From how we dress and what we eat to how we talk and even what we allow ourselves to feel; we humans need to internalize a lot of rules if we are to properly function in our societies.
But as you probably know, it can be tricky to rationalize if our actions are acceptable or not.
Recently, Reddit user IPlayBongos was browsing the platform when they came across the question "What feels illegal, but isn't?" in one of the subreddits they follow. "I can't remember which one now, but it was a post that had ... one funny answer (I think it was ... about feeling guilty to leave a supermarket without buying anything.)," they told Bored Panda.
"I thought there must be so many other things that feel this way in life so I just went to r/AskReddit to see what people can come up with."
IPlayBongos reposted the same question there and it instantly caught the eye of the 35.6M-big community. So even though it's not technically an original idea, the Redditor did correctly identify the immense potential of entertainment it possessed. And we're really glad they decided to seek more replies because of the nearly 9K comments IPlayBongos has received, many pinpointed the exact circumstances our moral ambiguity kicks in.
Since we at Bored Panda had such a blast going through the discussion, we decided to compile the most interesting ones and bring you in on the fun too. Enjoy!
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A hundred-billion-dollar corporation paying absolutely zero in taxes whilst also owning several billion-dollar businesses.
Bringing your baby home from the hospital the first time. I remember thinking “they’re really going to let me just walk out of here with this fragile infant and no experience?!”
"I would say most of the answers were driven by some expectations that should be fulfilled by some societal measures, but it somehow feels wrong if they are not," IPlayBongos said. "Like in the supermarket example above, it just feels strange to go inside a store and not buy anything because if you leave empty-handed it feels awkward to just pass by the cashier and simply say bye to them or to just slip out around so many paying customers."
Or consider another scenario: you're talking to colleagues during a coffee break and your boss rolls around. "Even if he doesn't say anything and you're perfectly ok joking around on your break, it somehow reminds you of your duties and the fun dies down."
"One of the top comments was a guy who uses a wheelchair, but still can stand up if needed," IPlayBongos added. "It makes perfect sense to use a wheelchair even if you're not completely disabled, but maybe it's also the fault of pop culture and the infinite gags about faking a disability that we feel like wheelchairs are strictly for people with serious disabilities and others are fakes."
The Redditor said it was actually one answer that they did not expect to hear and that is precisely why they like the platform. "There's always someone who faces completely different challenges than you and it is eye opening [to hear about them]," IPlayBongos said.
Asking someone for the money you lent to him/her.
My dear old dad used to say not to lend more money than you're willing to lose. Solid advice, I don't lend money to anyone besides my mom. I never expect her to pay me back because she's mom and has only ever asked twice to borrow money.
It feels illegal getting out of my wheelchair. I’m not paralyzed but it helps to have a wheelchair, but people always think I’m faking a disability when I get out of my chair.
Your employer will tell you you're not allowed to discuss your wages but legally you are and you cannot be fired for it
It may be legal to discuss your wages with fellow employees, but I bet you're two to one if you do it and you tell your boss that they'll figure out a way to fire you.
U.S legislators are allowed to trade stock in and sit on boards of private companies while passing legislation affecting those companies.
Walking out of a store without buying smth
Yep. I would just kinda anxiously nod at security at the exit and fear they'll stop me, thinking I might've shoplifted something. :')
Driving next to a cop at the speed limit
Or in front of. Heck, I get nervous driving behind them because I had a cop use his rear speed radar and some questionable and unsafe driving tactics to goad me into speeding, just long enough for him to drop behind me then pull me over. He ultimately fined me for doing 70 in a 60, saying he could've nailed me for 75. Judge threw it out in court after hearing about his shenanigans on the highway. Apparently he had a habit of using unorthodox and unsafe maneuvers to trick people into breaking a traffic law just so he could ticket them. I still had to pay admin fees but that was nothing compared to the $300 fine itself.
Being a 30-something male and taking your 4 yr old niece to a kid's live musical. My partner and I took my niece to the Frozen live musical today. Because we purchased tickets at late notice, I had to take a seat in the row behind my (female)partner and my niece. The stares I was getting from the other audience members because I was a dude sitting by myself at a kid's musical... I felt like I should've been in prison.
9/10 though would do it again, the Frozen musical was great!
Sitting at the restaurant, not liking the menu, and leaving.
German restaurants usually have the menu posted outside so you can read it before you enter - don't you have this in the US? It saves everyone a lot of trouble, especially if you are vegetarian.
Coughing in public places
Big companies buying up a whole bunch of housing in some city and renting it out to visitors.
Not liking dogs. People treat it as the worst thing in the world if you aren't deathly allergic and just don't like dogs.
Having fun at work. Your boss walks around the corner and everybody scatters in the most totally not suspicious way.
Bringing reusable grocery bags to a different grocery store than the one the bags are branded as.
I feel completely the opposite - I am always worried that they will ask me to pay for it again if I use it in the shop it came from. No problem with one from another store :).
Using the other genders bathroom when yours is occupied
I have tried looking up laws in the US concerning this, and found NONE!
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A few years ago I was waiting at a women's single seater when I noticed the men's room was unoccupied (one of those indicators on the door lock). I pointed it out to the woman in front of me and she gasped "That's the men's!" My response was "They don't store them in there. There's a water closet (toilet) and lavatory inside just like the women's room. So you're not going to use it?" She looked horrified. I went in and was out before she got to use the ladies room. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
The way I see it if I got to go I'm going to go. If the women's room is crowded and the men's room is empty I'll just go in there.
Long line for women's restroom coupled with urgent need, my husband scouted then waved me over to men's room. Felt a little criminal walking out but infinitely better than soiling myself.
i know some people use the handicapped ones all the time because they are cleaner...
Um, is that a problem? In the public bathrooms I go to, they always have 1 handicapped stall, and if there's nobody waiting to use it then everyone just uses it like it's a normal stall. Are you not supposed to use it?
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I would argue that most public restrooms should be unisex simply so that we don't have any unused toilets due to a gender imbalance in a crowded area
In a overcrowded future Earth, Isaac Asimov envisioned unisex bathrooms. They were called "the P & S".
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I can't remember how many times I've used the men's room because the line for the ladies was a mile long.
OMG. Especially when I was pregnant. My husband would check inside, let me in and then post himself outside.
If this is in reference to individual use bathrooms then yes I'll do that. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure it is illegal
As a pre-school kid I was often mistaken for a boy, so I was ushered into the men's, I was fine with that. Had an encounter of sorts: Heard some grunting and moaning from a few stalls down. When I was finished, I dallied washing my hands and two men exited the mentioned stall. "One man helped the other man go poop" I thought. Innocent me :-)
I don't understand why the bathrooms are gendered to begin with if they are a single room that locks.
Agreed. Maybe because they include a urinal in one and not the other? I dunno. Most of the single stall ones around here say "family restroom".
Load More Replies... As long as there's not multiple stalls I'll hit the malle BR if I need to, but I still feel uncomfortable stating at the urinals lol
Yep. My coffee shop has single stall gendered bathrooms but the only difference is the men's also has a urinal. I've used it several times when the women's is occupied and I have to clock in in 3 minutes.
I've had some unpleasant encounters with "ladies" because of using "their" bathroom. A toilet is a toilet. Just to clarify, I'm talking about single occupancy bathrooms.
I think the post is referring to men using women's and woman using the men's restroom. If you're trans, use the one you identify with. Most people don't scan the room looking for it.
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Lol pregnancy bladder has got me like that a few times😂 but at that point it's eather that bathroom or my pants so 🤷♀️
Lol pregnancy bladder gets me like that😂 but at that point I don't care😂
Using the empty 'disabled' bathroom when the queue for the ladies is 5m out the door
Single-occupant bathroom, fine. Multi-occupant bathroom significantly less fine.
If it is a single person, who cares? The only thing that bothers me is how nasty the guys bathrooms are kept
One time they shut down the men's restroom. No females were inside the females bathroom, asked a male worker can I use the females bathroom and he said sure. Make sure no females are in there
I did that once by mistake. I was at a restaurant with signs on the door that were fancy-schmancy and I didn't understand who goes where.
Last time I checked toilets all worked the same, the sinks are the same, the toilet paper is the same, the soap is the same and the hand towels are the same. If it's a single occupancy toilet room, what difference does it make?
I will admit to using gender and sexuality politics to my advantage a couple of times. I was on the verge of sh*thing my pants, the first time I took a stool softener, as I hadn't gone in nearly a week. Men room was full. Darted into the womens. Got caught coming out. Told them I was 10 years on T, born female, and it was an emergency. Better than facing charges. Another time, a woman id never met accused me of staring and harassing, stalking, etc. I looked at her, said "you're not my type". She told the cop to make me prove it. So I said "ma'am, you don't have a d*ck". Her face turned red, and they both left me alone. I'm not gay, but again, its better than facing charges. In my state, there's no real defense for any sexual accusations, if you're a guy.
If it's one of those one-toilet bathrooms that lock, then sure. It can be really awkward in public bathrooms though...
Heck, I'm a woman and I've sometimes used a men"s room +single stall) if the ladies was occupied. When you gotta go, you gotta go!
Men's restrooms always smell like there are layers of piss on everything. :/
Going in to clean the opposite gender's bathroom is always odd
My school has single occupant key locked faculty restroom who happen to be marked male and female. I DO NOT CARE!
I got over this as a mom with a potty training toddler. Couple people waiting for the women's restroom, men's is empty, kid's gotta go right now. Easy choice.
What should be illegal is people accepting this but hypocritically not accepting trans people using the appropriate bathroom
Personally, "Equal Right" and all, restrooms should have no gender designation!
Sometimes there's no choice. There is almost always a line in the ladies. I have a small bladder and drink constantly. You do the math.
How to know you're the dystopian future in another universe's sci-fi movie?
Men should be in men's restroom and women should be in women's restroom I get the whole idea that people feel like there's something else than what scientifically their genes say and that's all fine and dandy for being at your house but personally if a man walks into the woman's restroom with my child in there and he's got a d**k but claims he wants to be a trans you don't have to worry about the cops I'll handle it myself cuz that is not right. You need to think about the parents of the children and how they feel too it is a public restroom for everybody to use that means there has to be proper rules and things to follow
If a man walks into a mens room with your child in there, it's okay? Because predators apparently don't use mens toilets or male children aren't worth protecting? What about intersexed people? XO, XXY, XXO, XXYY? Are you going to genetically test everyone? And are you going to be checking everyone's crotches for a penis before they go in? Are you going to stop every woman who looks like she's packing to feel if it's a sanitary napkin? Can you differentiate between a virilized clitoris from PCOS from a micropenis visually? And women can be sexual predators, too, so are you going to just beat everyone up to be sure?
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Card counting in a casino. It’s totally legal within the law, but the security and management will make you feel like a criminal for doing it.
They would be banning you from doing math in your own head, right? Loads of dystopian sci fi novels tell me that's "thought policing."
Purchasing an item with no bag, and leaving the shop with it under your arm
Watching a video on your phone at full volume in a public place, I've done this a few times on accident and I wanted to crawl out of my skin and [pass away].
Taking time off work always feels illegal. Even if it's paid time off I've earned.
The first time driving a car after you've got your license
I have my licence for more than 28 years now and it STILL feels weird.
My dad had a tendency to go to a store and eat and drink off the shelves. Then go pay for the wrapper at the end. Always thought we'd get arrested for that.
This technically is actually illegal. Until you pay for the goods, you do not own them and the shop owner/manager has the right to withdraw any goods from sale. By eating or drinking the produce before you pay for them you are taking away the owner/manager's right to exercise control of their goods.
Walking into a store with a mask on, your hood up, all with sunglasses
This is not illegal but it is shady, First the mask thing is nothing, everyone is wearing or not wearing masks right now, However when you walk into a store with your hood up and sunglasses on inside a store it possibly could put the staff on notice that you - might - be there to steal. I know it's not fair but they don't know you, they've never met you so they have to go with their instincts.
Going to a concert after covid. After the last 2 years of avoiding crowds and people it just feels wrong.
Getting a haircut from someone other than your regular hairdresser
Pulling your pants down when you have 2 pairs of pants
Note: this post originally had 50 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Changing your daughter's diaper on the front seat of your truck in winter at a gas station feels like child abuse even though the men's room doesn't have a place to do that.
Trust me, it’s much cleaner doing that in the car. Public bathrooms are no places to change a child.
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Being handicapped and needing to exercise your “head of the line” privilege, or any other accommodation, always feels very illegal to me. I try really hard to not be that person, but sometimes my pain is just too much and I need to get my stuff done fast. The dirty looks people give (even the employees) are enough to make me want to never leave my house again.
You can always go in front of me. My mother is disabled and she is treated awfully for needing a mobility scooter or help in the store or using services that are available to her. It is almost to the point that she would rather stay home and have me go. I like to take her with me so she gets out of the house (plus we have a good time) and I make people feel bad if they make her feel bad. You don't owe anyone an explanation for using the services you need and you can have my place in line.
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When you go and check somebody’s profile on this site or others and go check their old posts
Yeah it feels like stalking or snooping through someones private information.
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Knew someone who said her foster parents told her it was illegal for women not to wear a bra.
Wow, I can relate to that. My mother got me to wear one when I had absolutely nothing to show (at the time). Same mentality.
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Buying a shirt at a store and then wearing that shirt to the same store the same week.
When your parents tell you you can do something while their gone I always feel like a criminal doing like did I hear them wrong and im gonna get in trouble?
I know right? My parents tell me to eat whatever and when I touch the snacks that are meant to be eaten once in a while I feel so nervous
Load More Replies... Feeling guilty at leaving a bad marriage because of what job he had, using cloth diapers when everyone else didn't, marrying my soul mate because I got a 2nd chance at love. The list is longer but someone pointed those out to me specifically as to not feel guilty. It's hard but I've done it; working on the list.
Because of the job? Why, what was wrong with it?
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Being 39 and pregnant. I'm sorry me having a baby isn't what people expected. Honestly neither did I but that's not the point. I'm happy to be blessed and if you're going to have a problem with that then I don't want you to be a part of my life!
Years ago, I left the eye doctor after having my eyes dilated. I entered a grocery store wearing my sunglasses. A customer approached and loudly berated me for wearing shades indoors. Some people!
LOL I know you can't but you should have taken them off that person would have backed the hell off in .2 seconds once they saw your huuuuuuge pupillsss @.@
Load More Replies... being religious, being vegan, being a human, liking modern music. if you are any of these, you will constantly be shamed online
Or being NON-Religious, or just simply being a "white male"
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Eating/drinking anything from the food court/ in store restaurant while walking around the store. Going into a mall business with a drink you bought at the food court. I had a friend with 3 kids who didn't have time to shop and cook dinner, or even sit in a restaurant because one parent was in the hospital and the other was sick. She bought fries and chicken nuggets at the McDonald's in Walmart, dropped them into the fast food bag, and the kids just walked around with her and pulled out food as they were hungry. Technically creative and genius solution. Felt so weird and illegal and borderline trashy. But I guess you just do what you got to do.
I use reusable grocery shopping bags and the first time using them it felt wrong. Like they would think I was stealing. Especially because there are no cashiers so it's all self check. And then I got stopped at the door and they emptied all the bags and checked my receipt. Took 30min. My ice cream melted.
Wait until you use the reusable bags as a market basket before purchase. That really feels illegal.
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These are all such bad examples. Things that legitimately feel illegal within tax code, law, etc should be widely know lest they never be fixed via regulation
Changing your daughter's diaper on the front seat of your truck in winter at a gas station feels like child abuse even though the men's room doesn't have a place to do that.
Trust me, it’s much cleaner doing that in the car. Public bathrooms are no places to change a child.
Load More Replies... Being handicapped and needing to exercise your “head of the line” privilege, or any other accommodation, always feels very illegal to me. I try really hard to not be that person, but sometimes my pain is just too much and I need to get my stuff done fast. The dirty looks people give (even the employees) are enough to make me want to never leave my house again.
You can always go in front of me. My mother is disabled and she is treated awfully for needing a mobility scooter or help in the store or using services that are available to her. It is almost to the point that she would rather stay home and have me go. I like to take her with me so she gets out of the house (plus we have a good time) and I make people feel bad if they make her feel bad. You don't owe anyone an explanation for using the services you need and you can have my place in line.
Load More Replies... When you go and check somebody’s profile on this site or others and go check their old posts
Yeah it feels like stalking or snooping through someones private information.
Load More Replies... Knew someone who said her foster parents told her it was illegal for women not to wear a bra.
Wow, I can relate to that. My mother got me to wear one when I had absolutely nothing to show (at the time). Same mentality.
Load More Replies... Buying a shirt at a store and then wearing that shirt to the same store the same week.
When your parents tell you you can do something while their gone I always feel like a criminal doing like did I hear them wrong and im gonna get in trouble?
I know right? My parents tell me to eat whatever and when I touch the snacks that are meant to be eaten once in a while I feel so nervous
Load More Replies... Feeling guilty at leaving a bad marriage because of what job he had, using cloth diapers when everyone else didn't, marrying my soul mate because I got a 2nd chance at love. The list is longer but someone pointed those out to me specifically as to not feel guilty. It's hard but I've done it; working on the list.
Because of the job? Why, what was wrong with it?
Load More Replies... Being 39 and pregnant. I'm sorry me having a baby isn't what people expected. Honestly neither did I but that's not the point. I'm happy to be blessed and if you're going to have a problem with that then I don't want you to be a part of my life!
Years ago, I left the eye doctor after having my eyes dilated. I entered a grocery store wearing my sunglasses. A customer approached and loudly berated me for wearing shades indoors. Some people!
LOL I know you can't but you should have taken them off that person would have backed the hell off in .2 seconds once they saw your huuuuuuge pupillsss @.@
Load More Replies... being religious, being vegan, being a human, liking modern music. if you are any of these, you will constantly be shamed online
Or being NON-Religious, or just simply being a "white male"
Load More Replies... Eating/drinking anything from the food court/ in store restaurant while walking around the store. Going into a mall business with a drink you bought at the food court. I had a friend with 3 kids who didn't have time to shop and cook dinner, or even sit in a restaurant because one parent was in the hospital and the other was sick. She bought fries and chicken nuggets at the McDonald's in Walmart, dropped them into the fast food bag, and the kids just walked around with her and pulled out food as they were hungry. Technically creative and genius solution. Felt so weird and illegal and borderline trashy. But I guess you just do what you got to do.
I use reusable grocery shopping bags and the first time using them it felt wrong. Like they would think I was stealing. Especially because there are no cashiers so it's all self check. And then I got stopped at the door and they emptied all the bags and checked my receipt. Took 30min. My ice cream melted.
Wait until you use the reusable bags as a market basket before purchase. That really feels illegal.
Load More Replies... These are all such bad examples. Things that legitimately feel illegal within tax code, law, etc should be widely know lest they never be fixed via regulation
