My colleague Paul Mansfield, reviewing a new book about the States (Divine Magnetic Lands by Timothy O’Grady) finds evidence within it that American society is not as litigious as we think, and that Americans sue each other no more than they did 30 years ago.
Maybe, but American lawyers do put a damper on pretty well everything. On a recent trip to Seattle, I picked up a guide for runners and walkers left in my hotel room. It says: “This picturesque course [along the waterfront] poses the usual hazards of urban jogging/walking. Please take precautions to ensure your safety — including use of the route preferably during daylight hours. The Fairmont Olympic Hotel does not patrol nor maintain the course so assumes no responsibility for the safety of our guests who traverse it.”
Lewis and Clark would have had a dull old time if they had had to go exploring with a lawyer.