Many of us have experienced events that were perceived as normal by the rest of our peers, but to us, it was something outrageous. Just because certain things and actions are technically not illegal doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to push them on the rest of the community. The unspoken rules of high morality, while not having any legal power, should still hold us accountable for those “technically legal” transgressions. Who knows, maybe the law system just hasn’t caught up to our moral progress?
These “legal” activities range from small but consistent annoyances, like still launching fireworks in 2022, to outright despicable things like lobbyism. Not to mention those darn email subscriptions that you definitely never even heard of, but they just keep coming and coming.
Either way, let’s comb through this fascinating discussion posted on r/AskReddit and finally get to the meat and potatoes. We’ll be highlighting only some of the problematic answers, so feel free to check out the original post and maybe throw in some of your own pet peeves that, in your opinion, should become illegal. Have fun!
1. Banning abortion
This is very easy and self-explanatory: your religious views do not matter when it comes to telling other people what to do with their bodies. If a pregnant woman wants an abortion, she’s the only one with the right to make that decision.
2. Child beauty pageants
First of all, these pageants are super creepy, and you always see those old dudes in the crowd thinking who knows what, as they watch the kids parade on stage. Not to mention that these poor children are wearing pounds of makeup instead of playing in the dirt with the rest of the gang. That’s a wasted childhood right there, but at least the mommy’s getting rich!
3. Declawing cats
There’s only one reason to declaw a cat, and that’s when there’s something very wrong with its paws. Even then, there’s probably a less traumatic option you could go with. Just buy a pair of clippers and trim the tips a bit. It’s not that hard.
4. Dumb but powerful people making medical decisions
I don’t want to say that Trump’s “bleach treats COVID” announcement was the craziest thing to ever come out of his mouth, but it’s definitely up there in the top 5.
5. Paparazzi stalkers
See, if stalking is illegal, why aren’t all the paparazzi getting arrested? It’s basically the same invasion of privacy.
6. Fireworks
Fireworks are loud explosions that scare the heck out of pets and may trigger PTSD in those less fortunate of us who have been through the hell of war. Is the 10-second wow effect really worth all this suffering? No, it’s not.
7. Tipping
Crazy idea but how about people who benefit from tips get a better salary so we, the consumers, don’t have to be held hostage morally in this situation?
8. Unskippable ads on Youtube
No, I don’t want to pay for Youtube Premium. Thank you for suggesting that. Just let me skip the ads, please!
9. Releasing birthday balloons
Did you know that gas-filled balloons can stay high up in the atmosphere for days, if not weeks, and travel for hundreds of miles? When they do finally descend, birds and marine animals, like turtles and fish, mistake it for food and can choke to death. Think of all the dead animals next time you decide to let the balloons go.
10. Countries annexing parts of other counties
Oh, wait, it is illegal! Well, for some unexplained reason, it doesn’t feel like Russia is being punished for annexing almost a third of Ukraine’s territory. World leaders are “deeply concerned,” and instead of sending troops and even more weapons faster, they are pushing toward a diplomatic resolution where Ukraine would have nothing to gain. But yeah, Ukraine is just the latest example of this “technically illegal, but we don’t care, so we won’t do anything about it” injustice.
