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Bugmaster comments on Boring Advice Repository - Less Wrong Discussion

56 Post author: Qiaochu_Yuan 07 March 2013 04:33AM

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Comment author: Bugmaster 25 March 2013 06:22:12AM 6 points [-]

In most countries, including the USA, it is prohibitively difficult to completely avoid committing crimes. For example, you commit a crime whenever you:

  • Drive over the speed limit
  • Sing "Happy Birthday" to someone
  • Watch a movie at home with friends (depending on the media)
  • Make off-color jokes in public
  • Drink alcohol (depending on location)
  • Post certain kinds of jokes on Twitter
  • Create software of almost any kind

Most of the laws that define such actions as crimes are rarely enforced here in the USA -- until you happen to draw an attention of some moderately powerful person or entity, at which point the enforcement kicks in. However, it would be difficult (though not, I suppose, impossible) to lead a normal life without committing any such minor crimes.

Comment author: asparisi 16 April 2013 04:46:03PM 5 points [-]

Technical note: some of these are Torts, not Crimes. (Singing Happy Birthday, Watching a Movie, or making an Off-Color Joke are not crimes, barring special circumstances, but they may well be Torts.)

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