# What's the worst thing a person can do and NOT break the law? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 3, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438 "2019-05-03T20:09:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/1 "2019-05-03T20:09:35Z")
This seems like an easy question but the best I can come up with is infidelity or possibly corporal punishment. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/2 "2019-05-03T20:22:42Z")
Well, it pretty much depends on the context and the individual perspectives, doesn’t it? Infidelity would be an absolutely devastating cruelty to some people but not such a big deal to others, for example. Same for, e.g., blasphemy, public defecation, or making fun of somebody’s piano performance. I really don’t think you can make a one-size-fits-all rule about the “worst” legal thing to do. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2019, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/3 "2019-05-03T20:26:27Z")
@OP: Not sure corporal punishment would fit your criteria; there are plenty of ways it could land you in legal jeopardy. But - you are allowed to photograph someone else in public as much as you like; it’s in public. So you can creep-stalk. You can also bully and insult someone (within certain limits.) **Kimstu** , I would guess that public defecation violates some public indecent-exposure law? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/4 "2019-05-03T20:26:36Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Well, it pretty much depends on the context and the individual perspectives, doesn’t it? Infidelity would be an absolutely devastating cruelty to some people but not such a big deal to others, for example. Same for, e.g., blasphemy, public defecation, or making fun of somebody’s piano performance. I really don’t think you can make a one-size-fits-all rule about the “worst” legal thing to do. public defecation is not against the law? ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/5 "2019-05-03T20:39:32Z")
That’s kind of a broad question. So under the current scope of ‘everything’, I’ve read some pretty horrendous stories on this board and elsewhere about the psychological trauma inflicted on their children by people who had no business being parents. While some of it was definitely illegal, too much of it was simply amoral. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/6 "2019-05-03T20:41:22Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > This seems like an easy question but the best I can come up with is infidelity or possibly corporal punishment. How about deliberately killing people? Self-defence is an absolute defence, as is necessity. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/7 "2019-05-03T20:44:39Z")
Public humiliation generally isn’t illegal as long as it doesn’t rise to harassment. Find someone with low self esteem, pretend to love them and them humiliate them in public. Evil but not illegal. Or if you own a business, have massive layoffs of employees who have mortgages and families to support. Bribe a politician to change the law to suit you also. Then everything is legal. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/8 "2019-05-03T20:45:37Z")
Upon further quick research, it seems that suicide is not actually illegal in the US under federal statutes. Though some states have their own legislation on the matter. [Cite](https://law.stackexchange.com/questions/1330/to-what-extent-is-suicide-legal-in-the-u-s-and-in-individual-states) ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/9 "2019-05-03T20:46:23Z")
Say very mean things to very nice people. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/10 "2019-05-03T20:51:14Z")
Not showing your receipt when you leave Walmart. They want you to think it’s a law or store policy is the law. They are lying. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/11 "2019-05-03T20:53:25Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Infidelity would be an absolutely devastating cruelty to some people but not such a big deal to others, for example. Infidelity is usually about selfishness; hurting the one you’re supposed to be faithful to is just a side effect. Presumably the deliberate infliction of distress on someone you are presumed to care about might be more awful than mere carelessness. The plot of [In the Company of Men](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Company_of_Men) featured a guy who targeted an insecure woman, pursued a disingenuous romantic relationship with her, and then deliberately dumped her after she had become emotional invested. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/12 "2019-05-03T20:53:46Z")
I think marrying someone under 18 where it’s legal, especially if you’re much older than them, is super bad. ---
**Author:** ![Dickerman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@Dickerman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dickerman)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/13 "2019-05-03T20:59:51Z")
Does it count if the laws won’t be enforced? If so, there’s all sorts of things you can get away with in Seattle. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/14 "2019-05-03T21:02:22Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > public defecation is not against the law? Good point, there may be some places where it isn’t but its typical illegality probably disqualifies it from consideration. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/15 "2019-05-03T21:07:44Z")
What leaps to my mind is gaslighting somebody with intent to make them literally go insane. Which is not something I’ve done, I promise. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/16 "2019-05-03T21:08:35Z")
What about the stuff that Enron was doing? It was apparently within the law, at least mostly, but it harmed a whole lot of people, to varying degrees. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/17 "2019-05-03T21:08:48Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Not showing your receipt when you leave Walmart. They want you to think it’s a law or store policy is the law. They are lying. True, but trespassing someone is beyond trivial, then you can’t go there anymore. If you want to shop there (or Sam’s), you have to play their game. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/18 "2019-05-03T21:21:20Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Public humiliation generally isn’t illegal as long as it doesn’t rise to harassment. > > Find someone with low self esteem, pretend to love them and them humiliate them in public. Evil but not illegal. > > Or if you own a business, have massive layoffs of employees who have mortgages and families to support. I think you (and **begbert2** are on the right track. There are things that anyone who has the right kind of devious mind can do to cause serious psychological harm to other people, without ever breaking the law. And if you happen to be in a position where you have power over people (e.g. a business owner or CEO), you can wield that power in a way that causes a great deal of harm to people. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2019, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/19 "2019-05-03T21:22:21Z")
I’m also assuming the OP only means U.S. law. In some other nations, there are all kinds of violent or murderous things that can be done without running afoul of the law. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438/20 "2019-05-03T21:23:30Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I think marrying someone under 18 where it’s legal, especially if you’re much older than them, is super bad. There was a news story in my state of a police officer in his 40s who was sleeping with his 16 year old step daughter. Prosecutors tried to arrest him but what he did wasn’t illegal. But they wanted to make an example of him, so they gave him a huge sentence for child pornography since he had some photos and videos of her that he took. So something like that. A person of respectability in the community (priest, police officer, community activist, etc) in their 50s+ having sex with someone who barely hits the age of consent (16-18) is legal but pretty bad. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-thing-a-person-can-do-and-not-break-the-law/833438.md?page=2)