“Hot Coffee Is Hot”

When I was growing up, the biggest joke when looking at any kind of packaging was “Do not use while sleeping”. Of course, this was a joke because, unless you’re sleepwalking, it’s quite impossible to blow dry your hair, and even if you are sleepwalking, there’s nothing you can do about it at the time, because you’re asleep.
Now I’m finding packages of peanuts that proclaim that this package “May contain nuts”. Packs of carrots have an ingredients list that consists of, “Carrots”. Beverage containers from fast food places have warnings stating that, “Hot coffee is hot”.
When I see these warnings and ingredient lists, I have to wonder just how far we have gone. Sure, we have scientists working around the clock, trying to fully understand our universe, but these people are running fewer and further between and are studying things which cannot be proven until they do or do not happen, such as the anthropic principle.
Are these warning really necessary? Do people really need to be told that carrots are carrots and that when something is steaming it’s hot? Do people who are allergic to nuts really need to be told that this package contains nuts when the package itself says “Mixed Nuts”?
I heard a joke a few years ago, stating that if we removed all warning labels, the problems with the average level of intelligence would take care of itself. I don’t think I’ve ever agreed with anything as vehemently as that. My faith in humanity has reached such a low point that I would love to see the list of runner-ups for the Darwin Awards skyrocket, as I have no doubt it would if we removed the warning labels.
In conclusion, hot coffee is hot, carrots are carrots, cashews are cashews and common sense is less common than I could ever have known.