How does the mushroom signage stack up?

1. “Casualty” is an outdated term and shouldn’t have been used.

2. No it doesn’t need to be in any language other than English.

3. If you can’t figure out that the general gist of a big red circle with a line through a picture of mushrooms (with “DO NOT EAT” written under it for good measure) means “DON’T EAT THE MUSHROOMS”, then you probably shouldn’t be out in public unaccompanied, and if you suffer harm from eating said mushrooms, you deserve a Darwin Award, not a successful lawsuit lodged by your bereaved family (yes, if you eat one, you will die).

Just don’t eat the mushrooms, guys. Even if they’re not the lethal ones, 90% of them will still make you sick.

Deref said :

I’ve never heard of “casualty department”. Where did that come from?

The UK. “Casualty” was a popular drama on TV.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096555/

Stevian said :

Racist much?

I do wish people would learn what “racist” means before crying ‘racism”! I know in the religion of the middle class left, “racist” is its hosanna, it’s ultimate heresy, its raison d’etre, but it just goes to show the paucity of thought with such people that they cry it so often, and with such illogicality of use.

racism or racialism

— n
1. the belief that races have distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors and that this endows some races with an intrinsic superiority over others

2. abusive or aggressive behaviour towards members of another race on the basis of such a belief

qbngeek said :

I personally think that the signs should just say ‘Death Cap mushrooms grow in the ACT, do not pick and eat any wild mushrooms. Eating wild mushrooms may cause you to be deaded.’

I personally use common sense and I was always taught not to pick and eat wild mushrooms as there is just as much chance of them being dangerous as not.

I’m an avid picket/eater of wild mushrooms – it would be a gross overreaction to advise everyone not to eat any wild mushroom. Those in the know like me know what’s good and what’s not. Pretty hard to make a mistake as the edible types of mushrooms most pickers target are fairly distinctive. Having said that, I and other pickers from Eastern European or Italian background have been taught the art from a very young age until it became pretty instinctive – almost second nature.

If it hasn’t been down to you from sagely relatives or friends, maybe it’s not such a good idea to start picking now. Definitely don’t rely on books and blogs.

Final bits of wisdom – stick to mushrooms that grown in pine plantations, not open fields or native forests; and don’t eat anything that’s red with white spots, or which has gills on the underside.

No mushrooms allowed?

What about images showing (mushroom) = (poison), after all there just aren’t enough skull and crossbones on signposts these days.

dungfungus said :

PantsMan said :

Maybe in some other languages also?

At least in Engrish as well.
I hope these signs haven’t just been placed because if they have I can see a huge damages claim against the ACT on the way from some people in China.

Racist much?

PantsMan said :

Maybe in some other languages also?

Okay, this really annoys me. English is the primary language spoken in Australia and our street signs etc are in English. Last time I checked they hadn’t changed all the signs in China to have English (although the are many Engrish) translations.

I understand the people who died were of an asian background, but you can’t expect all our signs to be translated to cater for everyone.

Maybe they should have done a bulletin board type sign with pictures and descriptions about what fungie grows in that specific area, while still noting the dangers of not to pick and eating anything you are not 100% sure is edible.

Or best case would be having a qualified botanist at the Botanic Gardens or CSIRO being made available (for a small fee) assess mushrooms picked.

FioBla said :

Not a complaint, but I think this is the first time I have seen the phrase “casualty department” on an Australian sign. It is usually used informally in Australia. Hospital signage refers to the Emergency Department (ED, DEM), or Accident and Emergency (A&E).

I’ve never heard of “casualty department”. Where did that come from?

PantsMan said :

Maybe in some other languages also?

At least in Engrish as well.
I hope these signs haven’t just been placed because if they have I can see a huge damages claim against the ACT on the way from some people in China.

Not a complaint, but I think this is the first time I have seen the phrase “casualty department” on an Australian sign. It is usually used informally in Australia. Hospital signage refers to the Emergency Department (ED, DEM), or Accident and Emergency (A&E).