Made in China

Could the now-weekly Chinese toy recalls be getting out of hand? I'm beginning to think they're being instituted not out of a concern for children but more out of a fear of litigation.

When you and I grew up, we played with roughly those same toys, and we seemed to have grown up relatively sane and healthy. (OK, you can stop laughing now.) Our parents also came out fine, for the most part, and I'd have to guess the lead levels they were exposed to were higher than they are now. And they presumably had to deal with arsenic at their playgrounds. And the lead paint that lined their homes. And so forth and so forth.

I'm not trying to dismiss a matter of safety. Obviously, I do think there should be watchdogs over the manufacture of anything a child would handle. But something tells me these recalls aren't out of a genuine concern for kids' safety but more of a fear of lawsuits. A sign of the times, I guess.

Current mood: Reflective
Current music: Searchin' / Cabaret Voltaire