Every day, people engage in various activities that may not strictly adhere to the rules but are generally perceived as innocent and acceptable. More folks than any police station could handle would be found guilty of jaywalking each day, and don't get us started about messing with other people's mail...
To learn about all those "invisible" or "innocent" crimes that we do commit without giving them too much thought, u/Wowthatscrazyyylmao recently pondered "What’s an innocent crime that people commit?" on r/AskReddit. And boy did they get some interesting answers that we're excited to share with you.
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Apparently getting abortion. F**k you GQP.
YES MAAM. LOUDER FOR THE ONES WHO TOOK AWAY OUR RIGHT FOR OUR BODIES (edit: "if a 16 year old girl wanted to adopt a child, she couldnt because shes not of age, but if she gets pregnant, shes forced to give birth. how does that makes sense?" -a lady on tiktok
Load More Replies...Simplemente court justices that dissented against the overturning of roe v wade said “young women today will come of age with less rights than their mothers and grandmothers…from the moment of fertilization women have no rights to speak of”
Load More Replies...Those who are against abortions don't care what happens to the children after they are born. Their "idea" serves nobody except their ego.
If you don't want one don't have one, it's that simple. Everyone else, mind your own business.
The only person able to make a choice about abortion is the woman who is in need of that choice. Be she a young or older. Anyone else either supports her, or shuts up.
Abortion is a choice- this choice should be made by a WOMAN because they are having the baby. Abortion should never be a crime.
i've been a christian most of my 67 years on earth, and have yet to see a reference in the bible that says abortion is wrong. same for homosexuality.
The Bible actually gives a recipe for an abortifacient (substance causing abortion) to be administered by a priest.
Load More Replies...Can't explain the confusion I endured when this came up as the first post under "shopping fails." 😳 Definitely took a minute to figure out the title didn't match the article.
Well now it says, "Innocent crimes that people admit to committing all the time". I am pro abortion, but if it's something a person is doing all the time, they should probably consider different methods of birth control.
Load More Replies...You might have heard about the United States government's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion in 14 states after almost 50 years, blowing all other "innocent" crimes right out of the water. While classifying this as a punishable offense may seem cuckoo-for-cocoa-puffs insane in the modern era, there are several other seemingly bewildering laws that people have pointed out in this thread.
To kick things off, let's take a journey to the land of the rising sun. While Japan is known for its unique and quirky aspects, the topic of having a clone takes things to an even more peculiar level. Surprisingly, Japan has prohibited human cloning experiments since 2001. If anyone attempts to create a clone, they could face severe consequences, such as a 10-year prison sentence or a hefty fine of ¥10,000,000 (approximately $70,660).
Selecting 'I have read and agree to the terms and conditions' without actually reading a single word. The biggest heist happening daily.
Reading all the terms and conditions would use up my whole monthly data allowance.
Did anyone watch the latest Black Mirror? It has an episode about this very thing. 'Joan is Awful' they didn't read the terms and their lives were broadcast on national TV. It was a good one. Something to think about.
Let’s say I actually really read the whole thing, did I understand it, heck noo
Agreed, I'm still reading the AOL t&c from 1999. 🤣🤣
Load More Replies...As mentioned earlier, the Japanese also have some interesting rules regarding their mailboxes. While it may seem like a normal and helpful gesture to pass your neighbor's misaddressed mail to them, Article 42 of the Postal Law sees it differently.
This law was established to safeguard the privacy of both the sender and recipient. If any misaddressed mail ends up in your mailbox, the proper procedure is to send it back and let the post office handle it. However, in all seriousness, you probably won't face charges for simply returning your neighbor's letter, unless they intentionally frame you for sabotage.
A poor person stealing a small amount of baby food. I'd see it when I worked at a market and I'd just look the other way.
What's criminal is a poor person being forced to steal baby food!
I turned the blind eye awhile ago in a market when I saw a senior citizen put a pack of hot dogs in her purse
Load More Replies...If I see someone steal food I mind my own business - folk don't steal food for fun and no one should be forced to starve. I'll often do the "excuse me this £20 just fell out your pocket" if I see someone struggling - it's not much but will get someone enough basics to last a wee while
I was once caught in a grocery store stealing a migraine relief thing for my mom. I was ashamed, but she needed it. The person let me go, but I could never go back. But my mom needed it. I will steal to make sure my family is ok.
That's horrible - no one should go without medication that's essential and as someone who gets migraines I fully sympathise. A cheap way to help prevent then is to drink the dehydration tablets you mix with water when you feel it coming on (won't help once it's fully started but often it's enough to stop it developing into a full blow migraine). Forever grateful I live in Scotland where prescriptions don't have any charge - I'd be struggling if I had to pay for me meds as I've a chronic illness that's never going anywhere
Load More Replies...In France, you can't get a sentence if you steal food because you have no other choice (1898 jurisprudency).
the perfect law. we need this everywhere else.
Load More Replies...Not gonna say a thing. Do what you gotta do. Now when it comes to higher management positions, that is flat out theft. I will snitch about that!
I pretty sure everyone knows stealing is a crime. This doesn't belong here.
It's illegal to pass out food to homeless people in some cities
Wow, this is just inhumane. What if I invited them to lunch? Because honey, if you can't stand watching me hand out a sandwich to a poor person, I will bring them to a restaurant and we will sit riiiight next to you...
my title for these posts say “Be Careful What You Wish For”: 30 Epic Shopping Fails, As Shared On This Online Group. does anyone else have this problem?
No. Mine says "People Share 30 Crimes That You Probably Don’t Even Know Are Crimes". But your post was 14 hours ago so maybe it got fixed.
Load More Replies...I only know that one of the laws in place for certain states is if you distribute food to homeless people, you need to have a permit or license. It was to prevent people from poisoning the food...
Does anyone actually in any of these cities know if the law is as stated or if it is more something like, "you can't distribute food that has not been prepared in a commercial kitchen and handled by people with food handler permits. In other words - a food safety ordinance thing.
This is the case vs "we don't want you to feed homeless." It always gets taken out of context. No one has an issue with randomly giving someone a sandwich, it's to prevent someone setting up a stand and handing out food that may have been handled improperly.
Load More Replies...In Hungary for example, it is forbidden to give water to a refugee because it's argumented that this is supporting human trafficking! Really crazy!
Let me get this straight: the government taxes my paycheck, taxes the company that pays me, taxes the companies I do business with, taxes me when I make a purchase, and now the government wants to control who I can give part of my purchases too? Maybe if the government wouldn't make it so hard for the middle class and lower class to make a living, we wouldn't have to give our "scraps" to others. Maybe since the government isn't planning on changing, they could take the money they've stolen from us and create programs to take care of those people they put into homelessness to begin with.
Speaking of strange laws, North Carolina is weird about bingo. If you’re a bingo lover, you’ll hate to find out that a game cannot last more than five hours in North Carolina. It’s even worse if you like a little glass of red while playing, because, in the "Tar Heel State," it is illegal to be intoxicated while playing a round of bingo.
Apparently being 5 years old and having a lemonade stand
Is this thread mistitled? It’s currently’Be careful what you wish for - shopping fails’ 🤔
Little kids scaring Big Lemonade. More than likely one angry Karen with major control issues who wants everybody to suffer.
Hear me out: let's bring back pillories. Catch a Karen or Kevin in the act and they get a time-out in a pillory, center of town...rotten fruit and vegetables provided free of charge.
Load More Replies...yeah there has been a few news stories recently about lemonade stands in the US run by little kids getting shut down for not having the right permits or something.
Read a cool story (cannot remember where), but a health inspector who was called to a stand actually helped the kid get all his permits so the stand could stay open. EDIT: I believe the inspector paid all the costs for the permits as well
Load More Replies...it's to help prevent people from getting sick from food borne contaminants. Cause we all know how clean and sanitary adults are let alone a five year old. Only about 50% of adults wash their hands.
but the people who buy it know the risks. to need permits and everything is just silly.
Load More Replies...*raises eyebrows* Why the fudge is that even illegal??
Some people were worried about health hazards I think?
Load More Replies...In the US, they want the profits, the taxes, and a piece of the real estate...corrupt...
I sell lemonade for 5 cents a cup. The antidote is $20 - Emo Philips
In Sweden, if a stone (anywhere) has ever been moved by a human and then left in the new place for more than 12 months it is illegal to move that stone again, because it has become a cultural artifact. This absurd law is actually enforced and creates a lot of problems for the people living in country side, but since laws are written by people in the cities it is not seen as a problem. The original reason for the law is to protect centuries old stonewalls. But because of how it is written it is used against people who for example temporarily move a stone to be able to reach that area. If the work is not finished within one year and the stone has not been moved in the mean time it is then illegal to move it back. Very innocent crime. Not a very innocent law, though.
But isn't the original moving of the stone already a crime? If you don'r have a habbit of the moving your stones in every 11 months, that is.
The law mostly has to do with how a lot of old country walls are made of stone, and like OP said was written to protect the walls from being torn down just because someone else needed the stones for their walls. So pretty much written so that your neighbor couldn't steal your stones while you were selling the house because he also needed them. A lot of those stone walls are also surprisingly old and taking away only one or 2 stones (depending on where on the wall they sit) half of the wall could fall or simply just be a risk for people walking by or kids walking on the walls. It's just an old law with a good purpose that needs to be re-written to not be misused Edit: I read through the law, it's not just about stone walls which are apparently already covered by other laws, it has to do with large piles of stone. The argument is apparently that if the stones have been there for long enough there may be an echo system that has developed dependency on the stone pile and moving it or taking a large amount of stones may destroy this mini echo system which is protected by law. There is as far as I'm aware a lot of people pushing to get this law removed so that farmers can move their stones around whenever they feel like it, which they sometimes have to do.
Load More Replies...How do you know it hast'n been moved in the last 12 Month? Or is it per Person?
"Stenmurar och stenhögar på, eller i närheten av, brukad mark har länge varit skyddade av det så kallade biotopskyddet." Klippt från länken PeterPotato postade. Det gäller alltså brukad mark och ex inte tomtmark. Detta eftersom stenhögar är/blir biotopskyddade, pga att det bildas biotoper för djur mellan stenarna. Men det är inte bara stenar som innefattas i biotopskyddet.
Load More Replies...How the he*l do they police a law like that!? I mean, in the country (side), if a farmer moves a stone to the side of a cow path, or whatever, do the authorities know if that stone has been moved? Or in the suburbs...if you buy a house with a garden, who can tell how many times a particular stone in said garden has been moved? And besides... WHO @!%$#! CARES!?
Exactly why the electoral college in the US is necessary. You can't have a bunch of city people making laws that aren't practical or possible for rural people.
And in the US, and maybe other places, people paint rocks and leave them around to be picked and taken somewhere else.
If you thought the previous "innocent" crimes sounded silly, Vermont takes the cake with a truly peculiar rule stating that women in need of false teeth must first obtain permission from their husbands. As if they don't have enough regulations for their bodies...
Here in Japan, it’s illegal to hand your neighbour’s misaddressed mail to them. In practice, we all do it.
If Japan is your favorite country you probably just don't understand the levels of racism, misogyny and work-obsession that are built into their society.
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What jurisdiction are we talking?
Because in Singapore chewing gum is a crime.
In Germany, if you run out of fuel on the Autobahn that's a crime.
You can't take a selfie beside a statue of Buddha in Sri Lanka.
You cannot drive blind folded in Alabama. In Louisiana you cannot send someone a surprise pizza. You cannot put donkeys in bathtubs in Arizona. In Connecticut, it’s illegal to kiss your spouse in public on a Sunday. In Oklahoma and Ohio: you can't make faces at a dog. In Michigan it's illegal to tie a crocodile or alligator to a fire hydrant.
There are people who need to be told not to drive blindfolded!?
Load More Replies...1. Because chewinggum is gross and people spit it on the pavement. 2. Because someone will drive into your car at 180kph and kill everyone. 3. Because it's disrespectful.
Public toplessness is illegal for women in Liverpool (UK) - except those who work in shops selling tropical fish. Those women are legally allowed to be topless.
uhhhhhhhh..........is this some kinda reference i'm not getting? or is there, like, a reason for women selling tropical fish to be topless?
Load More Replies...Chewing gum is NOT illegal in Singapore. Buying and selling it is against the law, but you won't be arrested for having it in your mouth. The ban was created to stop discarded gum from defacing public spaces and transportation.
It's not a crime to chew gum in Singapore. You can import, own and carry a reasonable amount for self-consumption. You just can't sell or import gum for commercial purposes. You'll also get a hefty fine if you do not dispose of your gum in a trash can.
The oddity originated from the 1856 case of Gilman v. Andrus, where a man was obligated to pay for "a plate of mineral teeth" for his wife. Subsequently, the Vermont legislature established a common law mandating women to provide written permission from their husbands to dentists before getting dentures. Despite its historical roots, this law is no longer given much attention by residents in modern times. Good riddance.
For the kids saying they’re old enough to make an account on a website/app while being to young.
Interesting thought - are the kids really committing a crime? If an ADULT clicks on a link that says "I have read and agree to abide by the TOS" that is a legal contract between user and software company. But since legally - a minor can not enter into a legally binding agreement (has to be their legal guardians) then the child did not enter a contract to abide by the age thing. ... I know - splitting hairs and they still lied. But I find myself wondering if it is actually illegal.
The awesome loophole to this is that when you're too young, you're too young to be prosicuted for saying you are of age :)
I remember when my friends used to do this when we were younger 😂
I had to do this for school the teacher said we all had to lie about it.
putting prescription pills in a daily reminder case ( M T W TH F S S)
People really really have to stop generalizing and mention where they think it’s true because I guarantee you it is completely b******t in Europe where pills and drugs are NOT sold in a small orange container with the patient’s name, but in the manufacturer’s original packaging.
In England, Boots I believe, puts the pills in similar containers so that elderly people do not forget to take their pills.
Load More Replies...Whatever you do, don't do this traveling across country boarders. If medication is not in original prescription bottle with your name on it, it can and most likely will be confiscated. Some over the counter meds are prescription only in some countries and some meds may be legal in your country and not in others and you could end up with a drug charge. Check very carefully before traveling with medication.
THIS is accurate. And it's a gigantic pain in the a*s. My wife takes a lot of prescription meds, and we have to take all these huge goddamn bottles just for their pharmacy labels.
Load More Replies...and wtf is wrong with that? People sometimes have a lot of pills to take and need to do that. Or they are elderly and can't keep track of them. Stupid post for sure
I think they meant that you can't travel with your pills that way. Of course you can do whatever you want with them at home.
Load More Replies...In Europe, you can do whatever you want with your pills, prescription or not. Home service nurses, however, have to have a special drugs administration license if their help people with their medication.
The poster is (I assume) referring to the fact that in the USA you are supposed to have your prescription drugs in the original container from the pharmacy (and be your own prescription). You can't just put them in baggies or whatever. I do not know if there is any difference in that law between inside your house or out in public. IN PRACTICE I have never seen this be a problem for anyone. EXCEPT - if you are traveling - especially customs. Don't just have random pills in unmarked containers. But everyone I've know for decades puts them in whatever they want. Like if you are going out for lunch and need to bring a couple of lunch time pills, nobody brings their whole bottle.
Where? Like, dispensing directly from the pharmacy or taking it across borders? When traveling internationally, one always needs to keep their medications in original containers (prescription or OTC) but once the border has been crossed, it's okay to use an organizer. The reason for that is so border control (or local security if traveling domestically by air) can easily identify medication and not suspect illegal drugs, also by keeping out drugs that may be approved in one country but not another. -signed a former travel agent and employee of a major airline
I do this, mum takes 9 different pills in the morning and 3 at night, I'm not sorting more than once per week. Also, chemist provides pre-sorted blister packs if we want, unfortunately they have mixed things up more than once and I don't trust them with that any more so it's 7 day pack sorting for me my self now.
Yes. My experience exactly. Speaking from Ontario. The drugstore really does try to get it right, but fail far too often.
Load More Replies...Lawyer here in New York, USA. This only applies to controlled substances (Xanax, Ritalin, opiates, etc.). There’s no issue doing this with a cholesterol med or your OTC allergy pill :)
I am in Iowa. The arresting officer told me that there's no way he could know what the pills were and that I'd have to sort it with the judge in the morning
Load More Replies...You can do it. You just can't take it out of your house. In the US you can be charged if you don't have prescription drugs in their original bottle with your name on it.
Exploring abandoned buildings. My old school shut down years ago and my friends and I used to walk around in there filming videos and audio and collecting stuff that got left behind (which was almost everything, the whole library was still the way it was when they left)
It's both due to safety and security reasons (nobody will be there to help if a brick falls on your head or a squatter stabs you) and to prevent vandalism. Because it often happens that a building that stars in "beautiful abandoned building" post with an address will soon star in a post of "Creepy ugly vandalized abandoned buildings full of trash, syringes, nazi graffitis and wanton destruction".
Jep, amd trespassing (the plot usually still belongs to someone) or protecting heritage sites. Not gonna lie: these photos of abandoned buildings often look beautiful, but if people can go there unhindered, trod on things, potentially vandalize it, take artifacts, and endanger themselves or the building by being there, these time capsules are not going to last very long. So, only go with permission of the owner, with safety measures, without taking anything and without revealing the address so it doesn't become the next meth-den
Load More Replies...In some places if you have a swimming pool not surrounded by a fence of a certain height secured by a locked gate, and a trespasser drowns in it, you can be held liable! "Attractive nuisance". Leaving a lot of stuff on your own yard -private property- that somebody, uninvited, injures themselves with and it's the same. Bonkers!
This actually makes sense because it could be rlly unsafe and depending on the place you never know which gang is in it.
Or just bad ppl in generally, speaking from an old neighbors pov. He went into an abandoned store and this high school friend group beat him up... Yea he was ok tho
Load More Replies...Even if a building was abandoned, still wouldn't it be owned by someone or a organization and if you explored it, wouldn't you be trespassing on private property which is illegal which you could then be arrested for if got caught. Then if you took anything out of the building without permission that would be stealing which is also illegal and could be arrested for.
It's called trespassing, and or breaking and entering. Do you own the building? No. Would you go into someone else's house without permission and just start exploring? I think not.
In my very early 20s we were caught exploring an abandoned mental hospital. We were just told to leave because it was unsafe. Creepy creepy creepy place.
Getting a fish drunk…
That’s an Ohio State law. It’s illegal to get a fish drunk.
So that's why there are so many fish-friendly bars just over the OH state line!
Well, what did you expect from Ohio? (Ik that memes old by now but-)
Picking up bird feathers. Obviously it’s not really a crime, but under the migratory bird act, because you can’t PROVE where you got it from, you also can’t prove that you didn’t poach it. It was made in response to massive bird poaching around the turn of the 1900s for women’s hats but… also massive amounts of bird hunting in general, which was causing the severe decline in hundreds of species. After all, we know what happened to the passenger pigeons. As a result it’s actually a severe crime (thousands and thousands of dollars in fines) to own bird feathers, but obviously it’s not one that’s actually convicted on much nowadays.
I think you can still get in big trouble for possessing eagle's feathers or any of its parts in the US. Only native Americans are allowed to have them but they still have to ask the gov't for a permit.
Yes! There’s a game warden show that I watched—can’t remember the state they were in—but they arrested someone for having a few owl feathers. Apparently the guy liked to make dream catchers.
Load More Replies...But the crows and ravens leave them for me, and would be offended if I did not pick up their gifts.
oh, get this. I got my first crow gift! They must have seen me picking up the nerf darts in my back yard, so now and then I will find them left on my back porch.
Load More Replies...This is in the USA. I used to have some cool feathers I found around my property. Owls, hawks, one that might be eagle. I have all of those creatures and more frequent on /over my property. Then found out about the law and gave them away because I don't need that kind of hassle in my life. . "Are you allowed to keep bird feathers? The Feather Atlas - Feather Identification and Scans - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory. The possession of feathers and other parts of native North American birds without a permit is prohibited by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA)."
Yeah, this one is crappy. I understand protecting birds from poaching, but picking up a stray feather shouldn't land someone in jail.
This is a thing in Australia too. The thing is you can't prove that you found the feather so there is a presumption that you obtained it by harming the bird. It's kind of dumb, but understandable at the same time. My dad had a black cockatoo feather (they're black with a splash of red) that he found years ago and wore in a stockmans hat. He had to throw it out once we found out about the new law. https://australian.museum/learn/collections/donations/finding-dead-birds/
Load More Replies...There’s protections for native ppl. Someone yelled at me once for wearing a feather in a hat, called me racist. I raise birds and it was literally my pet goose
Feathers, and deer antlers that have been shed. Apparently there are dozens of species that basically use shed antlers as a Supplement Store.
This is specific to migratory birds that travel between the US and Canada with a few exceptions such as starlings. There are permits that can be obtained for activities such as scientific study and falconry. The Eagle Feather Law allows indigenous peoples that are federally recognized to legally collect feathers without a permit.
I think if it's a bird that is typically hunted (turkey, pheasant, etc) it's okay. But you're right, owning migratory bird feathers is illegal. I don't know of it being enforced lately though. You do get fined if you're caught with "raptor" feathers (eagle, hawk, etc) unless you're a card carrying Native American.
Apparently in the Aussie city of Brisbane sleeping in your car even if it’s due to fatigue is considered camping in public and thus illegal.
Doesn't really fit with the rest, revive and survive shoulders on the national highways that the rest of the country encourages us to use does it?
A friend of mine went out one night and ended up drinking too much, so went to his car and went to sleep in the back seat. A cop woke him up, made him take a breath test, and charged him with being in control of a vehicle while drunk just because he had the car keys in his pocket. He was found guilty and fined and lost points on his licence. Aussie cops do this c.rap when the responsible person does the right thing. And it gives people the idea to drive while drunk because maybe they will get home without getting DUI.
Load More Replies...I live in Brisbane, it'd take a seriously mean spirited police officer to actually arrest you for this. Most of them if you weren't obviously living in your car and said "Sorry fatigue was getting the better of me and I took a nap" would let you go. The one thing you do need to watch out for is if you're sleeping in your car and you're drunk. Because you're still considered to be in charge of the motor vehicle so you can be done for drunk in charge of a vehicle.
Thankfully I'm not homeless, but hundreds of people are - and living in their cars are the only way they can be. I wish I were kidding. When I went into the city last (it's a bit of a hike for me), I drove past a couple of parks - tents everywhere. I'm not kidding, it's on the news every day - people's stories. Like this person's lease ended, and they had nowhere to go. So a friend suggested Musgrave Park. It's an epidemic. It's awful.
The US has rest stops for traveling to address this somewhat, but you have to leave after 24 or so hours.
Really?. I do know that sleeping in your car beside an Opium poppy plantation is illegal. But that's not all that common.
I googled this not that long ago, in Victoria it is only a problem if you have any alcohol in your system (but again this seems counterproductive to avoiding drunk driving).
I drive home from work in the middle of the night, and there's one left turn I have to make at a red light every night that is infuriatingly badly timed for that hour. The pharmacy on that corner has been closed up for an hour by the time I get there and the parking lot is always empty, so driving through that to save myself 45 interminable seconds is as victimless a crime as one can commit, if it even is a crime.
In my state and I think some others, it is illegal to cut a parking lot or driveway etc just to dodge waiting at a traffic light. However if you just sort of stopped ever so briefly in one of the parking spaces on your way through then if you got stopped you could just say you got off the road to check your phone or something.
But in the time you waste “stopping” you could have just waited for the light and been done with it
Load More Replies...Perhaps the problem is he has to stop in the middle of nowhere at night, and he feels he is in danger. I used to live in a South American city where you never stop at traffic lights after sunset in certain areas. You just slow down, and keep watching your surroundings, ready to speed up if a suspicious person appears.
Load More Replies...Why not just run the light? The light by my work is set up in the stupidest way possible, you end up waiting for 2 or 3 minutes for no reason every single time. I get to work early enough hardly any people are out so I just stop, look both ways and drive right through.
It's illegal in NC to cut through parking lots like that. I don't see it really enforced, but, there was one spot in Greenville, NC, where they used to pop people all the time
Any one who, in their motor vehicle, cuts through a parking lot or gas station or 7-11 or closed T-Ho drive through and strikes another person or their property will drive away rather than face up to their "innocent" crime. Motorists are entitled cowards when the sh!t comes down.
Technically you have to stop when coming out of the parking lot so you are not using it to avoid a stop because legally you still have to stop.
An empty car park isn't too bad, but it reminds me that there's a petrol station (gas station for you Americans) at the end of the road near my house which people cut through all the time to miss the left turn at the red light. It infuriates me because that genuinely is dangerous.
I still wouldn't take the risk. You're in a dangerous machine, if anything, however unlikely, goes wrong, you will never forgive yourself. And also you will be financially responsible.
They're just talking about cutting through an empty parking lot to avoid a light. It's illegal in most places I know of in the US, but it's hardly anymore dangerous than just pulling into a parking lot and then back out of it. I think the illegality is due to disrupting traffic flow during busy times or using private property as a thoroughfare or something.
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jaywalking.
why is this a shopping fail? is my BP broken. was my panda so bored and lazy they put the wrong title?
Title is, “Innocent crimes,” not shopping fails. Guess they fixed it.
Load More Replies...Not in the EU. The local law may vary but most of the time you’re allowed to cross the road anywhere you want except if there is an actual crosswalk nearby, then you must use it. In urban areas pedestrians have priority.
NecUse the driver will be blamed when the jaywalker causes an accident. Also, in cities a jaywalker can create a traffic jam blocks long. On lights where you can't turn right on a red, jaywalkers ensure you can't turn right on green either, causing long traffic jams and delays.
Load More Replies...Not a thing in Scotland, but I was sure confused as hell when I went to New York and police gave me into trouble for crossing the street, but hearing my accent they realised I didn't know what they were on about. America just doesn't seem to appreciate pedestrians in any context - I walk just about everywhere as I don't drive, or take public transport which seems to be almost impossible over there
Build more cross paths in the US so you don't need to walk 4 blocks to cross legally
My boyfriend was walking home senior year and him and 20 others were ticketed for jwalking. No joke.
as a server, not inputting my cash tips on my taxes; actually didn’t even know you even needed to do that until a few years ago, after i had been working in the food industry for well over six years. evidently, none of my coworkers were aware of this either
And most of us hope you don't do that and don't get caught.
Load More Replies...Why do you think we give cash tips. I want you to have the money. Not your boss and certainly not the government.
At the end of a shift we had to tell them what we got in cash and they entered it and we were taxed on that weekly. Or whatever we said we got in tips
Load More Replies...Law is different depending on where you work. If your tips are less than xx% of your wage you may be allowed not to declare them.
Not American here, but I heard that some people get 2-3$ and hour and are supposed to 'make it up' with tips. If that is so, then those on the lowest wage will have the 'largest' % in tips, and thus be liable to more tax than those with a higher basic wage. ??????
Load More Replies...I worked at Chili's and since most tips were electronic, it's unavoidable.
This why I tend to tip in cash. I see it as a gift, and a gift under 16k is not taxable. Damn the man! Save the Empire. Wait, I slipped into a movie for a moment....
In Canada you can add it yourself as "other income". There is no real way to audit you unless they audit the whole establishment, but there are definitely fines and penalties for it! Rule of thumb is to input at least 20% of your employment income amount to offset the red flags
In the US low effort speeding (1-10 mph over posted limits) is fairly common.
It surprises me actually. In all the stories I've read, people mundanely mention "The limit is 50, so I'm going 58 no biggie". Dude, it's called limit for a reason. I guess being a driver is a separate form of madness.
Yeah. Except in the city centres all over the EU, where the speed limit now is totally ridiculous, the limits are there for a reason, but a lot of idiots tend to think they are just optional. Likewise, lots of drivers don't slow down even in bad weather conditions, ignoring the fact that they can be held responsible if they cause an accident. Some years ago, a friend of mine wrecked her car and another driver's when she lost control of her car due to heavy rain and hail on the road. She was driving at around 110 km/h in the highway, where the limit is 120 km/h, but the police considered the speed was unsuitable for the weather conditions. She wasn't charged, but the insurance refused to pay for the car.
Load More Replies...I've never understood why people do this. I've always driven the speed limit my whole life (30 years of driving so far), and I always get where I'm going on time. Plus, I spend less gas money per mile driven than the vast majority of other drivers.
And ive never understood how people can drive slow. Ive had a lead foot since before I got my license, got my first ticket at 16 and had countless since. Unless I'm in town or a residential area driving less than 80mph is painful and a waste of time.
Load More Replies...This will be more common in Wales when that cretin in charge changes the speed limit to 20mph.
Yeah UK Police guidelines always used to b +2mph+10%. No idea whether that's still the case though.
Load More Replies...I've seen places where going slower than the flow will get you pulled faster than anything. Last time I was in Florida, I pulled out to pass and had to run 118 to keep with the flow. Took me nearly 5 minutes to find a gap big enough to get back in the right lane without rear-ending anyone.
I'm sure in England, at the moment at least, that we use a 10% rule. So if it's 30 mph you can go 33 mph, 40 mph you can go 44 mph and so on. I can't remember where I heard this, but have been sticking to it for the last 20 years and all had been good.
Semantics. A ticketable offense. A violation of the laws and statutes of the state/country that regulate what is & isn't permitted while operating a motor vehicle. Violation of said law results in ticket, on which you get an assigned court date where you appear before a judge and can be represented by a lawyer.
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Smoking weed in most of the world
Last week the Scottish government announced it wants to decriminalise all drug possession for personal use - treating it as a crime isn't helping anyone. I think looking at the issue from a different perspective is a great idea rather than just keeping on a track that is proven to have little to no effect.
If this clueless Government actually looked into decriminalising cannabis, they’d clearly see the amount they’d get in taxation (at least £5billion). But seeing as it’s run by public school tossers, they’d rather have sex with pigs.
Load More Replies...I hate the smell and the feel, but I have friends who rely on it for pain. It's a lot better than alcohol, and provided no one is driving or going anywhere then I don't see a problem. If you drive under the influence then you get what you deserve!
I (an American) knew without a doubt we would make pot legal - just as soon as the government figured out how to regulate & tax it.
i cant walk to the bus stop in my Town in midlothian scotland without breathing in lungfuls of this c**p.
A few people at my friends schools allegedly smoke w33d in the bathrooms… and we’re talking about 13-14-15 year olds here. Like wth???
I don't see how that's an argument for or against weed, Heroin is also a drug and shouldn't be legal, cigarettes are slowly being banned in some countries. Simply saying that it's a drug just like other things isn't really a good argument. Also weed is becoming legal in more and more countries, most likely because it's relatively harmless when taken in moderation, and is less likely than alcohol to cause poisoning or aggressive outbursts. In some part of the world you can get Weed as a prescribed drug, and unlike cigarettes it won't give you cancer, as far as we are currently aware. Personally I think it smells bad and is quite unpleasant and think that if you want to smoke weed do it in your own home/ garden or in designated smoking areas
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Leaving the car unlocked when unattended. Like going in to pay for your fuel. Apparently illegal in Aus.
Can confirm. I thought it was leaving it unlocked with the keys in the ignition - but that's just dumb wherever you are!
Rural Midwest US. Cars are left unlocked w the keys in them all the time. I don’t while I’m a work but always at home, even overnight. Shrug.
Load More Replies...I used to live in a very dodgy area (in Australia) - everyone left their cars unlocked because it was far less expense and trouble if someone decided to raid your car.
Oh, fun. At the moment I'm having to get into the habit of checking the number plates are on my car before going anywhere. Youth crime is out of control (Australia too)
Load More Replies...Yeah, here in Vic you can't be more than 3m away if your car is unlocked - that may include window down too, but not 100% sure on that part.
I don't think it's illegal here but it definitely can invalidate your insurance if it's stolen - there is some discretion as it can be classed as "momentary inadvertence" rather then negligence but very much depends on the circumstances
Wow! Never knew that, good thing I haven't been arrested when I've forgotten to lock it then?
I think that in Churchill, Alaska it's required to leave your car unlocked so anyone can get in it if they are being chased by a Polar Bear
Trespassing. Trespassing is an intent crime where knowledge of trespassing isn't required to be guilty or liable of trespassing. Simply intending to enter into land owned by another without permission, even on the mistaken belief that the land was public ,or that they had permission, or that they owned that part of the land, is not a valid defense against the fact of trespass.
We see this all the time when people are out walking around and cut through a parking lot as a means for short cutting their route. Many people think parking lots are inherently public property. But they are still owned by someone, that someone may choose to not allow unauthorized cut through, for safety reasons, maybe its a bank, or there's a private event with a liquor license requiring only authorized individuals on the property. Either way, the property owner has that right. No need to post signs, but in order for a trespass to be arrestable, the offender must be informed, told to leave and either refuse to leave or return later and reaffend.
Not true anywhere in the world except the good old land of the non free.
This applies in Australia. The UK is the only place I know where it isn't illegal.
Load More Replies...Not in the UK! Only a civil matter unless the tresspasser refuses to leave when asked or does damage.
Again, not a thing in Scotland really. We have the right to roam, which basically means I can go wherever I please, and that includes camping within reason. There's a big country estate where I live that is regularly used by locals for walks and the schools use it for outdoor lessons - they even have boar you can go feed your old veggies to - as long as no one is causing any damage it's not an issue. Obviously common courtesy is still a thing, no one is going to wander into someone's back garden
Honestly its a fantastic thing, its meant I could wander where ever I like ( within reason ) without fear of being told to get off my land and see areas not many folk have ventured into
Load More Replies...There is something called adverse taking where if you use someones property for 10 years without their permission, you can legally claim the right in perpetuity - an example was a man who took a shortcut through a field for 20 years, when they built a business there, they were forced to allow him access
This person is dead wrong. Criminal intent literally means you knew you were committing a crime and did it anyway. Intent is proven by (1) the existence of "no trespassing" signs along the property line; and/or (2) the owner informing you that the property is private. If you continue after either of these, you're trespassing.
In the UK, Law students can delight in telling you that trespass is a "Tort" or civil wrong rather than a crime. Except for specific sorts of trespass such as Trespass on a Railway which is an offence in law. And believe me those students can take boring to a whole new level!
Here’s where right to roam applies in a few nations: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_roam
What's the problem with this? The land has to be posted or marked "no trespassing". If somebody owns it they can choose who the hell walks on it or not
Paying to watch one movie, then watching another one before leaving the theater.
I worked in a cinema in the 90’s - it NEVER would have happened on our watch. But, the way these crazy kids run cinemas these days…
I must have lived in a very well behaved little nook of the world - lol. Seriously though, why am I getting downvoted for that? Grow up
Load More Replies...Most major theaters in Los Angeles, Ca. have assigned seating, so I don't think you could get away with this anymore
at the prices they charge for snacks i cant blame people for wanting their moneys worth
I haven’t been to a theater without assigned seats in forever. This was a thing when I was a kid in the 80s, but didn’t know it was still possible. Most movie theaters make their profit off of concessions, given that it takes weeks for them to get any of the ticket share price. When we were young, we would go to the dollar theater and the managers would do nothing about us watching one movie after another on a hot summer day. As long as we spent money at the concession stand. And they’d catch us and tell us to go buy something and as long as we did, they wouldn’t care.
These days cinemas only show one film (plus loads of ads) for your ticket, so unless you want to see the same one again.....
My local cinema has 6 theaters showing 6 different movies at varying times.
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Not really sure how innocent it is since it's pretty much their State's only real revenue source but just about everybody (who owns a car) from Vancouver, Washington shops in Portland, Oregon whenever they can in order to not pay Sales tax even though it's illegal to not report/pay it as a Washington resident even when you are shopping out-of-State.
Different sales taxes from state to state is crazy! I live in Australia with six states and two territories and there is ONE rate of sales tax, ONE rate of goods and services tax and ONE rate of income tax. Our constitution says that only the federal govt can raise and collect taxes. A proportion of the taxes the federal govt collects is given to the states and territories (lots of arguments about who gets how much, of course!)
If everyone from Vancouver shopped in Portland "whenever they can" I wouldn't have to wait so long in the Vancouver shopping lines! 🤣 Admittedly, I do galivant in OR every so often, so I can't say I'm innocent here; but I also don't think it's as bad as the OP seems to think. I think plenty of Vancouver residents are happy enough on our side of the river.
Oof, this was hard to follow. I had to read it twice. Anyone else agree?
In Fargo, North Dakota you get a lot of people coming over from Moorhead, Minnesota (average 10-20 minute drive) to buy cigarettes because the tax is about half as much that way.
Yep. I live in Oregon and see a huge increase in cars with Washington plates on the weekends. Also, a lot of people live in Vancouver, but work in Oregon.
A few years back Washington state changed their law so that as an Oregon resident I have to pay WA sales tax then file to get it back rather than just showing my Oregon Driver's license and them not charging the tax. Evidently makes the state quite a bit of scratch.
I'd love to read the law that allows one state to collect sales taxes on a physical transaction in another state. That sounds remarkably like interstate commerce, which is the province of the feds.
So, do you mean that if you are a Washington resident, you must pay taxes in Washington even if you do your shopping in another state?
Dropping something off in someone's mailbox.
In the US, at least, there's a provision or two in the federal code prohibiting someone from delivering something to someone else and pretending it was delivered by the USPS. This specific provision has been interpreted as prohibiting placing inside a mailbox, as the recipient might assume it was delivered by the USPS. As a result, we get a lot of ads taped to our mailboxes.
I believe there is a related law that says you can not put anything in the mailbox that isn't posted. In other words - has to have a stamp.
Load More Replies...It would be very helpful if these posts actually said where the law is, I have seen from the comments that this one is from the USA but it would be helpful if it was easier to tell
I still don't get it. Where in the data protection regulations exactly is this supposed to be stated?
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Rolling through stop signs. Ain't no way we're stopping for the full 3 seconds...
Too many have died due to a tired or ill driver rolling thru a stop but missing traffic around them. The habit of stopping always is training for the odd circumstance where Murphy's Law happens on the roadways. One may get away with sloppy driving most of the time, but commit vehicular homicide when least expected. What is the few seconds saved worth? A sense of entitlement - that laws are for others "but not me" is a killer attitude.
People who don’t stop p**s me off. You’re the ones who’ll be at fault if you hit another car.
I learned that everyone in the car has to nod on a stop-sign. 😅 (due to a harder brake)
I mean... I do... I even count it off to be sure. i also use my turn signal at all required times. I usually have my young son with me, and I try to practice what I preach. I expect him to drive safely when he is old enough, so I set the example now.
Stop signs in many countries (the US and France that I know of are particularly bad for this) are often placed where it can be perfectly safe to proceed without coming to a full stop. I work on the basis that if I've looked both ways enough to see that it's clear I can also see that there are no gendarmes so it's safe to proceed.
Tasting grapes in the grocery store
Why just grapes tho? You could also take a bite out of an apple, a chocolate bar, drink it down with a cola bottle (just a few gulps and then you will put it back on the shelf no problem), try some yoghurt, bite off a bread piece, etc. /s
Grapes are different, because instead of leaving a gaping bite mark in something or opening a sealed package and then putting it back, you’re just removing one grape from the bunch, and most people won’t notice one is missing since they tend to lose a few during shipping :) you don’t have to throw out the entire bunch of grapes just because someone plucked one off.
Load More Replies...It's called grazing and it is stealing. You didn't pay for it and you have no intention on paying for it.
I at least keep the container to be scanned.
Load More Replies...Handling good that someone else is going to buy, no thanks, not nice.
When I worked on a supermarket checkout, in the dim and distant past, the number of empty sweetie wrappers I'd be given to scan because they had been given to the kids to keep them quiet whilst going round the shop. You are making the bold assumption that your payment isn't going to be declined, and I've seen that happen many many times. It's not yours until you have paid for it.
Our supermarket has tasters for most fruit available - just come on up and grab half a mandarin or small handful of grapes.
Or people who think they're smart eating something from the shelf and leaving the box when they finished during shopping
Piracy, especially when it comes to videogames. As time goes on games stop being sold and in some cases they are impossible to get except if you pay extremely inflated prices in the resell market. Often time companies won’t ever see another dime from that game, so it’s not really costing them any money. So why is it such a big deal?
I can only see this increasing as people realise "But I **DID** buy this game... I've already given the company my money... but I have to buy it again because there was an OS update? What???"
Or trying to switch platforms and having to buy the game on the new platform as well. Or paying 40-60 euros for the base game only to have to pay 40 euros for the new DLC as well. Then also having to pay for a battle pass to get half of the stuff you are playing for. In most cases you won't even be able to get all the things in the battle pass you paid for since you have to play way to much to get there. (Looking at you Destiny 2, and Cyperpunk 2077 who promised that their new DLC would be free for players who had pre purchased the game, but is now going back on it)
Load More Replies...here in japan if you sell a fake bag or anything thats not original ur going to jail. Unless u bought a fake one for urself.
Piracy is really impactful only if one pirates a small game from a tiny indie developer who may notice and celebrate each individual purchase. Pirating a game or a movie from a company that would buy out your entire town without going bankrupt? I would compare it to "stealing baby food" that was discussed in the post earlier. Still technically a crime and Jesus still frowns upon you, but not in a "get off my Eden lawn" way.
It's dumb but there is an actual reason for it. If people know that eventually they can legally get the game for free, what's stopping them for just waiting until it is? Of course almost no one is that patient but that's their logic.
Inputing “no bags” at the self checkout at the grocery store to avoid the $0.10 fee
This is a crime, and goes against others efforts to reduce single use plastic. Most stores are obliged to donate profits from those also, so stealing from charity
Donating to charity is part of their tax write off though. So really they're fine
Load More Replies...I think there should be a deduction for having to scan your own f*****g groceries in the first place. Go to a small shop and you get personal, helpful service. Go to a hypermarket owned by multi billionaires and you have to scan everything yourself.....
Uh you don't have to. You are welcome to wait in line with the other people with full carts... or you can take your basket to self checkout and be out in 2 minutes.
Load More Replies...If I didn't have tote bags, the plastic bags from 1 trip to the grocery would practically fill up my garbage bag at home. That's one reason I switched to totes and the other is obvious.
Rebels who want to stick it to the "man" by cheating I mean saving a few pennies
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Lack of public facilities means i p**s were i p**s
In the USA pay toilets are illegal because they were ruled as discriminating against women since it was just the stall that were pay and not the urinals.
Load More Replies...There need to be more public bathroom. Not sure why it started to go downhill in 1980. But it's getting impossible to find one.
I hate it when they don't bother atleast being discrete about it, some people are exhibitionists with that c**p
My sister once got arrested for peeing on the side of the road, which is illegal in Arizona (she was there for a party or something). There weren’t any public bathrooms nearby. Apparently Arizona gets a ton of money from arresting people for this, and they intentionally don’t have public restrooms along the side of the road. They do, however, have police officers posted at the road in the middle of the night for this reason
Running a red light late at night when there is absolutely no traffic in sight
Who does that? It's very dangerous, how could you be sure there's not a cyclist or a pedestrian?
In our country you would very rarely find a cyclist out on the road at night (too dangerous), and stopping at a red light in the dead of night, might just get you hi-jacked or worse. Not saying it's right, but I can understand why.
Load More Replies...I was tempted to do this once in my younger and dumber days. Good thing I didn't, because a semi plowed through the intersection moments later. It seemed to come out of nowhere, and I'd have almost definitely been killed.
Nope, not getting behind this one. This is dangerous and potentially fatal. Not cute.
My work car park had a traffic light exit that would frequently not sense the exiting car, resulting in you sitting and waiting for 10 minutes before giving up and driving through the red light. We also happened to be right next to a police station, so would I usually have the option of calling to a passing cop and saying “Hey, I’m going to go through this red light - you cool?”. They knew about the issue and would just laugh and wave us through.
I've been driving for almost 25 years and I've never intentionally run a red light in my entire life
I’ve been in cabs in a few counties where the driver wouldn’t stop at red lights late at night to avoid us getting robbed. Looking at you South America (and CDMX)
If you are riding a motorcycle you aren't always able to trip the light, so we are able to turn left on a red IF there is no traffic coming and it is safe.
Don't ever go against Murphy's Law. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.
Running a red light is illegal at any hour, anytime, anywhere. Society has rules in order to remain a society, not a s*** show.
Except turning right or left on a red light. Is legal in some places and not it others.
Load More Replies...A very important one here is that only a licensed electrician is legally permitted to do any electrical work, and that includes changing light bulbs, fuses, plugs and even changing peripherals inside a desktop computer. But everybody does it. I think the same is true here of changing tap washers, only a licensed plumber is permitted to do it by law, but everybody does. Oh yes, changing batteries in a smoke alarm is illegal, too.
I work on heavy machinery but am not legally allowed to do so because of my age :)
It's ilegal to feed pigeons in São Paulo. The funny thing is that doesn't diminish the pigeons population but multiplies illnesses because the birds have to eat trash.
Running a red light is illegal at any hour, anytime, anywhere. Society has rules in order to remain a society, not a s*** show.
Except turning right or left on a red light. Is legal in some places and not it others.
Load More Replies...A very important one here is that only a licensed electrician is legally permitted to do any electrical work, and that includes changing light bulbs, fuses, plugs and even changing peripherals inside a desktop computer. But everybody does it. I think the same is true here of changing tap washers, only a licensed plumber is permitted to do it by law, but everybody does. Oh yes, changing batteries in a smoke alarm is illegal, too.
I work on heavy machinery but am not legally allowed to do so because of my age :)
It's ilegal to feed pigeons in São Paulo. The funny thing is that doesn't diminish the pigeons population but multiplies illnesses because the birds have to eat trash.
