The law, while strict, allows us to do all sorts of things that seem like they shouldn’t be allowed.
The r/AskReddit thread, “What’s legal but if you do it, you still look like a psychopath?” has a few examples. We’re not saying you should go out and try any of these, but if you do, you can’t be arrested for them.
Going to Starbucks and ordering a milk with ice.
“I had a coworker who kind of did that. This was while working at Starbucks. She’d order her pre work latte, but get it split. So hand her a cup of cold milk, and the shot of espresso separate.”
Using both hands to put on Chapstick.
“Laughed out loud on the bus like a psychopath because of this comment, got off at the next stop, thanks a lot.”
“I just pictured it in my mind and I don’t like what I pictured in my mind…”
Walking backwards.
“So I saw this couple walking backward down the middle of my street and thought ‘huh weird.’
Looked out the window one minute later and there they were again walking backward in the same spot.
Went to the kitchen window and again [they were] walking backward, but I had never seen them walk forwards to get back to that position.
Figure it must be a workout routine or something but wtf…”
Eating a banana, skin included.
“During my travels in Asian countries I noticed that several Asian countries eat the shrimp shell as well, noticed this most in Vietnam. So, I started to do this as well as I didn’t want to be the weirdo peeling his shrimps.
Now I’m back in the US and I still eat shrimp this way most times. I make sure to do it when it will [expletive] with my parents and a few of my friends..”
Eating in public without using your hands.
“Plenty of pie eating contests are suddenly done by psychopaths.”
“Something is weird with those people anyway. How do you eat several times more food than what makes you full? I can’t do that. It hurts.”
When someone is holding the door for you, using the other door.
“I’ve done this. Either when someone held the door open wrong so they were still blocking half the doorway and I’d have had to squeeze past them or I was already mentally prepared to open the other door and was slow to switch gears and realize they wanted me to use their door. It’s always very awkward and I overthink about it for the next few hours/days.”
Working out in a suit.
“I had a classmate who did phys ed (also) in a suit. He only had suits, about 20 times the very same outfit, including shoes and ties.”
“Funny you mention it, I often rock climbed in my semi-formal work-wear and intentionally bought stretchy dress pants and shirts because of that. Was just too lazy to change”
Trimming the grass with scissors.
“We have a neighbor that I’m just WAITING to see do this one day! He’s obsessive about his yard. Just a matter of time…”
“My stepdad’s mom does this when he doesn’t mow her lawn on demand.
She’ll call him, and act like it’s for casual conversation. And when he asks what she’s doing she’s like ‘Oh, I’m just trimming the lawn…’ So he’ll pull up and she’ll be outside with scissors.”
Eating unwrapped food from your pockets.
“I was on a roadtrip with my cousin. Probably 30 minutes after we’re on the road he pulls a perfect slice of pepperoni pizza out of his pocket. It looked like it was out of a commercial.”
Stop responding during a conversation, but maintain eye contact.
“It’d be super unsettling to anyone seeing you just be mid-sentence, MID-WORD just stop and stare and something or someone, then pick up exactly where you left off.”
Standing silently at night at the side of the road.
“I did that once in the moonlight while taking out trash, I turned off my light and just enjoyed the serene night. Then I hear rustling in the bush and my LED light just [expletive] died, it hasn’t worked since. But, yeah, nice night.”
Flying a kite at night.
“Actually joined some people doing this at a festival once, we used a flashlight to illuminate it, it was pretty cool.”
“It is! We once used glow stick for tail weights. Made for a great effect at night!”
Writing an ‘S’ from the bottom up.
“I’ve seen some pretty [messed] up stuff in this thread, but this one genuinely made me stop.”
“This one legit made my face scrunch up when I read it. That was a surprisingly visceral reaction to such a simple statement.”
Biting into the middle of a hot dog.
“One of the politicians in our country bit into a hotdog side ways and in the middle, like a sandwich.
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It was so weird that it was in the newspapers the next day. Slow news day obv, but made him look like a nutjob.”
Vacuuming your yard.
“The neighbour of my parents did it. But with the dandelions in the gardens adjoining to his one and those dandelions he could reach with the vacuum from his property. (He already killed all dandelions in his garden long time ago).”
– u/ hic-sunt-dracones
Eating a stick of butter.
“My aunt did this once! In her defense she had just had surgery and was high on morphine, and thought it was a cheese platter.”
– u/Dazuro
“One of my mom’s best friends when I was a kid used to eat a stick of butter dipped in a bag of sugar as a snack, like a big, dairy Fun-Dip.”
Brushing your teeth in public.
“Some people think I meant brushing your teeth in a public bathroom after a meal makes you a psychopath. I use to have braces so I understand a quick rinse and brush after eating. I mostly meant like brushing your teeth in a movie theatre while the credits are rolling or something.”
Pulling your pants/underwear all the way down to pee at a men’s urinal.
“I knew a kid in elementary school who did this. Normally he would use the stalls but one time he did it at the urinal and yelled ‘Oops I’m not in the stall’ then turned and made and held eye contact when I looked ’cause he yelled.”
Wearing a wedding dress when it isn’t your wedding.
“Wearing a wedding gown to someone else’s wedding.”
“Folks used to sometimes salvage their wedding dress material to make a christening gown for their children.
It’s a real shame that we don’t have a tradition of married women wearing similar gowns for all weddings including their own. That would be fun and less wasteful.”
Sending non-alcoholic drinks to random people in a restaurant.
“And when they look over at you give them a little salute and a knowing smile.”
– u/Nin64m
“I have a friend who sent a glass of milk to a random table In a pub using the table service app. The confusion was really funny.”