A lot of creepy things are illegal - quite often, creepiness and breaking the law go
hand in hand - but not always.
Sometimes though, there are exceptions.
Ive compiled a list of strange things that we can all agree are creepy, but that havent
crossed the line of being illegal.
My name is Danny Burke and this is the Top 10 Legal But Creepy Activities.
Starting off at number 10 now we have Cannibalism[a].
This one isnt for the squeamish.
Just warning you.
Some of you may be shocked by this one but hear me out.
Every country seems agrees that homicidal cannibalism is illegal - thats the act of
killing someone to eat them.
Necro cannibalism is a different ball game though - thats eating someone who is already
dead.
In 2015, Jose Salvador Alvarenga was found after a year lost at sea.
Not long after his rescue, he was sued by the family of his fellow sailor, Ezequiel
Cordoba, who accused him of eating Ezequiel in order to survive.
A similar situation happened after a plane crash in the Andes in 1972 where passengers
survived by eating the remains of those who had died.
In 2000, 3 people from the Dominican Republic survived for 3 weeks at sea by eating some
of the others who had succumbed to dehydration.
According to experts, many jurisdictions will find bring no criminal charges to people who
find themselves in this situation.
Obviously, people should not seek out this situation - that would be even creepier.
Moving on to number 9 now we have The Paparazzi[b].
Bit of a lighter one now to balance out the video.
Im sure youve all heard of them - theyre the photographers who follow around famous people
taking pictures of them constantly in order to sell them onto magazines or newspapers.
They get paid based on the rarity of the picture, the celebrity in question, or the activity
they are doing when snapped.
That doesnt sound so bad when you put it like that but in reality, theyve gained a reputation
for stalkers who harass public figures, especially when theyre with their children.
This kind of behaviour would be deployed if it was a normal person stalking another normal
person - but for some reason, we accept the paparazzi doing it - well, for the most part.
Several countries and US states have restricted their activities by passing laws and curfews.
For the most part though, its a creepy but legal part of celebrity life and pop culture!
Moving on to number 8 we have Rebirthing[c].
This is a form of regretional therapy developed by psychotherapist Leonard Orr in the 1970s.
It involves recreating the birthing process in order to reset the mind and help the person
work through their problems.
It gained international attention in 2000 when a 10 year old girl was killed by rebirthing.
The rebirthing therapists repotedly pushed her body against pillows and wrapped a blanket
around her head to simulate the womb.
She was then told to push againt the pillows and blanket to recreate her birth in an effort
to heal her past.
Instead, she suffocated.
Four workers at the clinic and the girls mother were charged with her death.
This happened in Colorado and the following year, the state banned all psychotherapies
from using active restraint.
Despite that, a number of states and countries still consider the practice as legal.
Next up at number 7 we have Pseudocide[d].
Before I researched this video, Id never heard of this before - its the proper term for faking
your own death.
Now, faking your own death is a strange thing to do - it can ruin the lives of people you
know, its serious and I cant think of many things that are a bigger lie.
Well, technically, its legal.
If youve ever heard of someone being charged for it - its probably because of why they
faked their own death.
If they did it to avoid taxes or commit fraud - then they will be charged and locked up
for it.
In 2012, a man in New York was arrested for faking his own death and trying to claim over
400,000 dollars in life insurance.
Director of communications for the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud in Washington D.C
Jeff Hasse once remarked on this in an interview.
He said -Pseudocide isnt inherently a crime but it involves so many built in frauds that
its virtually impossible to legally fake- … that means that it is possible to do though.
If someone was found to have not commited any type of fraud, then there really is nothing
to stop them from convincing the world that they are no longer alive.
I cant wait to hear your comments on this one …
Moving on to number 6 we have Witchcraft.
For centuries, countries would hunt down and condemn people that they saw as witches - in
some places it does still happen - but generally speaking - witchcraft is not a punishable
offence.
Well, its a bit more complicated than that.
In Canada for example, the law states that you are guilty of the minor crime of witchcraft
if you pretend to exercise or to use any kind of witchcraft, sorcery, enchantment or conjuration.
The key word there is pretends.
That means that technically, if you really are a witch or a sorcerer, well then Witchcraft
is totally fine - if youre only pretending though, you could face up to 6 months in prison.
Some people find this to be a funny loophole while others think its a little bit creepy
that for some countries in the world, Witchcraft is OK - as long as its real.
Anyone have any thoughts on that?
Coming in at number 5 one we have The Elevator.
This is more of a fun one - picture the scene.
You get into an elevator - and theres a person just facing the wrong way - theyre not looking
at the doors - theyre looking at the back of the elvator.
Its a small thing but youd be surprised how many people would get creeped out by this.
You know whats even creepier?
Being in a full elevator while someone gets in and faces the wrong way - theyre just nose
to nose with you.
A lot of people think that this shouldnt be allowed, that there must be some kind of rule
against it - but the truth is - its just an example of social etiquette - invisible rules
that weve all sort of agreed on - if you don't follow them, youre creepy but not breaking
the law …
Moving on to number 4 we have Child Marriage.
Yeah, were stepping it back up to serious creepy here.
In 2017, a non profit organisation called Unchained at Last published a report on child
marriages in the US.
They found that between 2000 and 2010, 167,000 children across 38 states had marriages.
Almost all of them were girls and were married to men aged 18 or older.
Many lawmakers have been resistant to pass legislation to end child marriage because
they fear it may affect religious freedom.
This is a contradicting opinion to that of the US State Department.
They declare marriage before the age of 18 as -a human rights abuse that produces devastating
repercussions for a girls life, effectively ending her childhood by forcing her into adulthood
and motherhood before she is physically and mentally mature- … still, youd be surprised
by how many states and countries around the world have no laws against child marriages.
Moving on to number 3 now we have Instagram Stalking[e].
In the past few years, this phrase has become more and more common.
When I say Instagram Stalking, Im not talking about looking at someones profile that you
like now and again - Im talking about people who do it hundreds and hundreds of time.
In the real world, this would constitute as some form of spying.
Spying on someone without their knowledge and compiling information on them has always
been seen as dangerous behaviour that can lead to criminal charges - but the ages of
social media has meant this behaviour has become passable, even encourages by the platforms
themselves.
Dr Emma Short is from the National Centre for Cyberstalking Research at the University
of Bedfordshire.
She said that -Its completely legal to look at someones profile hundreds of times a day,
if you want to.
She further states that it only becomes a crime when you make continued, persistent,
unwanted contact with a person which causes them fear and distress.
So there you have it.
Theres the line in the sand.
If it affects the other person, its a crime - if not, its legal - but widely seen as a
bit creepy …
Next up at number 2 we have Upskirting[f].
In the past few years, this word has gained international attention.
Its gross.
Its the act of taking a photograph of underneath a persons skirt without their consent.
It often takes place in crowded public places like public transports or escalators and its
harder to spot because of that very reason.
Its disgusting and it sounds like the kind of thing that should really be illegal - but
you may be surprised to learn that its still legal in a lot of places.
In 2018, the British government announced plans to make upskirting a criminal offense.
Before that, you could only inform the authorities, they would request that the image is deleted,
but no further prosecution was possible.
In Scotland its been illegal since 2010 when it was categorised as voyeurism.
A lot of countries are starting to follow suit now, maybe check to see if your country
is on the right side of things …
And finally at number 1 we have Public Staring[g].
Staring at people in public is widely considered to be rude - it can make people feel uncomfortable,
threatened and paranoid.
If someone is giving you those feelings by staring you at public, can you get a police
officer to stop them?
Well, no - but some places have laws about it.
In 2016, the news minute . com published a piece about about an IPS Officer in India
stating that there is a law in the country where a person can get prison time by staring
at a person for more than 14 seconds.
He said -A case can filed against men who annoyingly stare at women for more than 14
seconds- … he later added -The stare need not really linger for a full 14 seconds to
make it an offense.
It is an offense if it makes a woman uncomfortable even for a few seconds.
Women should come forward to register complaints against such offenders- … he didnt specify
why exactly 14 seconds was the limit and was mocked on social media because of it all.
It has raised a question in other countries though - should public staring be illegal?
Even though most people agree that its rude and uncomfortable, they often say that it
should not become a criminal offense - how would you enforce such a law?
It would be a little bit absurd.
Youd have to just make up a number for the length of the stare - like 14 seconds …
Alright guys, let me know your thoughts on all of those - do you think they should all
be illegal - do you feel that things are fine the way they are now?
You probably have very different opinions on some of them so lets get the discussion
rolling.
While your commenting I wanna just read out a comment on our Top 10 Scary Night Drive
Stories video - this one came from lil Goat who said -You know wat will be awesome?
If rebecca, danny and landon were all on one video narrating one story at a time then transition
to the next video with landon.
After that transition the next number on the list to danny.
switch it up BUTTERCUP- … well thank you lil goat for your suggestion but Im afraid
to say - its already be done!
The 3 of us have been doing double videos with 2 of us in the same video for years now,
you gotta just keep watching until you find one.
Im not sure if weve done one with 3 of us in the same video though, thats a good idea
- Ill ask the other two if theyre up for it - until then, thanks for watching as always
guys, my name is Danny Burke and Ill see you all in the next video!