Now wash your hands
"Hey, let's be careful out there!" The homely advice from Sergeant Phil Esterhaus to his officers on TV's Hill Street Blues came to mind reading .
"Always carry tissues," advises the NHS. "Wash your hands with soap and hot water." Now, the leaflet looks to be a sensible document which may have its place in clearing some of the fog of anxiety which shrouds . But I wonder whether there is also a danger that it risks infantilising the populace. As my mother used to call after me: "Have you got a nice clean hankie?"
On a train the other day, the announcer told us: "Do take care when leaving the train". There is part of me that immediately wants to exit the train in a "care-free" manner. Hopping, perhaps. Sprinkling marbles on the ground as I go.
I know, I know! This is a highly irresponsible attitude and I could easily do myself and others a mischief. But there is a patronising tone to such warnings, the suggestion that if they hadn't reminded me of the need for caution as I manoeuvred down the carriage steps, I might well have strapped on roller skates and attempted a triple-flip double-toe double loop on departure.
We are constantly being exhorted to "wrap up warm" or "mind our heads". I saw a big painted sign on a piece of machinery the other day that said, if I recall correctly, "finger trapping hazard". The first sign of frost and someone will pop up to remind us that ice can be slippy and we should be careful when walking along. The weather warms up and there is a well-meaning reminder that sunburn can be a bit of a problem.
It's the same story on aeroplanes. "Do take care when opening the overhead locker". I am sure there are people who have thrown one open without a second thought and suffered concussion after an unexpected meeting with a heavy overnight case. But it appears I am not alone in having to suppress a rebellious and irresponsible response.
Michael Bywater, who wrote the excellent book Big Babies on just this phenomenon, remembers the moment he became aware he was being treated like a toddler - and inevitably then wanted to behave like one.
"Walking from the aeroplane to baggage reclaim, I idly started to notice the notices. There were, I soon realised, almost a hundred of the things (not counting advertisements) between jetway and carousel, all admonishing, warning, ticking me off for something I hadn't done, had no intention of doing, hadn't even thought of doing until I saw the notice. Voices shouted at me about the moving walkway; bleepers bleeped; lights flashed; strange obsessions took root. Having been forbidden to do so, I found myself yearning terribly to take photographs in the customs hall. I wanted to find a child, specifically so that I could allow it to ride on my baggage trolley. But most of all I realised that I was being treated like a big baby; and not just there, but everywhere."
The "duty of care" that organisations have to their clients and customers has been translated into endless bits of homespun counsel. I am sure there are lawyers who advise firms that it makes perfect sense to put the warning "this product may contain nuts" ...on a packet of nuts.
The trouble is that we come to expect authority to tell us how to be careful. And if we are foolhardy, we then blame "them" rather than ourselves.
We must all learn how to assess risk. How to adjust our behaviour to avoid significant threats. When it is safe to cross the road.
But we have proved ourselves pretty poor at judging the chances that something bad will happen and increasingly rely on others to judge risk for us.
So, elderly people may lead less fulfilling lives because they are encouraged to overestimate the risk from violent crime. Children are bred in captivity because parents read so much about the (very low) risk from sexual predators.
No-one in authority wants to be open to the charge that they didn't take enough care. But few worry about the charge that they didn't take enough risks.
Without risk, life is just existence. Progress is impossible. They say "you can't be too careful". But I worry that you can.
I'm 
Comments
or to comment.