I'm actually left of centre politically judging by questionnaires I've done, and I think that does include a huge element of personal responsibility. If I buy something that I am unfamiliar with I will read the manual to understand my obligations. Nothing is maintenance free.
The oft-quoted 'health and safety' isn't a bad thing, i.e. if you ran a supermarket and thought 'someone could slip on that' you would rectify it before it happened. However, if someome asked for a cup of fresh coffee they shouldn't have to be told that it is hot!
At the risk of turning into JTL...
My dad's trade was carpets and wood floors. In the '80s Vax had an ironic commercial whereby the woman hoovered up some ridiculous substance (in the postscript to the main ad). My dad had a customer who bought a stain resistant carpet from him and a Vax at the same time. A week later she comes back in and demands her money back because the carpet is 'faulty'. Upon enquiring it turns out that to test her new vacuum she has mixed liquid cement, poured it on the carpet and then tried to use her Vax on it. When it didn't work, of course it wasn't the Vax that was to blame as the lady in the advert had done the same thing successfully!
After being laughed out of the shop my dad received a letter from Trading Standards a few days later requiring him to send a sample of the carpet to DuPont in Switzerland so that they could test it for stain resistance. When someone from TS finally came into the branch and he had opportunity to explain what had actually happened the representative's briefcase was snapped shut and they said, 'I don't think you'll be hearing any more from us.'
