INflammable

[palani]

Your neighbors car is on fire in his driveway. Nobody is around. You run into his garage hoping to find an extinguisher. Instead you find two containers. One container is marked ‘INFLAMMABLE’ and the other container is marked ‘UNFLAMMABLE’. Which container is going to get you his thanks and which is going to get you sued?

If you have any doubt as to the meaning here is the DOT HAZARD CLASS III sign for INFLAMMABLE.
http://img1.accuform.com/files/damobject/Image/productDetail/MSLSP41.jpg

Now ... do you have UNalienable rights or would you prefer INalienable rights?

Go ahead. Blast away. I am wearing asbestos underware today. 7th ... you got a STATUTE that covers this?

[Hatha Sunahara]

I would get my garden hose and start squirting the car with it. At least there is no confusion or doubt as to whether the liquid that comes out of that hose will worsen the situation. It may not put out the fire, but it might keep the car cool enough to prevent a whole lot more damage than without it. And I certainly would not get sued for doing that. No sense taking chances based on some linguistic cultural sleight of hand that makes life a real crap shoot like you describe above.



Hatha

[EE_]

Your neighbors car is on fire in his driveway. Nobody is around. You run into his garage hoping to find an extinguisher. Instead you find two containers. One container is marked ‘INFLAMMABLE’ and the other container is marked ‘UNFLAMMABLE’. Which container is going to get you his thanks and which is going to get you sued?

If you have any doubt as to the meaning here is the DOT HAZARD CLASS III sign for INFLAMMABLE.
http://img1.accuform.com/files/damobject/Image/productDetail/MSLSP41.jpg

Now ... do you have UNalienable rights or would you prefer INalienable rights?

Go ahead. Blast away. I am wearing asbestos underware today. 7th ... you got a STATUTE that covers this?

I have 'Unalienable Rights', like it says in the constitution.

[kiffertom]

I would go inside pop some popcorn and go back out and watch the show. my neighbors are the most self centered pieces of sh*t ive ever been around! I wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire!

[milehi]

I wouldn't do anything. It's not my business.

[palani]

I wouldn't do anything. It's not my business.

The point is the difference between the in- and the un- prefix rather than the fire. Merely illustrating a principle. But then if you want to take the example literally .. why should your neighbor care if your car or house burns down?

[Neuro]

I wouldn't do anything. It's not my business.
It makes perfect sense for even the ultimate egoist to put out his neighbors fire...

[horseshoe3]

One case is using the letters "in" as a prefix. In the other case it is just another syllable that happens to look the same.

[Uncle Salty]

Unflammable is not a word. You are comparing a real word with an imaginary word to make a point. What is the logic in that?

[Horn]

Which container is going to get you his thanks and which is going to get you sued?

Was the fire started by the neighbor himself to collect the insurance money?

[govcheetos]

Was the fire started by the neighbor himself to collect the insurance money?

Perhaps to keep himself warm, or for cooking?

No permit needed for a cooking fire.

[osoab]

Unflammable is not a word. You are comparing a real word with an imaginary word to make a point. What is the logic in that?

What is real and what is imaginary?

[Hatha Sunahara]

On second thought (even if it might be too late to have prevented the car from burning into a molten char) I might have taken the two containers, and sprayed a sample of their contents on the floor and lit the puddle of sprayed contents. Whichever one didn't burn, I might have used that to try to put out the fire in the car. And if that didn't work, then I'd use the garden hose. I wouldn't just stand around and do nothing. Even if I hated my neighbor, I'd treat him the way I would expect him to treat me.


Hatha

[Cebu_4_2]

What is real and what is imaginary?

Both, it's called propaganda.