you were ever to see a kid jumping by themselves on a trampoline, you'd probably think, 'Oh how sad - that poor child has no friends!'"
You would think most of us have common sense, and that the warning label is on a product just in case.
But that concept was lost on these consumers.
Remember the woman who used Gorilla glue as a hairspray replacement? We all know how that worked out: a trip to a plastic surgeon.
Well, a Louisiana man thought that woman who suffered the consequences of applying the strong adhesive on her scalp was lying.
So he tried it on himself by using Gorilla glue to attach a plastic cup to his lip.
Sigh.
A person's charm can be deceiving since we're all trying to make a good first impression on one another.
But sometimes, the intense adoration you have for someone can prevent you from seeing who they really are. Hopefully, the person you commit to is not the kind of person who manipulates and abuses you.
Curious to hear about the clues indicating someone may not be who you think they are, Redditor HotfoxK asked:
"What are early signs of an abusive partner?"
Conversation is key to successful relationships. But these kinds of conversations are not the ones you should be having with someone you want to settle down with.
Gaslighting
"Somehow, everything is always your fault and never theirs, and they'll beat you so much with their version of the truth, you start to believe it. They will belittle your argument or dismiss it."
Refusing To Take Responsibility
"Look what you made me do."
– gor8884
"Oof this brought back bad memories. My ex would break all the things in his house and hit himself then blame me for it cos I wanted to break up with him."
No Discussion
"If you cant have a mature conversation about the relationship and what you feel you need without being told you are actually the manipulative one run because they will try to tell you that you are manipulative to manipulate you into never saying your opinion."
Don't Break Up, Or Else
"Threatening to breakup with you after every argument."
"Worse yet - threatening suicide if you break up with them."
Weary Accusations
"And when you get tired of their bs, they start accusing you of cheating/not loving them anymore. It's truly exhausting and it really messes with your head."
Removing Boundaries
"They make you start thinking your boundaries or walls are meant to come down for them - not for you."
Window Cleaners Share The Best Things They've Ever Seen | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Refusing To Apologize
"Your feelings don't matter, and no matter what happens, everything is your fault. You're trying to talk about a problem and by the end of the conversation you're the one apologizing. My ex-boyfriend never once uttered the words, 'I'm sorry' straightforwardly. If anything, it was always, 'I'm sorry you feel that way.'"
These assertive behaviors are often associated with someone who could be abusive.
Manipulation
"Not taking no for an answer and pushing boundaries - but acting like they're pushing you as a favour to you and it's for your own good."
Being A Puppet
"Controlling behaviour - always assuming control, and undermining your ability to do anything yourself."
Feeling Insignificant
"When everything you do, they always make it sound like nothing important. Downgrading it, belittling, anything of the sort."
– arafille
Being Denied Of Having Options
"Near the end of my last relationship, i couldn't even pick the correct things when grocery shopping. He'd immediately pick it up out of the cart, and then start lecturing me about making sure I'd picked the cheapest option, you could've gotten this instead, put that back we'll get it somewhere else etc. As a grown woman, being lectured about my choice of chicken in the middle of a grocery store was super embarrassing."
"Now, I buy whatever the hell I want and it's amazing how liberating something so simple can feel."
"Compromise"
"The 'slow erosion of the self' is something that is hard to detect and sometimes the guise it tries to surface as is 'compromise.' Except when you look back you find you're the only one who has made compromises in the relationship."
Changes In Behavior
"If they behave badly towards the people they feel most comfortable with (parents, siblings, close friends)."
"They may be an absolute angel with you now that you're still in the beginning, but when they get comfortable with you too, they'll treat you the same."
No Remorse, Whatsoever
"When they show no pity or remorse for something they did that hurt you. Massive red flag."
Crazy Exes
"When every ex is 'Crazy.'"
"Every ex was crazy. Every boss ever was a d*ck. They didn't graduate, because of that one professor, who hated them after they corrected them on their mistake. Their siblings don't talk to them, because they're jealous of their success. They had friends once, but they were toxic and they don't need that kind of drama in their lives. They don't go to this and this and that place, because the bartenders are awful. Generally, the world is out to get them, because they are too nice."
When your friendships become less important than that of your significant other's.
Driving A Wedge
"They will find ways to separate you from friends and loved ones."
"Came here to tell this from personal experience."
"First they always insist to come along when you are going with your friends."
"Then they start sulking and make you feel miserable for bringing them along until you decide not to go."
"I look back and this is the biggest, brightest flag I missed."
"Ex-boyfriend: (talking to buddies) hey guys watch this. (Turns to me and says) go lay down."
"I left the room and went into the bedroom and laid on the bed... literally was treated like a dog."
Preventing Connections
"Make it difficult for you to meet/connect/spend time with family or friends."
A Package Deal
"I'd add to this - wanting to always come with you to see these people or showing up to places you didn't invite them to."
Of course, we should give the other person the benefit of the doubt when they do or say something off-putting.
But it's important to have mature conversations with your partner – especially towards the beginning of a relationship – if their irrational behavior persists.
If they are not willing to communicate, that's a huge red flag.
Because constantly being told what to do and not being able to see your friends are not ways to be in a loving relationship.
We can all sense danger. Let's be real. We all have that gut feeling. Nine time out of ten we ignore it. Why? There is a universal gut feeling. Nature knows things. Let's see how much...
RUNNNNNN!!!
Run Away GIFGiphy"If the animals gtfo, you should too."
"Whenever I see someone running it makes me want to run. I recently realized this might actually be a safety instinctual thing when someone else said they want to run when they see runners, too."
Parallels...
"If you are at swimming at the beach or a coastal inlet & see an unusually calm area of water, get away from it, it could be a rip tide. On that note. If you get stuck in a rip, don't swim against it, you will tire & drown, swim parallel to the coast till you swim out of the rip."
"Squirrels will sometimes watch you from a distance while making alarm calls. The sound varies by species but it's generally a sort of squawking bark. If you hear them barking, and they aren't yelling at you, then there may be something else around they think is a predator. It's worth paying attention."
Smells while hiking...
"Oh! I can answer this! If you're hiking and suddenly smell something very musky, almost reminiscent of a faint country manure, keep your freaking eyes open."
I" was hiking on the Appalachian Trail today, up in Maryland. The wind shifted and the smell changed to something like I described above. Caught me off guard, but I kept hiking. About a quarter mile later, I turned around and began to head to my car since I was already 6 miles into a 2.5 mile hike."
"Right around where the smell changed, I heard a sudden crashing sound and saw a black bear just freakin busting it's way away from the trail into the woods. I had walked past it, and then came back upon it when I turned around."
T"L;DR: if you're hiking and the ambient scent changes suddenly, you're probably close to an animal."
The Storm
Storm Hurricane GIFGiphy"Of you see waves come in to shore with a square pattern or if the tide recedes very fast, evacuate asap. It means a tsunami is coming."
Having lived in the South I always know when a storm is a comin'. That is an easy one. Which begs the question... why aren't more people prepared?
And always listen to squirrels. They know things. Shall we contine?
Flooded
Fire This Is Fine GIF by MOODMANGiphy"Surprised the flash flood sign hasn't been posted yet. If you're walking near water and if turns dirty and dirty with debris in it, get to high ground."
New Year's Eve
"If a tornado looks like it's not moving, chances are that it is either coming right at you, or it's moving away from you. Always assume it's coming towards you and seek shelter right away."
"Not sure about this one. Tornados do a lot of weird stuff. El Reno did a full 180 if I remember right. No expert here but I've lived in Missouri my whole life."
"New Year's Eve, a tornado tore down a house and the neighbor's house about 15 feet away still had its Christmas lights up. Another one jumped over our house that's on the peak of a valley and then take out a garage and barn at the base of the valley. Never try and predict what a tornado will do IMO."
Trust Yourself
"Your own senses. If you feel like something is wrong, there is a good chance it is. In your peripheral you may have seen something or gotten a vibe from someone that made your hair stand. Don't just dismiss the feeling. Our subconscious is very attuned to hostile body language in people capable of violence."
"Edit:. If you have anxiety disorder and you subconscious goes more haywire than usual, it's time to leave the situation anyway. Even if benign you are likely to have a panic attack which is not fun either. It's harder to feel the difference since your baseline anxiety is always up there, but if you feel an increase, it's a good idea to move away. You might be wrong half the time but the point is it's never worth the risk."
"Also, trusting your instincts, even if they are wrong will reduce your anxiety because you have done what your most base brain has asked you to. You will start to realize that you can soothe that anxious part of yourself because it will know it can get out of a bad situation when it happens. That control and predictably will reduce anxiety and give your senses a rest so they can be more attuned to actual danger."
When in Australia
"If a tree is hot to touch get the hell out. I don't know if this is common in other countries, but here in Australia we have what's called "widowmakers", basically eucalypt trees are extremely flammable and its possible for the tree to be on fire internally, but not visible on the outside, and can literally explode at any given moment."
Brightness...
The Original Series GIF by Star TrekGiphy"If an animal is brightly coloured and/or distinctly patterned and easy to see, that's a warning not to mess with it."
I've made a survival list. I love when I learn things from Reddit. There are hidden gems abound. Don't be ashamed, fight for your life.
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Ludwig Knows
digging self destruct GIFGiphyLudwig Boltzmann
His equations and formulas explained the physical properties of matter, but as it went against the then accepted Laws of Physics, he was ridiculed and ignored for years while fighting for atom theory to be accepted.
He took his own life just 3 years before Ernest Rutherford discovered the nucleus of an atom, proving Boltzmann's theory.
Ernie's Concern...
Hemingway, before he took his life he became extremely paranoid the FBI was following him. His wife and people around him just thought he was mentally ill and grew deeply concerned. Hemingway went as far as getting electrotherapy at a psychiatric hospital to try and help with the perceived delusions. Turns out the FBI had been following and bugging him for years according to declassified files.
No One Would Listen
Harry Markopolos spent ten years trying to convince everyone (investors, journalists, regulatory agencies, etc.) that Bernie Madoff was a fraud, based on forensic accounting. Madoff was one of the most respected names on Wall Street and despite the overwhelming evidence, no one was willing to entertain the thought he might be running a Ponzi scheme. Harry's book, No One Would Listen is a pretty great account of financial detective work and just the abject frustration of being absolutely certain you're right but no one believes you.
EDIT: If you want to see Congressman Ackerman absolutely destroy the SEC right after Markopolous's testimony, here you go.
The Drifter...
In 1912 the meteorologist Alfred Wegener described what he called continental drift, an idea that culminated fifty years later in the modern theory of plate tectonics.[40]
Wegener expanded his theory in his 1915 book The Origin of Continents and Oceans.[41] Starting from the idea (also expressed by his forerunners) that the present continents once formed a single land mass (later called Pangea), Wegener suggested that these separated and drifted apart, likening them to "icebergs" of low density granite floating on a sea of denser basalt.
[42] Supporting evidence for the idea came from the dove-tailing outlines of South America's east coast and Africa's west coast, and from the matching of the rock formations along these edges. Confirmation of their previous contiguous nature also came from the fossil plants Glossopteris and Gangamopteris, and the therapsid or mammal-like reptile Lystrosaurus, all widely distributed over South America, Africa, Antarctica, India, and Australia. The evidence for such an erstwhile joining of these continents was patent to field geologists working in the southern hemisphere. The South African Alex du Toit put together a mass of such information in his 1937 publication Our Wandering Continents, and went further than Wegener in recognising the strong links between the Gondwana fragments.
Wegener's work was initially not widely accepted, in part due to a lack of detailed evidence. The Earth might have a solid crust and mantle and a liquid core, but there seemed to be no way that portions of the crust could move around. Distinguished scientists, such as Harold Jeffreys and Charles Schuchert, were outspoken critics of continental drift.
So many have pleaded with us through science and fact. More often than not science can sound like fiction but reality is far stranger than fiction. It may seem odd that a plague is coming, or that certain aspects of the human body cause breakdowns and pain, because we don't initially understand the specifics. Sure, some truths feel too simple and others too vague, but rest assured plenty of people have known.
Dr. Fauci?
Corona Stay Home GIF by INTO ACTIONGiphyThat dude who suggested that it might be a good idea to wash your hands before performing surgery.
The Death
Semmelweis supposedly suffered a nervous breakdown and was committed to an asylum by his colleagues. He died 14 days later after being beaten by the guards, from a gangrenous wound on his right hand which might have been caused by the beating. Semmelweis's practice earned widespread acceptance only years after his death, when Louis Pasteur confirmed the germ theory.
Super Barry
For a very long time the medical community thought that stomach ulcers were caused by stress.
A doctor in Australia called Barry Marshall claimed they were wrong and that they were caused by an excess of certain bacteria, and the cure was simple antibiotics. The medical community ridiculed him and nearly ended his career. He eventually decided the only way to prove he was right was to infect himself, develop the ulcers and cure himself.
In curing himself he was proved right and won the Nobel prize for his efforts, and now stomach ulcers are very easily treatable (they previously affected 1 in 10 people).
"The Great Missoula Flood"
J Harlan Bretz
He was a geologist that in the 1920s came up with a theory about why the Dry Falls and surrounding scablands of Eastern Washington state were so sharp and abrupt, instead of smooth as should be with the general understanding of erosion. Especially since the falls have no real river to speak of to create erosion.
His theory was that a giant flood, created by an even more massive lake, ripped through the region millions of years ago, reshaping the landscape in a matter of days. He was laughed at and discredited in the geology community for almost 50 years. Until someone discovered evidence in the 1950s of an ancient and massive lake that started just north of Montana that stretched all the way to southern Utah.
The lake was believed to have been created by glacial dams (ice walls) during the last ice age. It would fill up over thousands of years and then hit a point where a glacial dam broke and the lake water would fire out the break like a water cannon, drain the lake, and reshape an entire region over several days as the water flowed toward the ocean. This happened several times.
Since the flood that carved the Dry Falls likely started from the Lake Missoula area in modern day Montana, it was named the "The Great Missoula Flood". Bretz was given an award in 1979 for his contribution to geology when he was 96 years old. He joked "All my enemies are dead, so I have no one to gloat over."
Never underestimate the people who seem like they're just spreading gossip. Within every lie, there is truth. And gossip has to be born from somewhere, it's sort of a parody of truth. And don't negate facts that seem so outlandish they can only be a masterwork of creativity. The wildest tales are never made up.
Drunk Martha
Martha Mitchell, she was the wife of Nixon's AG, John Mitchell. She was outspoken in the extreme and was one of the first to talk openly about what really happened re:Watergate. Since she was also known to love her martinis, she was widely written off as a drunk, crazy woman. Behind the scenes, a White House doctor began heavily sedating her and her husband locked her away from the press. No one believed her until Nixon resigned and the story came out. To this day, most people only remember her as that loud-mouth, Martha Mitchell.
Sherman's Truth
When the Civil War broke out, everyone on both sides thought it would be a quick victory. However Sherman kept saying it would be a bloodbath that would drag on for years. His superiors decided he was insane and sent him out west to fight Native Americans just to get rid of him.
After it all came true and they needed some better generals, they said "Maybe we should bring back that Sherman guy."
John Knows
game of thrones winter GIF by got50GiphyJohn Snow (yes, that's his name) was laughed at for believing that the multiple cholera outbreaks could be traced back to a specific source and that it was due to contaminated water. Essentially, making him one of the fathers of epidemiology. He has a fascinating life that went beyond that as well!
Mother's Know
The "dingo ate my baby!" lady. Got made fun of constantly, most notably in Seinfeld and I believe went to jail because nobody believed her. Turns out a dingo ate her baby. She is still made fun of.
Phil Knows
There was a sci-fi writer Philip K Dick who was convinced the FBI was monitoring him so he kept sending demand letters that they release his file.
His daughter was interviewed years after he passed (extras on Scanner Darkly dvd iirc):
"I heard you've actually seen your father's FBI file and it is quite large"
"Yes it's rather large, but the only thing in there are copies of his demand letters".
Radium
The Radium Girls.
When Radium had just come to the US and was being marketed on dials for war and watches, girls used their lips to fix the paintbrushes to make their numbers and dials perfect. Eventually they started suffering horrible, painful experiences due to the radium.
These girls fought for YEARS to figure out A) what was wrong with them, B) who was responsible, and C) how they were going to pay their bills/support their families.
It's a horrible injustice. These girls needed support and validation that they weren't crazy, that it WAS radium; and it took far too long and too many deaths for it to happen.
Hey Ladies...
Hey Girl Ladies GIF by Amanda Cee MediaGiphyWhen I was in Boy Scout camp we had this counselor named Don. He was kind of odd, he knew everything about trees and only really talked about trees.
We had just gotten back from a hike that Don was on with us and we were just sitting around talking and he suddenly goes "You know, they're gonna let girls into Boy Scouts soon". We were all like, "yeah okay Don". But sure enough less than 3 years later, they did it.
Mr. Burry gets it...
Michael Burry. The first guy to predict the 2008 housing market crash. He was a hedge fund manager for Scion Capital at the time and basically bet his entire funds liquidity (all the money the fund had) that there would be a crash.
No one believed him except a few other people who also bet against the market. Several of his clients sued him for tying their money up in what they considered to be a foolish bet all to have him be right in the end. He made his fund something like $1.3 billion and the value increased about 489%.
The movie the Big Short is about him and the few other people who were wise enough to bet against the market at the time. I've watched the movie like 5 times in order to try to understand exactly what happened but still don't fully get it. I recommend it to anyone who's interested
Fun fact: Michael Burry was also ahead of the curve* in the recent GameStop surge. I think he had something like 1.2 million shares of GameStop months before the price shot up (might need to fact check myself).
Rotted to the Core
Johnny Rotten said in an interview that he knew Jimmy Savile was into all kinds of "seediness". People dismissed it as typical Johnny Rotten anti establishment talk (for which he is famous). As it turned out, he was right.
Pity Me Partyboy...
Me. About my (now disowned) cousin.
He kept stealing things from me which my family felt was no big deal. But it escalated. It went from stealing candy, to my things, to cash, and after that I asked them how much longer they would support him and call me "selfish" for "not sharing." The line was finally crossed when he stole our grandmothers credit cards and her car.
She finally wrote him off.
This was AFTER he had stolen all of her jewelry, including the last present (anniversary ring) my grandfather was ever to give her.
Oh, but he tried to say that our family kicked him out because he's gay. No. None of us cared about that, it was because he's a thief.
His "friends" have bailed him out of jail and then dropped him when he steals from them.
But he claims the world is "just unfair" to him.
Now he tells his pity story and milks the "my family disowned me because I'm gay" to everyone he begs from. I learned this when he tried to do it to one of my friends.
You're Sane
Season 5 Nbc GIF by The OfficeGiphyThe ex-husband of my ex-girlfriend . Turns out he wasn't the crazy one after all. He kept trying to tell me and if I would have listened from the beginning I could have saved 4 years of my life.
Th Wardens
The people who discovered prions. All the other biologists thought they were crazy to suggest one protein could be an infectious agent. Nope those biologists were wrong and Nobel prizes were awarded.
The Tortured
The people who were tortured as a part of MK Ultra. Imagine trying to convince the people around you that the government is trying to make you crazy with mind control, only years later to find out that not only was it true, but you wouldn't get compensation for it. And you were subject to illegal human experimentation.
Don't Tell Me
GiphyThe classic example, of course, is Cassandra; in Greek mythology she was cursed to know the future, but for no one to believe her when she told them.
It just seems like eternal human error to constantly repeat bad patterns and already lived through cycles -which is the definition of insanity by the way- so that lessons are never learned. When will believe those that are trying to warn us for our greater good, the first few hundred times they tell us? Wash your hands, wear your mask and prepare to combat climate change. You've been warned... A LOT!!
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