# At what point is someone "forced' to do something? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 1, 2016, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-is-someone-forced-to-do-something/764646 "2016-09-01T12:52:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-is-someone-forced-to-do-something/764646/21 "2016-09-05T05:44:51Z")
Same question came up in another context recently – Historically, rape was a captial offence. The offence was correspondingly narrowly defined, and the standard of proof was correspondingly high. Often / generally, threats or coercion were not recognised as “force” for the purpose of defining rape. Rape was defined as meaning physical force. Now that it’s not a capital offence by definition, standards of defintion are correspondingly relaxed. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-is-someone-forced-to-do-something/764646/22 "2016-09-05T12:22:04Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_Rat](#): > > Right, because if my boss tells me I have to work Saturday, the cops will be by shortly to pump me full of bullets. I supposed someone can be “forced” in that their decisions are limited by financial necessity. But they are still choices. Maybe you work that Saturday so as not to lose your job or to avoid some short-term work crisis. But you also start looking for a new job if weekend work is something that is going to be a regular occurrence. ---
**Author:** ![Chihuahua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-is-someone-forced-to-do-something/764646/23 "2016-09-05T14:41:49Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > If a guy can’t get a date because he refuses to bathe, is he being coerced by society into lathering up? I will never bathe for the sake of another man! ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-is-someone-forced-to-do-something/764646/24 "2016-09-05T15:48:11Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > What in the world does your comment have to do with **WatchWolf’s** comment? That makes no sense whatsoever. My (poorly made attempt at a) point was the “force” doesn’t necessarily involve courts, judges, guns, or bullets. Maybe that’s why we call it “lethal force” as opposed to just plain ol’ force. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-is-someone-forced-to-do-something/764646/25 "2016-09-05T21:25:46Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_Rat](#): > > My (poorly made attempt at a) point was the “force” doesn’t necessarily involve courts, judges, guns, or bullets. Maybe that’s why we call it “lethal force” as opposed to just plain ol’ force. What if you tell your secretary, “Suck my dick or else lose your job”? Is that force/coercion? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-is-someone-forced-to-do-something/764646/26 "2016-09-05T21:48:09Z")
When the consequences of not acquiescing are worse than acquiescing, that’s force. (I may be drunk, but that seems right.) ---
**Author:** ![Chihuahua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-is-someone-forced-to-do-something/764646/27 "2016-09-05T22:11:07Z")
> [@SmartAlecCat](#): > > So if you go all the way to the extreme – threaten eternal torment for those who don’t, does the Christian god “force” his adherents to accept Christ as their savior? This is precisely why I gave up on Christianity. I couldn’t accept the contradiction of an allegedly benevolent God saying, “Love me _or else_.” ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-is-someone-forced-to-do-something/764646/28 "2016-09-05T22:12:30Z")
Somewhere between 10 and 14 years-old. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-is-someone-forced-to-do-something/764646/29 "2016-09-06T02:35:51Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > Only the use or threat of **physical violence** is coercive. Claiming anything else is an attempt to adopt the language of libertarianism Fines, loss of job, foreclosure, loss of citizenship, blackmail, all sound nonviolently coercive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-is-someone-forced-to-do-something/764646.md?page=1)