Things I learned from television

Lexin wrote:

I didn't know that. The UK has a charge of 'wasting police time' - which (I understand) means exactly what it says on the tin. I gather that if you make the police pick apart your life in a murder investigation when you could have answered their questions and quickly squared away the issue, you may be charged with it.

See, here's the thing that they tell you right in the Miranda warning: "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." It is really not to your advantage to tell them anything at all. So, since you have the right to remain silent, if the police waste their own time investigating you, that's their problem.

Besides, it's not like being truthful is a magical "repel police" spell. They're still gonna follow all that up. If you're a suspect, you're gonna remain a suspect until they decide you don't need to be, not because you're really cool and honest with them. It's like expecting to win an Internet argument just because you're right.

Penguin wrote:

See, here's the thing that they tell you right in the Miranda warning: "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." It is really not to your advantage to tell them anything at all. So, since you have the right to remain silent, if the police waste their own time investigating you, that's their problem.

Probably you know, but the English (and Welsh) equivalent to the Miranda warning is worded differently: "You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence." (The Scottish version is different still, "You do not have to say anything. But anything you do say may be noted in evidence." )

In the E&W version, the accused now has only a qualified right to remain silent - before 1994 the accused had an absolute right to remain silent as in the US version. Basically, if you waste police time making them investigate you, or don't speak up when you have a defence, it may actually harm that defence. It may seem unfair, but that's the position.

I don't know what the situation is in other European countries.

Penguin wrote:

Lexin wrote:

I didn't know that. The UK has a charge of 'wasting police time' - which (I understand) means exactly what it says on the tin. I gather that if you make the police pick apart your life in a murder investigation when you could have answered their questions and quickly squared away the issue, you may be charged with it.

See, here's the thing that they tell you right in the Miranda warning: "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." It is really not to your advantage to tell them anything at all. So, since you have the right to remain silent, if the police waste their own time investigating you, that's their problem.

And I know enough cops to know that that attitude absolutely infuriates them. Mostly because it usually comes from people screaming "Fuck the police" out of one side of their face, then bitching about how the cops can never catch anyone out the other.

You don't want to talk out of fear of retaliation or of being caught at something, that's one thing.

You don't want to talk strictly because you don't have to? Dick move. Constitutionally protected, but still a dick move.

Yup. The funny thing is, I don't have a problem with cops. I do have a problem with certain attitudes with regard to how one is obligated to behave with the police.

I've never met cops with such a huge blame-the-victim problem in the US as I have here in the UK, which miiiight be part of why I got a little spun up on the issue.

People rarely use condoms. When they do, the condom will always break, causing baby/STI scare drama.

Adoption is never an option when it comes to unplanned pregancy. It's always either have the baby or an abortion. The only variation is whether or not the father is involved in either scenario.

Freezer wrote:

Adoption is never an option when it comes to unplanned pregancy. It's always either have the baby or an abortion. The only variation is whether or not the father is involved in either scenario.

Though if the father is in the scenario, having the baby and raising it together will be the most likely outcome, no matter how young and unprepared for parenthood the couple may be.

If the woman chooses to get an abortion, everyone will villify her for it, especially the father, who rejected her when she tells him she's pregnant with his child, then has a 'last minute' change of heart when it's too late. This occurs so often in Lifetime movies, it ought to have its own trope.

See, Degrassi: The Next Generation dealt with it pretty well. Even when the guy she loved villified her for it, and even though her best friend was against it (She eventually supported her, though still not liking the decision), she still went through with it and never felt bad about it.

Rabid Badger wrote:

If the woman chooses to get an abortion, everyone will villify her for it, especially the father, who rejected her when she tells him she's pregnant with his child, then has a 'last minute' change of heart when it's too late. This occurs so often in Lifetime movies, it ought to have its own trope.

Lifetime: Television by idiots, for idiots.

Lexin wrote:

Penguin wrote:

See, here's the thing that they tell you right in the Miranda warning: "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." It is really not to your advantage to tell them anything at all. So, since you have the right to remain silent, if the police waste their own time investigating you, that's their problem.

Probably you know, but the English (and Welsh) equivalent to the Miranda warning is worded differently: "You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence." (The Scottish version is different still, "You do not have to say anything. But anything you do say may be noted in evidence." )

That seems to be a better way of doing it.

"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

"So if I say we're having nice weather today, you can use that against me?"

"We'll find a way to make it work."

"Awesome."

I absolutely love the A-Team but I've learned this from it:

If a woman is stranded on the side of the road, don't pick her up. It could be a trap set by the military police.

No matter how many times a car flips, no one is injured or dies.

kryceksangel wrote:

If a woman is stranded on the side of the road, don't pick her up. It could be a trap set by the military police.

But if she runs in front of your car screaming for help, by all means pick her up!

Freezer wrote:

kryceksangel wrote:

If a woman is stranded on the side of the road, don't pick her up. It could be a trap set by the military police.

But if she runs in front of your car screaming for help, by all means pick her up!

Not TV, but the Texas Chainsaw Massacre taught me to, in fact, hit the gas pedal as quickly as possible if that occurs so I don't get chainsawed in the head

(From Cold Case) The first or second person the cops talk to will turn out to be the murderer.

If a group of friends go to Vegas, someone will get married. No exceptions. You'd think that people in TV-land would know from watching sitcoms to avoid getting drunk around wedding chapels.

But that brings me to another point. People in TV land don't watch TV. What's with that?

No one ever sleeps in the on-call room at hospitals. They would get in the way of all the people having sex.

If someone famous shows up on a crime drama, they're going to be a suspect. There's a very good chance that they're guilty, too.

Freezer wrote:

Lexin wrote:

Freezer wrote:

Besides, watching them pick part your life to find out what you're hiding is doubly fun when the answer is "nothing."

Yeah, don't they have a charge of 'wasting police time' in the US?

"Obstruction Of Justice" - and that's only if you knowingly mislead or outright lie to the cops. Saying nothing can be a douchebag move, but the Fifth Amendment says that's your right.

I've always thought the "right" to remain silent was rather suspicious; I'd do away with it if I had the chance.

Thanos6 wrote:

Freezer wrote:

Lexin wrote:

Freezer wrote:

Besides, watching them pick part your life to find out what you're hiding is doubly fun when the answer is "nothing."

Yeah, don't they have a charge of 'wasting police time' in the US?

"Obstruction Of Justice" - and that's only if you knowingly mislead or outright lie to the cops. Saying nothing can be a douchebag move, but the Fifth Amendment says that's your right.

I've always thought the "right" to remain silent was rather suspicious; I'd do away with it if I had the chance.

Would you kindly go and fuck yourself?

Penguin wrote:

Thanos6 wrote:

Freezer wrote:

Lexin wrote:

Freezer wrote:

Besides, watching them pick part your life to find out what you're hiding is doubly fun when the answer is "nothing."

Yeah, don't they have a charge of 'wasting police time' in the US?

"Obstruction Of Justice" - and that's only if you knowingly mislead or outright lie to the cops. Saying nothing can be a douchebag move, but the Fifth Amendment says that's your right.

I've always thought the "right" to remain silent was rather suspicious; I'd do away with it if I had the chance.

Would you kindly go and fuck yourself?

That's.. a bit of a strong reaction.

ITT: No one knows the difference between Miranda rights and 5th amendment or what the 5th amendment means

"No one" my ass.

Care to explain your reaction, Penguin?

Mafiosa wrote:

ITT: No one knows the difference between Miranda rights and 5th amendment or what the 5th amendment means

*waves* Ooh, ooh...pick me teach! Pick me!

Lab work--DNA testing, toxicology reports, fingerprint scans--take six hours, eight at the outside. Don't listen to the Discovery Channel shows with real doctors and scientists where it takes months and months, they're lying. The Discovery Channel always lies, except about Mayan prophecies.