# When Should the Law Be Disobeyed **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2010, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250 "2010-09-10T01:23:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/21 "2010-09-10T04:07:09Z")
> [@Caveat\_lector\_1](#): > > I’m not quite certain what you’re saying here. If bad things aren’t natural law then natural law isn’t bad as a source of law because bad things are called part of it. And if enough legal minds make anything stick it’ll stick regardless of its basis. Perhaps you can restate what you said as I’d like to understand. I guess I’m not real clear on the concept of natural law. It seems totally subject to interpretation by humans, unless, like, Og starts striking them dead and stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/22 "2010-09-10T04:19:47Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I wouldn’t go around randomly break the Laws of Causality! What’s the worst that could happen? ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/23 "2010-09-10T04:35:47Z")
Where’s the option that gets at the philosophy behind “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”? If it’s 3 o’clock in the morning and I’m driving and the only one on the road, I am not sitting at a red light for 2 minutes for no reason besides “it’s the law”. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/24 "2010-09-10T04:37:15Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > If it’s 3 o’clock in the morning and I’m driving and the only one on the road, I am not sitting at a red light for 2 minutes for no reason besides “it’s the law”. Or I’m sitting in my home on a Saturday night with my wife and want to smoke some pot. No reason not to besides “it’s the law.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/25 "2010-09-10T05:15:17Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > > [@silenus](#): > > > > I wouldn’t go around randomly break the Laws of Causality! > > What’s the worst that could happen? You end up making out with your mom while doc figures out how to get 1.2 jigawatts of electricity? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/26 "2010-09-10T05:39:32Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > Where’s the option that gets at the philosophy behind “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”? > > If it’s 3 o’clock in the morning and I’m driving and the only one on the road, I am not sitting at a red light for 2 minutes for no reason besides “it’s the law”. There you get at the essential difference between liberal and conservative morality. The libs put people before rules; the cons, rules before people. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/27 "2010-09-10T06:29:06Z")
> [@Caveat\_lector\_1](#): > > You can count me as someone not satisfied with the limited options. There are three kinds of bad laws in my opinion: immoral laws, wrong laws, and unjust laws. I would like to add a fourth: stupid laws. A law whose compliance is impossible to enforce, or one which goes against the customs of the people who receive it, are stupid. The law should be broken (not “can” be broken, but should) when keeping it would cause greater harm than breaking it. “Law is for man, not man for law”. This applies to all levels of “law”: laws, regulations, ordinances, guidelines… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/28 "2010-09-10T14:27:03Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > If you are willing to accept the possible consequences, then any time you feel like it. I think this better than the options in the poll, but it doesn’t seem have any upper limit in terms of harming other people. Unjust laws should also be an option here, and irrelevant laws should probably have a separate option other than ‘whenever you feel like it.’ ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/29 "2010-09-10T14:31:23Z")
Poor choices, can’t vote. As a general rule, I’d say only when the law is clearly unconstitutional (_apparently_ unconstitutional laws _may_ be disobeyed, but I would not say they _should_ be disobeyed) or blatantly out of line with advances in human understanding (like bans on SSM, which are based on the long-debunked belief that homosexuality is a disease or psychological defect). ---
**Author:** ![History\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b19c9b/32.png) [@History\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/History_Geek)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/30 "2010-09-10T15:09:46Z")
I went with “When the law is irritating” because that seems to cover the most ground. An immoral or unjust or outright stupid law would be “irritating,” so there you go. The laws that bug me most are the ones that prohibit “vice.” Want to buy liquor on Sunday? Frequent prostitutes? Smoke some pot? Gamble? All fine with me. Just don’t get drunk and jump in your car to get to the brothel where you’re going to get high and blow your cash on sex and craps. The first law of vice should be “handle your fucking high, man.” Whatever it is that gets you going or mellows you out, just do it responsibly and don’t fuck up my day with it. And, for Bog’s sake, let the government tax you for doing it… we could certainly use the money to fund cops to handle REAL crimes. If we made enough from taxing hookers and blow, maybe they’d stop handing out tickets for speeding. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/31 "2010-09-10T15:14:05Z")
**Curtis** , this is one of those polls that would have been better if the results were kept anonymous. It might also benefit from the ability to change more than one option. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/32 "2010-09-10T18:13:45Z")
No vote. A law should be disobeyed when the costs of disobedience (including the effects on the societal view of the supremacy of the law in general) are lower than the costs of compliance. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/33 "2010-09-10T18:18:44Z")
People should only disobey the law in the face of massive injustice, or in my own case, minor inconvenience. Sorry, guys, I have different rules for the rest of you than I do for myself. It’s not that I think I’m special, it’s that I respect you all so deeply that I expect better of you. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/34 "2010-09-10T19:30:15Z")
> [@Curtis LeMay](#): > > When should the law be disobeyed? When you can get away with it. It’s always an extra plus to bend a cop over and send him home with an “I just violated the neighbor’s dog” look on his face. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/35 "2010-09-10T22:54:06Z")
I honestly think Curtis is right at that point where you discover that the world isn’t black or white, and is soliciting opinions to help him make up his mind on what he believes. As such, I don’t think it’s a bad thing not to vote in the poll. The only time I think a law should unambiguously disobeyed is if it is immoral. The rest are on a case by case basis. ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/36 "2010-09-10T23:10:12Z")
I voted “when it’s immoral” myself. I’m thinking pre-civil war underground railroad scenarios. It was the law not to help escaped slaves and actually required that law-abiding citizens must turn them in. I like to think I’d have the courage of my convictions and help them get north, (or wherever) to freedom. Not so many clear-cut examples today. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/37 "2010-09-10T23:22:07Z")
When it doesn’t apply to my safety or well being for a start. I’m not going to wait at a red light at 3am in my soft top jeep driving alone if there’s a risk some chancer could jump in. It’s all about the spirit of the law anyway isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/38 "2010-09-11T00:33:08Z")
When it’s the right thing to do, not just the easiest or the most fun, but the right thing. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/39 "2010-09-11T16:18:59Z")
When it is unjust or stupid. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250/40 "2010-09-11T17:53:44Z")
The law is irrelevant, per se. It doesn’t factor into my decision-making (though of course the possibility of punishment does). NOTE: This only applies to me. Everyone else should be following the rules, because I don’t trust you to know when it’s ok to disregard them. > [@Curtis Lemay](#): > > When the Law Is Highly Inconvenient (ie You’re an Illegal Immigrants) Off-topic, but i.e. means “that is.” What you meant to use was e.g. (“for example”). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-the-law-be-disobeyed/553250.md?page=3)