Morals and the law

I saw a question on Facebook. It asked what you would do if there were no laws for 24 hours. One of the responses was someone who said he would go out and rape a whole lot of girls. It struck me as odd. This suggests the only thing holding him back from being a serial rapist is fear of punishment.
How many here would completely throw away their morals if there was no fear of repercussions either by law or by those offended?

edit: we see this sort of effect in war zones where people can get away with atrocities (or think they can) and atrocities happen. What percentage of people behave in this manner?

Originally posted by twhitehead
I saw a question on Facebook. It asked what you would do if there were no laws for 24 hours. One of the responses was someone who said he would go out and rape a whole lot of girls. It struck me as odd. This suggests the only thing holding him back from being a serial rapist is fear of punishment.
How many here would completely throw away their morals if ...[text shortened]... ties (or think they can) and atrocities happen. What percentage of people behave in this manner?

Hard to put a percentage but I think the desire to engage in wrong is more rampant than many realize. There was a revolt some yrs aback in my area and people from all walks of life were caught on camera removing goods and appliances from looted stores.

It isn't apples or oranges. Even priests bugger little boys, right? If there were no law, I bet most of us would create it anew.

We all deal with the devil and the angel on our shoulders.

Originally posted by twhitehead
I saw a question on Facebook. It asked what you would do if there were no laws for 24 hours. One of the responses was someone who said he would go out and rape a whole lot of girls. It struck me as odd. This suggests the only thing holding him back from being a serial rapist is fear of punishment.
How many here would completely throw away their morals if ...[text shortened]... ties (or think they can) and atrocities happen. What percentage of people behave in this manner?

The way people claim they'll behave in high pressure situations, like a war zone, is often at variance with how they actually behave.

Originally posted by Rajk999
Hard to put a percentage but I think the desire to engage in wrong is more rampant than many realize. There was a revolt some yrs aback in my area and people from all walks of life were caught on camera removing goods and appliances from looted stores.

I wouldn't call that a desire to engage in wrong doing, but a desire to get free stuff. I think for many, stealing from a shop is not so much immoral as against the law. ie they don't see anyone getting harmed by it.
Do you think that they would have harmed someone for the goods?

I remember at University, if there was a thief, he could be beaten to death, or close to death. There were some students who felt that was wrong and would protect the thief and get him to the security people for his own safety.
I asked friends who participated in beating up thieves why they did it, and they seemed to have no remorse whatsoever and it seems they were curious about what it was like to beat someone up and saw this as a no consequences opportunity.

Originally posted by rwingett
The way people claim they'll behave in high pressure situations, like a war zone, is often at variance with how they actually behave.

Yes, I am sure that is true. I am curious though if anyone here says they would be seriously immoral in a war zone. As I noted, in the OP, some people are willing to publicly state they would be serial rapists given the opportunity.
I don't think I would. I do think that I might loot a shop or rob a bank if given the opportunity to do so without consequences and without harming anyone.
I don't think I would steal from an individual even without consequences.

The law is there to protect me, I have morals to keep from hurting others.

I'm playing Grand Theft Auto 5 now, and I've already steered my car a number of times on to the sidewalk in order to drive over some people that were standing there (and kill them).

No reason, you don't get points for it, it's not part of the game. It's just... possible.

How weird is that?

Well, here is what the bible says...man at his base...unchecked..
Rom 1:18-32

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
NIV

Originally posted by twhitehead
I saw a question on Facebook. It asked what you would do if there were no laws for 24 hours. One of the responses was someone who said he would go out and rape a whole lot of girls. It struck me as odd. This suggests the only thing holding him back from being a serial rapist is fear of punishment.
How many here would completely throw away their morals if ...[text shortened]... ties (or think they can) and atrocities happen. What percentage of people behave in this manner?

http://news.uchicago.edu/article/2013/04/24/psychopaths-are-not-neurally-equipped-have-concern-others

"“A marked lack of empathy is a hallmark characteristic of individuals with psychopathy,” said the lead author of the study, Jean Decety, the Irving B. Harris Professor in Psychology and Psychiatry at UChicago. Psychopathy affects approximately 1 percent of the United States general population and 20 percent to 30 percent of the male and female U.S. prison population. Relative to non-psychopathic criminals, psychopaths are responsible for a disproportionate amount of repetitive crime and violence in society." [emphasis added]

I'd guess the law and risk of imprisonment lifted, these people would not be deterred. Edit. But "no laws" does not mean "no risk." If the day were pre-announced, the gun shops would sell out.

Originally posted by Great King Rat
I'm playing Grand Theft Auto 5 now, and I've already steered my car a number of times on to the sidewalk in order to drive over some people that were standing there (and kill them).

Someone on youtube did an experiment with tortoises by the side of the road. A number of drivers will deliberately drive over a tortoise. Some drivers stop and move them off the road. I think this is also a situation where we feel there are no consequences and we either resort to our own morals, or behave badly just because we can.

Originally posted by twhitehead
Someone on youtube did an experiment with tortoises by the side of the road. A number of drivers will deliberately drive over a tortoise. Some drivers stop and move them off the road. I think this is also a situation where we feel there are no consequences and we either resort to our own morals, or behave badly just because we can.

Did they use real tortoises?

Originally posted by twhitehead
I saw a question on Facebook. It asked what you would do if there were no laws for 24 hours. One of the responses was someone who said he would go out and rape a whole lot of girls. It struck me as odd. This suggests the only thing holding him back from being a serial rapist is fear of punishment.
How many here would completely throw away their morals if ...[text shortened]... ties (or think they can) and atrocities happen. What percentage of people behave in this manner?

Edited.

Originally posted by JS357
Did they use real tortoises?

No, rubber ones.
Here it is:
YouTube

And here is another person who did the same:
YouTube

Originally posted by twhitehead
No, rubber ones.
Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-Fp7flAWMA

And here is another person who did the same:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-915YgB8aho

Some people may believe this is a good thing, like squashing a roach, fly, or wasp.

The Instructor