OK, but my point is that adults don't need their hands holding, surely? I mean, where content is really extreme, then everybody should be made aware of that. If the synopsis says 'live autopsy footage', then I won't watch it, but for something like that, a warning before the titles should be put up anyway, because that's really OTT.

But, as in the 'contents hot' warnings on coffee, there is a vein of infantilisation going on that is spreading throughout the culture in general. Nobody, and I mean nobody, should need to be warned that coffee may be hot, or ice-cream may be cold. Common sense alone should dictate that a person with a weak heart or a bad back should avoid big roller-coasters. In the same way, people going to see a war film should expect to see combat scenes, and any film about dysfunctional families or the trials and tribulations of women in various contexts is ipso facto likely to show toxic or abusive relationships.

But all those extra warning tags that have been springing up everywhere are becoming less about protecting traumatised people and more about not hurting somebodys' feelings. Or worse, assuming that Mr or Mrs Joe Q Public is too dumb to realise that their cup of hot coffee is going to contain hot liquid. They all have that "It'll end in tears!" tone about them, that 'Don't say I didn't warn you!" attitude that particularly patronising adults take with children.

Part - an essesntial part - of being an adult is managing your own risks. The corollary being that if you get it wrong, you blame yourself, not anyone else. It's not the film-makers' fault if, having chosen to see their film, you find some scenes are more than you can handle. But some folk don't see that, or accept responsibility for their mistake; they try to sue somebody instead. Their childish behaviour leads to the rest of us being treated like children. Worse, it will eventually lead to full-on censorship and the demise of creativity. Not to mention the opportunity for the Powers That Be to censor away anything that doesn't suit their agenda!