4 ms·

> but that’s a liability issue the OP neatly skirted past. I think this is the actual root of the issue right here. 40 years ago this "liability" thing was va

by phil21 4y ago

> but that’s a liability issue the OP neatly skirted past. I think this is the actual root of the issue right here. 40 years ago this "liability" thing was vaguely talked about and rarely, if ever, enforced. Everywhere in society - from letting a kid hop on a construction site and help out for cash, down to not allowing retail employees to interfere with shoplifters. Things continue to get more and more useless as we amp up this ridiculous concept. The "liability" gremlin has more to do with this massive loss in social interaction than anything other than suburban style living and the Internet in my mind.

fundad 4y ago
The lives of working people were more disposable.
- concordDance 4y ago
  I think feeling of freedom have a lot of value... liability rules may decrease death and injury rate, in which case the question is a tradeoff between QALYs (death and injury) and QALYs (feelings of freedom).
bombcar 4y ago
Don't tell anyone, it's our secret, but the liability issue can be quietly skirted if the people involved trust you to be smart, sane, and not make a fuss. You won't get onto a high-rise project or such, but you can still get places you probably "shouldn't".
- darkwizard42 4y ago
  I like this part the most. Liability is a counteraction against people you can't trust doing things they shouldn't. It does protect you when things go wrong, but generally, things don't go wrong and if people do the right thing, they go wrong even less often. Seems like half the US legal system is basically built on a lack of trust between people. I do acknowledge many legal remedies try to address the situations where trust exists but no one knows how to proceed so its not all bad
  - jimbokun 4y ago
    > Seems like half the US legal system is basically built on a lack of trust between people. I think lack of trust between people is the entire foundation of legal systems.
falcolas 4y ago
> not allowing retail employees to interfere with shoplifters Considering that this just recently resulted in an employee's death (at Home Depot), I can certainly see why it's a concern.

by phil21 4y ago

fundad 4y ago

The lives of working people were more disposable.

concordDance 4y ago
I think feeling of freedom have a lot of value... liability rules may decrease death and injury rate, in which case the question is a tradeoff between QALYs (death and injury) and QALYs (feelings of freedom).

bombcar 4y ago

Don't tell anyone, it's our secret, but the liability issue can be quietly skirted if the people involved trust you to be smart, sane, and not make a fuss. You won't get onto a high-rise project or such, but you can still get places you probably "shouldn't".

darkwizard42 4y ago
I like this part the most. Liability is a counteraction against people you can't trust doing things they shouldn't. It does protect you when things go wrong, but generally, things don't go wrong and if people do the right thing, they go wrong even less often. Seems like half the US legal system is basically built on a lack of trust between people. I do acknowledge many legal remedies try to address the situations where trust exists but no one knows how to proceed so its not all bad
- jimbokun 4y ago
  > Seems like half the US legal system is basically built on a lack of trust between people. I think lack of trust between people is the entire foundation of legal systems.

falcolas 4y ago

> not allowing retail employees to interfere with shoplifters Considering that this just recently resulted in an employee's death (at Home Depot), I can certainly see why it's a concern.