Unwritten vs. unthought of

In My Humble Opinion
1

When you notice people aren’t doing certain things, how can you tell if doing that certain thing will break an unwritten rule or if it simply hasn’t been thought of?

2

I think I speak for many when I say, “Huh?”

3

There is nothing new under the sun. It’s all been thought of before and broken long before any of us got here.

So while it may be tempting to piss all over that elecric fence and the sign clearly does not prohibit you doing so. Don’t.

4

Hmmm… Unwritten vs. unthought of

It’s tough to pick a winner between the two given you provided such coherent criteria [/sarcasm]

I’ll pick “unthought of,” because any enforceable rule or law should be documented (i.e. ‘written’).

Do I get a prize?

5

An example…

Let me think…

You have these group of friends, and you notice that certain topics are never discussed.

6

I dunno. Jump in to one of said topics head first and see where it gets ya! Then come back here and report on your experience. :smiley:

7

It’s only an example. I don’t have this issue with anyone I currently interact with.

8

But that’s the answer to your question. There’s no way to tell.

9

I’m going to take a stab at this even though I share the resounding “Huh?” sentiment that others are expressing.

Are you saying, for example, that you have a group of friends that enjoys discussing topical subjects, even controversial ones, but for some reason, the abortion debate has never come up? And that you’re wondering how you can tell if it’s because they’re intentionally avoiding the topic, or if it’s because it’s never occurred to them to have that particular debate?

Am I even in the ballpark here?

10

Yes.

11

Well, as Faruiza and Misnomer have already alluded to, I don’t know that you would be able to tell for sure without trying to bring up the topic yourself and gauging their reaction. I’m sure the expression on their faces would give away the answer rather quickly.

I’d also wonder why your friends, as a group, would collectively decide to avoid a topic, but not let you in on this knowledge. Doesn’t sound like a good group of hypothetical friends to me.