Les Bonnes Choses

I was making a "setup" with Mr. Jude today (he often now refers to himself in the third person as "Mr. Jude", which I think is absolutely fantastic), when I noticed something on the props we were using:



Does that make me a bad parent because we give our kids choking hazards with which to play? Well, no, actually. Here's the object in question, with a standard alphabet block for reference (and the floor tiles are 1-foot squares):



Choking hazard for whom? I understand that manufacturers hire lawyers to make sure their asses are covered, but I don't think this helps. In fact, in a world where every cup of hot coffee is marked with a caution that its contents may be hot, and sleeping pills are labeled to indicate that they may cause drowsiness, we are stuck with warnings that are either obvious* or else irrelevant. Either way, can people be blamed for not bothering to read them anymore? One day, someone is going to launch a lawsuit against manufacturers for causing them to disregard warnings, resulting in injury. I think I'd be rooting for him.

*Naturally, some warnings are not obvious to some people. But that's what the Darwin awards are for.

Bonus: The cone is marked unsuitable for children under 3, and for ages 4 and up, making it unclear how it relates to a 3 year old.