Just because something is legal does not mean it is a good idea.
A comment thread on someone else's LJ reminded me of a story about Japan.
Before I'd ever been to Japan I was talking to a recently-arrived Japanese co-worker about Japanese drinking laws.
"What do you mean, drinking laws? You can drink."
"Yeah, but where can you drink?"
"What do you mean, where can you drink? You can drink anywhere."
"Anywhere? You mean I can stand on a street corner and drink a beer?"
"Of course. Why not?"
"Wait a minute. You mean I could be sitting on the steps of an elementary school at 8:00 in the morning, drinking from a bottle of whiskey with kids walking past me and even that's legal?"
- long pause -
"Just because something is legal does not mean it is a good idea."
In the following years as I've returned to Tokyo this is possibly the single biggest cultural difference between Americans and Japanese. Big stupid cars, extensive body modifications, pointless remakes, etc. Compared to the Japanese, Americans do more things because we can rather than because we should.
(I am aware that this is the culture that gave us so many of the crazy things that they're famous for. I just maintain that they had a moment of consideration before deciding "yes, this is a good idea".)
Before I'd ever been to Japan I was talking to a recently-arrived Japanese co-worker about Japanese drinking laws.
"What do you mean, drinking laws? You can drink."
"Yeah, but where can you drink?"
"What do you mean, where can you drink? You can drink anywhere."
"Anywhere? You mean I can stand on a street corner and drink a beer?"
"Of course. Why not?"
"Wait a minute. You mean I could be sitting on the steps of an elementary school at 8:00 in the morning, drinking from a bottle of whiskey with kids walking past me and even that's legal?"
- long pause -
"Just because something is legal does not mean it is a good idea."
In the following years as I've returned to Tokyo this is possibly the single biggest cultural difference between Americans and Japanese. Big stupid cars, extensive body modifications, pointless remakes, etc. Compared to the Japanese, Americans do more things because we can rather than because we should.
(I am aware that this is the culture that gave us so many of the crazy things that they're famous for. I just maintain that they had a moment of consideration before deciding "yes, this is a good idea".)