Channel 5 Warns Against Hot Slides
Somehow, I messed up my prior post, so the following portion did not get added.
The disaster movie references were leading up to the fact that, last night on the 10 p.m. news, Channel 5 hit a new low in nanny-state obsessing. Leisa Zigman (who lives right by me, although she’s moving) had a story about the “silent danger” of hot plastic slides in St. Louis playgrounds. Needless to day, the station went just hyperplectic (might not be an actual word) [Editor's note: "hyperplectic" sounds so nicely intemperate that I'm resisting the urge to change it to "apoplectic" — EDD] about the danger of hot slides. A two-year-old recently suffered second-degree burns from a plastic slide in Corondolet Park. And, of course, according to the story, it is the government’s responsibility to protect people from this danger.
I loved how the representative of the city of St. Louis basically told them the city was not going to do anything. Cities around the county have spent many millions replacing metal playground equipment with plastic pieces during the past decade. It is still not good enough for some people. I swear, some nanny state control freaks won’t be happy until we all have to put on our safety helmets before we get out of bed in the morning. Hey, parents: When it’s 95 degrees out, touch the frickin’ slide before you put your kids on it! This is St. Louis in the summer — it gets hot. And the city should not pay the medical expenses of the family. It is not the city’s fault or responsibility.
Out here in San Diego my life has become full of danger. Neither my mother nor David Stokes is here to save me from overheating seat cushions or the ever present hot sidewalk. Truly, I live in a Danger zone.
For the remaining 3 days I am here I propose that the Governator mandates that all sidewalks become Slip N’ Slides and all tables be under an umbrella.
On another note, I recommend to anyone reading this that attend Cato University if they ever get the chance. It has been a great 2 days so far and I imagine it will only get better.
Comment by Pat Eckelkamp — July 22, 2008 @ 3:31 p.m.
Did you also notice there was a warning on the sign leading to the playground about the dangers of – believe it or not – surfaces getting dangerously hot in hot weather?
Did you also notice they never showed the child’s burns now – only pictures from when they were at their worst?
Nice piece, Stokesie.
Comment by Tom — July 23, 2008 @ 9:51 a.m.
[...] California, but we have our own version of the nanny state. Targets include kids riding bicycles, playground equipment sitting in the sun, and now haunted houses. No Related [...]
Pingback by Legislating Common Sense | www.statehousecall.org — October 21, 2009 @ 10:45 a.m.
In Rio de Janeiro, kids play in open sewage. In Kabul, kids play in diminishing minefields. In Kazakhstan, kids play in abandoned factory ruins.
HOT SLIDES OH NOESSS
Comment by vroman — October 21, 2009 @ 4:31 p.m.