# Do penalties exist for "symbolic" crimes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 9, 2004, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-penalties-exist-for-symbolic-crimes/233283 "2004-03-09T09:11:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-penalties-exist-for-symbolic-crimes/233283/21 "2004-03-10T12:14:15Z")
If we’re worried about battery, why not consider giving a child food that er religion forbids? Or suggesting the child pray to another God? Or some other example where touching isn’t a problem. There’s still a continuum - “It’s ok, fish isn’t meat” or “It’s ok, your parents wouldn’t mind” or “Meat? No, none here, honestly” ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-penalties-exist-for-symbolic-crimes/233283/22 "2004-03-10T13:05:29Z")
re: the witch question, is it in any way analogous to threatening bolily harm to someone? Isn’t there a law against that, such as threatening to murder someone? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-penalties-exist-for-symbolic-crimes/233283/23 "2004-03-10T14:37:58Z")
A witch’s curse could be seen as an assault, but IIRC assault requires a reasonable belief on the part of the alleged victim that there was some actual danger of harm. That I suppose would be a question for the jury, whether a reasonable person would believe that a spoken curse had the potential of causing actual harm. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-penalties-exist-for-symbolic-crimes/233283/24 "2004-03-10T15:22:18Z")
OK, in THIS case… > [@bienville](#): > > A few years ago I remember a story of a highschool girl who openly identified as a Witch being suspended or expelled after speaking a curse on another student (causing that other student emotional distress). The school suspension would come under the classification of an _administrative sanction_ for violating conduct regulations, which could simply forbid being verbally abusive to other students. No “crime” here, just misbehavior. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Gutgore\_Blooddrink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Captain\_Gutgore\_Blooddrink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Gutgore_Blooddrink)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-penalties-exist-for-symbolic-crimes/233283/25 "2004-03-10T17:19:46Z")
Hmmmm… Hope this isn’t a hijack, but… I bet, at least in the mid west where I come from, if a child got a Satanic blessing involving nothing innappropriate, then there would be hell to pay, including charges of Satanic abuse. Any thoughts on it looking from that perspective? ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-penalties-exist-for-symbolic-crimes/233283/26 "2004-03-10T17:51:54Z")
> [@Filthy Beast of Meat and Hair](#): > > Hmmmm… > > Hope this isn’t a hijack, but… > > I bet, at least in the mid west where I come from, if a child got a Satanic blessing involving nothing innappropriate, then there would be hell to pay, including charges of Satanic abuse. > > Any thoughts on it looking from that perspective? Are you suggesting that it is against the law to abuse satan? (re: “…charges of Satanic Abuse”) And if so, who would be the complaining party? Would satan actually respond to a subpoena? 😃😃😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-penalties-exist-for-symbolic-crimes/233283.md?page=1)