V is for “Victimless
Crime” - Oxymorons from A to Z
Legalese may include this term, but it sure appears
oxymoronic, particularly at close examination.
What is a victimless
crime?
Generally, a victimless crime is a law-breaking action that
seems to be risky or harmful only to the person committing it. Some people even
deny those dangers or ill effects.
People propose all sorts of examples of transgressions of
the law, which they claim harm no one. These include: gambling, graffiti, pornography, prostitution, recreational drug abuse, sexting, shoplifting, and vandalism.
(In some of these cases, the actual victims may
be obvious, even if folks claim otherwise.)
Even misdemeanors like driving without seat belts has been
tagged a victimless crime. (Maybe those folks haven’t seen those gory highway accident films that law enforcement agencies show people in court-ordered
remedial driving school programs.)
Some call abortion a victimless crime, although many beg bitterly
to differ, both on whether abortion is a criminal act and whether it is
victimless.
Can any crime be
harmless?
Isn’t the person committing the supposedly victimless crime
actually victimized by his or her own wrongdoing? How about his or her loved
ones? Is there any such thing as a victimless crime?
What’s an oxymoron?
Basically, an oxymoron is a
phrase that seems contradictory or incongruous. Taken literally, the words do
not make sense. Often, oxymorons find their way into popular usage, becoming
cultural catchwords or frequently used idioms.
Many of these curious wordings
strike us as delightfully amiss. Besides, what sort of whimsical word is
“oxymoron”?
Delightfully Amiss:
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Image/s:
Crime Scene
by Alan Cleaver
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"Victimless crime" does sort of seem a bit of a copout to be used by those who commit it. It might not be a direct impact on someone, but shoplifting hurts the business where something is stolen from and the economy, for example.
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