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I Asked Our Community What They Think Is Not Illegal But Should Be, 45 Responded
There are things that are considered wrong by a lot of people, however, one cannot do anything about them because they don't violate the law. Keeping that in mind, I asked the Bored Panda community to share some examples of what they think should be illegal but is not. Apparently, there are many things!
Here are the responses from our Pandas. What do you think should be illegal but is not? Let me know in the comments!
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Children's beauty pageants - parading kids in lipstick and padded bikinis - is wrong.
Removing puppies' tails or ears for cosmetic purposes. One of the most stupid things ever done to an animal.
The Pink Tax and making pads, tampons, and other essential items ridiculously expensive. I recently had to pay 10 dollars for a pack of 24.
we need them. its not like having a period is a choice. its not like when its my time of the month I can just be like "ya know what? I'm not gonna bleed today. I'm super broke."
Politicians voting on their own pay raises.
The American Health Care System. And anyone who makes a profit from it.
Listening to music or videos on your phone in public without headphones!!
Ads that put a fake X in the corner to basically force you into their clickbait.
CEOs making billions of dollars while their employees work 2 or more jobs just to keep a roof over their family’s heads.
How drug companies make “need to live” medical products cost more than one’s paycheck. Example: insulin, EpiPens, and anti-rejection meds for organ transplant patients.
In the U.S., advertising for pharmaceutical drugs. Your healthcare providers should be the ones suggesting what drugs may be beneficial to you, not a bunch of TV commercials.
Bullying. Punishments are too light for both child and adult offenders.
Gender Reveal Parties (or at least the ones that require explosives)
It's so dumb and people are always getting hurt from these. Popping a balloon is one thing, but firing a cannon? Not okay.
Why is everyone so invested in someone's kid's genitals?! The best gender reveal party would involve popping a balloon that sprinkled biodegradable purple confetti, followed by "Yakkity Sax" blasting on speakers while a couple people in fairy wings skip around with signs that say "Gender is a social construct," "Kids are more than gender," and "Ask me about my personally signed copy of Judith Butler's Gender Trouble."
Employers not paying a living wage.
Plastic clam shell packaging. Especially when it's used for a knife or pair of scissors.
For-profit health insurance companies. Another one: for-profit news organizations. I'm tired of "news" being more about evoking a visceral emotional response to get more clicks and money as opposed to thoughtfully laying out facts and reality (appealing to the intellect).
Bullfighting
Not being paid equally because you're not male. Like, how has this not been written into law!
Indeed. Everyone knows it's still happening, but governments aren't changing it, except Iceland. I think they've made it law for all genders to be paid equally.
Spam. Junkmail, that is (not the canned meat product).
Littering. Whoever gets caught dumping their trash somewhere where it doesn't belong (beach, ocean, streets, parks) should pay a fine or face legal proceedings.
Where I live technically you do have to pay a fine, but it isnt ever inforced.
I think that child marriage (marriage below 18) should be illegal with NO exceptions. It creates so much trouble for the kids, yet so many states still have many loopholes. Only a few have a strict ban. NO parental consent, NO exceptions, and KEEP it that way. Sometimes it is used to keep a rapist out of jail because the child is pregnant. There was actually a case, by the way, where a girl's father or mother had her married because her boyfriend got her pregnant while drunk. She only consented because she loved him, and she was happy to be a mother. Sadly, the child miscarried during the wedding, but her folks never got punished for this. Instead, they went to a different state to get consent from a judge. Man, life is wrong!
Lobbying.
Chewing gum and then sticking it on things which are not in a bin should be banished.
Came out of a store, the other day, to find a huge wad of bright blue chewing gum stuck onto my front bumper! I mean, wtf kind of person does that? Luckily it was raining and it just slid off when nudged with the toe of a shoe but STILL! UGH!
The gay panic defense (in some states is banned, most not though). Basically, it’s legal for someone to MURDER a gay person if they claim that they had an “uncontrollable reaction” to seeing a gay person. Yeah. I believe the men who murdered Matthew Shephard tried to use this defense.
Should definitely be banned.
Overloaded sugar in drinks and snacks.
Kissing babies that are not your own!
Wait- eww people do that?? I mean I kiss my baby cousin but she’s my cousin!
Smoking right at the entrance / exit of a building. I always have to cross a "smoke screen" when I exit the train station or want to enter a hospital. Some hospitals have taken action to create a "smoke area" away from their doors and I think it should be so for every public facility.
In the UK you have to be a minimum of 6ft away from an entryway or exit.
Fireworks. They upset my dog.
I think a lot of people would be mad about that because they are a fun tradition for some people. I used to love fireworks, but now I am scared of them because they are dangerous and I don't like loud noise anymore.
Doing things to a child because the parent consented. From kissing to ear piercings to stealing. Especially if the child is old enough to tell you if you can or can't.
Gerrymandering by sitting politicians
Excessive and unnecessary plastic packaging on products.
meta-data harvest/banking and data-profiling.
Especially menstrual cycle apps, now that the pro birthers have won this battle...just not the war
Spreading anti-vax information to any public platform
Any mention of vaccines on Facebook in Australia now gets a link to the real information by the government/health system, regardless if it's about a covid one
Showing school children in programs as being sexually attractive.
Reminds me of a perfume from the 1970s called Love's Baby Soft. Their full-page ad on the backs of magazines offered (yes, that's the right word) a girl of no more than 12 wearing makeup - complete with sticky red lips - looking into the camera, cuddling a teddy bear.
Having a system of government that transfers wealth upwards.
Regulation is the means by which the wealthy and powerful use government to protect their market share. The notion of a "well-regulated free market" is oxymoronic. As information technology expands, economies are increasingly able to be controlled not by regulation, but by informed choices. So Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Disney, GM, Exxon, etc., urgently convince people that they need more regulation. Absent governmental controls (like 100-year copyrights, frivolous patents, etc.), wealth and power will obey the law of entropy.
The electoral college
I mean, simply stating here, it’s controversial bc while it does give other small cities and states better recognition, it also was enacted bc America was founded by rich white men who did not want the poor white men “interfering”with the government. So if it was created to keep “uneducated” opinions from tainting the presidential vote, is it really still necessary in a society full of much more educated people than there were in the 18th century? Guess it really kind of depends on knowledge extents and educated opinions.
Over testing in schools. I feel more like a lab rat than a 5th grade kid!
But how else will we knowledge when you are ready for the next stage of the experiment. Err next class.
The 2 party system
catcalling women
In addition, women should respect men the same way. I'm in high school and just the way people talk to each other... it's so sexual and uncomfortable without the receiver's consent. It doesn't matter the gender, it's the action in general. And before you downvote me, I am a girl
Monday's. Nobody likes them so lets ban that day
February, too. It's short, nobody likes it, and just to be a pain in the butt, every four years they add a day.
Germany’s age of sexual consent laws: The age of sexual consent in Germany is 14, and it means that a 65 year old man can fully legitimately and legally have sex with a 14 year old girl. How on earth can that be????
Female circumcision. Still practiced in many countries. One of the « reasons » for it is the logic that a woman who can’t experience sexual pleasure is less likely to stray. Let that sink in and then google it. I think if I get descriptive this won’t be posted.
cops killing people and death sentences like "killing is bad so lets kill the person who killed people"
I personally believe that a person who committed one crime should be given a second chance. But some people are irredeemable . A person who has raped and killed 3 infants should never set foot on the streets again. (To out an example). Since keeping people locked for life is cruel and expensive I don’t see why death penalty shouldn’t be an option for them. Maybe it could be a choice for the inmate to never be free again or to die. (I would chose the second)
Rich people being able to pay no taxes.
The entire financial burden of running the modern state is borne by the shrinking middle class, because the rich have made it legal for them to get around paying taxes.
People standing on the left side on escalators. It is so annoying when you are in a hurry!
2020.
Not wearing a mask in public spaces
Gerrymandering. It's at minimum a hindrance to democracy.
Selling mortgages. At least require the buyer to honor all agreements with the initial customer. As it stands it's just a scam and real people pay the consequences.
Talking during movies. (Previews okay)
Bullying by kids!!! Their parents should also be held accountable. So many are informed about their child’s actions and don’t care to do anything about it! Examples should be made of the bullies so it deters other children from acting the same way!
In some cases, cancel culture and people who same other people for their opinions ( again, in some cases)
One day, the cancel culture will cancel itself, it's just meant to happen xD
Three things that generate a lot of waste: 1) Designed obsolescence (i.e. the old model and parts don't work because we made an unnecessary change to the new model, Ex: iPhone requires special accessories that only work with iPhone plug....and then new iPhone has a new plug so you have to buy new accessories); 2) Inability for the consumer to repair what the manufacturer CAN repair (i.e. we won't sell you the small parts that are broken, you have to buy a whole new assembly, even though we make the assembly from the small parts that you need., Ex: you can't buy a replacement battery for your phone, you have to buy a new phone); 3) Unnecessary new models that drive consumerism without actually benefitting the consumer. (i.e. a "new" model car comes out every year, but meaningful changes for that model only happen every ~5+ years, maybe ~3 years for cars)
agree to a point. By your logic, any improvements or technological advancement is prohibited. Talking as a member of a development member who is heavily hindered by old customers on how to do improvements for our product in the future.
Single-player games relying on central server DRM, so when the game's servers get shut down after the popularity dies down, you can't play the game, even though you bought it.
Sorta related, more companies should have backwards compatibility on their consoles so people can play their games longer.
Tannerite, seriously how is the product not controlled at all. You shouldn't be able to just walk into a store and easily walk out with enough explosives to take out a building.
You would need tons of binary explosives to level even a small building.
Circumcision, unless it is for medical reasons the practice should be illegal.
YES DEFINITELY. And using 'religion' as an excuse to do it is stupid.
Derogatory terms like the n-word and f slur
Influencers.
Yeah. “Influencers” are just people who pose for cameras and make unreal body images that make people feel bad about themselves.
Ignorance. Most people can be educated. Ignorant people choose not to be.
Ignorance is a lack of understanding. Stupidity a choice to disregard the information/education.
Christmas music everywhere you go from Nov 1 to Dec 25. I like some Christmas music but playing it on a loop for 2 months should be criminal.
Denying healthcare or assistance to someone because of poverty gender or race. I hate how governments make up legislations that havens round about way of denying something to someone because of a set belief.
Saying "Oh, I love animals! I care about them so much!" and then not listening to anyone who's telling them when they are torturing them. My family recently got tadpoles. They're really cute. But my younger brother and his friend were TORTURING THEM, with me watching... like dumping them around, putting things in to see what would happen.. And then my dad says, "Hey, please stop nobody likes to see them tortured." Do they listen? Nope.
"I love animals!"
I think I'm going to go cry now.
Was recently made aware of this by my sister... upskirting, aka looking under/flipping up girl’s skirts to see their underwear or, god forbid- their lady bits. How tf this doesn’t count as sexual assault/harassment is beyond me.
The list is long, but here are a few
- Arranged animal fights
- Animal abuse
And,
- String bikinis for toddlers
Berating an store clerk or other employee who asks you to wear a mask per the (posted) company policy. Throwing a tantrum, getting aggressive or physically abusive when someone who asks you to wear a mask or social distance.
Hitting a child should be illegal. If you slapped the person riding next to you on the bus it would be considered assault, but it is legal to hit your own child in all 50 states in the US.
Excusing kids from Sex Ed. The kid won’t be your little dependent 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺 forever.
Or perhaps I would like to teach my child these things as their parent rather than letting some random school teacher twist the lecture to their agenda.
dog fighting. Why would you purposefully make dogs fight? there is no point
Homework 🤣
Have more kids than you can afford.
The biggest issue is that you can't see into the future. Just because you can afford a child now doesn't mean you always can. Like job loss, family separation, unexpected medical bills or therapies for possible disabled child. That doesn't take into account the people who fall pregnant unplanned. It's not black and white.
Bigotry and American Politics.
Being rude to people who work in restaurants, retail, really any customer facing role.
The HFPA. It is so criminal how so many amazing actors were robbed of their awards because of their race. It's honestly infuriating.
Unaffordable college
The use of sophism in political debate, speech and media ... is what I would like to say, but I don't like imposing restriction so I say let's teach critical thinking to everyone so they can defend themselves against intellectual shortcut
Not washing your hands after using the restroom. It is required for some professions, but as an attorney there are plenty of times I’ve seen fellow attorneys leave the restroom after a #2 and walk right past the sink. Though it is good encouragement to skip the community candy bowl.
Pet mills. And not just puppy mills, ALL pet mills. I can't believe there are some 10,000 still out there.
Purposely using the wrong pronouns for somone
those annoying, self-centered, nosy complainers...........!!!!!!!!!!
Using the term ‘Chinese Virus’.
It creates so much hatred, lays blame on people around the world who aren’t even involved. Everyone is a victim in this pandemic. Viruses don’t discriminate, everyone gets sick.
We have to realistic though many dangerous virus DO originate in China, we should not be pretending it does not happen but finding out WHY
The entire body of Patent and Copyright law should be thrown out in the Comuputer Age. It now serves stockholders, not creative people, and keeps them from collaborating. Rather than supporting an army of lawyers, we could track the contributors to successful works of all kinds, and recognize them with enough money to continue their work from general revenue.
Gas-powered leaf blowers. The engines are filthy, producing hundreds of times more pollution than a car engine. They're dangerously loud to the user and those nearby, but are even annoyingly loud from hundreds of feet away. And most morons who use them always use the highest setting, blasting dirt and pollen a hundred feet around and two stories into the air. Using them to move large amounts of wet leaves in the fall makes some sense, but they’re more often used to blow dirt around, scouring the top soil off the ground, destroying insect and small animal habitat, or just raising a giant dust cloud in an urban environment.
It should be illegal for a governor/state legislature/mayor to reverse a proposition voted in by their constituents.
Political correctness.
We have specific words to describe things for the purposes of accuracy. Sometimes the truth hurts. Abandoning accuracy simply for the purposes of sparing someone's feelings is in essence sacrificing the truth for emotion...it is feeding delusion. There has not been a more destructive social force in human interaction than this.
I completely agree. BP is unfortunately a hive of extreme political correctness, so don't expect to be popular around here.
Gossiping. It destroys lives.
Free speech. It isn't pleasant but most of us do it. What annoys me the most is somebody reporting back to the victim what gossip is being said and it's the one doing the reporting back who is usually the instigator of the gossip or they have claimed that the third party was talking bad about the victim.
Spending more than two months for political campaigns in the U.S.
Allowing children to overeat when you know for a fact that they are already battling health complications due their diet or weight.
Playing music or watching a video on your phone, in public, sans headphones.
Disability scooter owners should have to pass some kind of test to drive on public roads.
Most disability scooters are not street legal. If they are on the street they are in violation of the law. Disability scooter user here.
that one parent that expects a lot from their kid like "I WANT ALL As or i take away ur playstation".
RELAX they're just kids
i dont know anyone with parents like that, but i know these parents exist
Mobile game membership scams that prey on innocent children
Having more items than allowed in the scan it yourself lanes, especially when you are slow at scanning.
Helicopter parents.
Affirmative action - only being allowed to apply for jobs based on your skin color, not on experience
Explicit hip hop lyrics that talks us through how great the artist is in bed on the radio. Hittinitfromnabac is so meh.
buffalo wings (how did they find buffalo with wings?)
touching your phone even with a single finger while driving. safety first!
In my country, it is. You get a ticket and a "clip" on your license. 3 times, and you lose the license.
D.I.Y life hacks ex...123,GO 5 MIN crafts ect..
Neighbours who constantly slam doors deliberately to make a noise as they think the street is too quiet. The front door frame should be altered so their front door is a swing door that only shut when locked and so can't be slammed. And only have plastic concertina doors inside their home. Or who have loud TV or music on late at night when they could use headphones. The same ones who have blaring music out of wide open windows when it's warm and then swig cheap beer all day as they are thirsty when they could be drinking tea, water or juice.
Landlords and council noise departments who don't deal with people like that.
Influencers....as it seems to make so many of them feel they are entitled to 'free' and the people that follow them don't seem to have their own thoughts any more.
I do not recognize "influencing" as a job. I think they are leeches.
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The take away from this is that so many things are legal in the USA that are illegal and actively enforced in the U.K. and Europe.
But, but... It's the greatest country in the world...
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Influencers....as it seems to make so many of them feel they are entitled to 'free' and the people that follow them don't seem to have their own thoughts any more.
I do not recognize "influencing" as a job. I think they are leeches.
Load More Replies... The take away from this is that so many things are legal in the USA that are illegal and actively enforced in the U.K. and Europe.
But, but... It's the greatest country in the world...
Load More Replies... 