In the 90's, advocacy groups for concerned parents successfully pushed for warning labels to be placed on music albums with explicit lyrics. The effort made sense prior to the age of the internet, where now parents can do their own research on such things prior to purchase. Other types, such as warning labels on medicines required by the FDA are commonplace as well. Again, it makes sense. We live in the age of disclaimers and warning labels, primarily because we are such a litigious society. But this label, on a paperback copy of The Constitution of the United States of America, The Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, is in my view quite unnecessary:© Wilder Publications 2008According to Walter Olson of Cato, it appears that this disclaimer is boilerplate material used on several of their re-published works.
This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today. Parents might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written before allowing them to read this classic work.
I take issue with the idea that our Founding documents are products "of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today." I take issue, but I fear that it might actually be true.
Far from needing a warning label, I think I'd prefer the material to be required reading. Or perhaps an alternative warning:
This book is a product of its time, but was written for present and future generations. It may not reflect the same values as is common today. Reading this book may be hazardous to such contemporary notions, as it has shown in certain cases to raise awareness of, and reawaken in others, the concepts of liberty, freedom, and the principle of "consent of the governed." Parents might wish to brush up on such topics, and be prepared to discuss these classic and relevant works with their children.
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