"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they never stopped to think if they should," says Jurassic Park's Ian Malcolm in one of the film's most iconic lines.
Guess what? That's a principle that doesn't just apply to creating dinosaurs from DNA found in fossilized amber. The stakes are lower, but our hearts are in the right place, as we learned once Redditor rlhignett asked the online community, "What is the best example of 'just because you can, doesnt mean you should'?"
"Blindly trusting..."
Blindly trusting traffic laws as a pedestrian. Yes, if you get hit it's the driver's fault. But all it takes is for one driver not paying attention to potentially end your life.
"A high school friend of mine..."
Posting on social media that you're going on vacation.
A high school friend of mine did that a couple of years ago. Multiple posts on Facebook announcing she and her husband were going to Bermuda for two weeks.
They came home to a burgled house.
"That device..."
GiphyThat device allowing an Amazon carrier to unlock and open the front door of your house to deliver packages.
Either one of the self-professed "genius" tech bros in Silicon Valley didn't think this through, or they're incredibly naive about how easily something like that could be abused.
"I downed it..."
Personal anecdote: I was with friends, and we were just hanging around having pizza. I'm challenged to put a bunch of different sauces and toppings on a slice of cheese pizza, because I'll eat any weird food when challenged. The gauntlet included: sriracha, horseradish, honey mustard, cottage cheese, and whipped cream.
I downed it, and was sick for the rest of the night. No vomiting, but it was not fun. Never combine sriracha, whipped cream, and horseradish.
Just because I usually have an iron stomach does not mean I should eat everything I'm challenged to eat.
"Pulling out your phone..."
Pulling out your phone and taking unsolicited videos/pictures of people in public places for the entertainment of the internet.
"It's actually legal..."
Cannibalism. It's actually legal, because no country in the world actually has a law against it. In fact, the laws were against you murdering someone, not eating them. If somebody slashed their own arm off with a sword and allowed you to eat it, you could. Should you, though? No.
"Just because..."
Just because you can bombard kids with homework during quarantine, doesn't mean you should.
"I'm no prude..."
Underage unprotected sex. I'm no prude but it's one of those things that you just shouldn't do if you cant fully deal with the consequences yourself. If you cant drive yourself to the local pharmacy to get condoms, or to a center to get tested if you don't want to disclose shit to your parents...you shouldn't be doing it. Not to ruin the fun - but STDs now are rampant and things like syphilis; which depending on the person can have little to no symptoms can kill unsuspecting people young and suddenly years later. The risk to benefit ratio isn't really in your odds.
Not to mention underage pregnancy. Getting pregnant underage isn't a crime and people shouldn't be bullied for it, but it can mess with your life especially if you are in high school and you got plenty of time to figure that stuff out later. Just something to think about.
"Try growing..."
Try growing a mustache in the US Army. Under Army Regulation 670-1 you can. If you are in any leadership position, good luck.
"Needlessly..."
Needlessly bringing politics into every situation. It's very polarizing, and can turn a potentially good conversation into an argument almost instantly. Why ruin something by bringing in antagonizing political views? Just because you have so little personality that you feel the need to start arguments to be perceived as interesting doesn't mean you have to.
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "
" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk to him about it.
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram