# Should it be legal to kill anti-social neighbours ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 20, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266 "2011-10-20T16:21:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![studmuffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@studmuffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/studmuffin)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/1 "2011-10-20T16:21:52Z")
You know you want to, because that’s the 3rd alcohol fuelled all night argument you’ve had to suffer since Saturday. I think a jury would sympathise. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/2 "2011-10-20T16:23:25Z")
I think we should at least be able to maim them. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/3 "2011-10-20T16:23:33Z")
Im good with that. I would also propose making it legal to kill anyone driving around on a motorbike that shakes the windows of your house. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/4 "2011-10-20T16:23:35Z")
Wouldn’t the desire to kill antisocial neighbours be a sign of antisocial tendencies? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/5 "2011-10-20T16:24:53Z")
Not if you have a polite conversation with them as you kill them. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/6 "2011-10-20T16:24:54Z")
One problem immediately comes to mind; killing your neighbors is _definitely_ an antisocial act. It’s like the old joke about how anyone who believes in eugenics should be sterilized… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/7 "2011-10-20T16:27:58Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Not if you have a polite conversation with them as you kill them. Oh, well if you kill them _politely_… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/8 "2011-10-20T16:34:35Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > It’s like the old joke about how anyone who believes in eugenics should be sterilized… “If he thinks he’s getting off on an insanity plea, he’s crazy!” -Nancy Grace ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/9 "2011-10-20T16:34:38Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Wouldn’t the desire to kill antisocial neighbours be a sign of antisocial tendencies? They started it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/10 "2011-10-20T16:48:49Z")
If they are that loud, call the cops. ---
**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/11 "2011-10-20T16:58:11Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > If they are that loud, call the cops. And they kill them? ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/12 "2011-10-20T17:09:19Z")
> [@studmuffin](#): > > You know you want to, because that’s the 3rd alcohol fuelled all night argument you’ve had to suffer since Saturday. > > I think a jury would sympathise. :eek: Hey now, all antisocial people are not loud and obnoxious. I’ll vote for wanting to kill loud, interfering and annoying neighbors but I can’t support the antisocial option. Which might possibly be because I could possibly be included in the antisocial category ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/13 "2011-10-20T17:17:06Z")
You can’t kill them, you just have no obligation to save them from a house fire. That you started. ---
**Author:** ![Dahnlor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahnlor/32/533_2.png) [@Dahnlor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahnlor)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/14 "2011-10-20T17:18:22Z")
> [@Fish\_Cheer](#): > > And they kill them? That’s their job. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/15 "2011-10-20T17:19:35Z")
There’s a difference between [_asocial_ and _antisocial._](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/asocial) Many people are asocial, but IMHO _antisocial_ takes things a step further. ETA: comment related to **Moonlitherial’s** post… ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/16 "2011-10-20T17:26:13Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Oh, well if you kill them _politely_… 😛 Hi Andy. How have you been? Good to hear. And how are the wife and kids? Good, good. Can I offer you a cup of tea? Oh, if it’s not terribly inconvenient, I’d like to stick this very long knife though your chest. Would that be OK? Great, I knew I could count on you. Hold still – there we go! So how’s work been going? Andy? Andy? Oh dear, I’m dreadfully sorry. ---
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/17 "2011-10-20T17:31:57Z")
I’ve got a great solution: if all the neighbors agree with you, then you should be able to rid the neighborhood of the problem person. I would be able to get rid of my crazy neighbor, she leaves rambling 5+minute messages on everyone’s answering machine about whatever weird thing she is accusing them of currently. [ul] [li]Our latest: we were stealing the gravel out of her driveway and replacing it with cement dust. (pronounce cee-ment of course). [/li][li]My other neighbor was accused of removing the “wild grapes” from her fence, when in all actuality he was removing poison ivy from his fence. [/li][li]And her other neighbor was accused of stealing her plants pots. [/li][li]And one more neighbor was accused of “vandalism” while he walked through everyone’s back-40 looking for his dog.[/li][/ul]She’s well loved around our neighborhood, which my husband has taken to calling “Oddball Acres”. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/18 "2011-10-20T18:35:31Z")
Moving from IMHO to MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/19 "2011-10-20T19:07:25Z")
If you were not invited, yes, it should be legal. It’s certainly ethical, moral, and socially responsible. But if you were invited and chose not to attend, then it sounds like sour grapes on your part. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266/20 "2011-10-20T19:21:26Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > If you were not invited, yes, it should be legal. It’s certainly ethical, moral, and socially responsible. But if you were invited and chose not to attend, then it sounds like sour grapes on your part. Dear Neighbour, I would like to invite you, and your good lady wife, to the Wednesday Night Argument I shall be celebrating with my cheating weaselly bastard of a husband. Let’s face it; you can all hear it, so you might as well come along and join in. Light refreshments and cheap nasty alcohol shall be available from 8, until we all get too tired to scream or we decide to make up and have noisy drunken sex. Evening dress. Yours sincerely, Shitty Neighbour, RSVP [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-it-be-legal-to-kill-anti-social-neighbours/600266.md?page=2)