How high does this rate on the "prick" scale?

[HEyHEY]

Using the court computers - that are set up for public access - to get a giggle out of the criminal records of people you know?

[wtmusic]

1. Nah, only if you extort them

for an amount that is...unreasonable :P

[Liberal Veteran]

2. Careful...

I got into a real flamefest because I took someone to task and claimed that nosing into someone's criminal record without a compelling reason was tantamount to invasion of privacy.

[HEyHEY]

3. Don't make me tel everyone about your 38 DUIs!

[Liberal Veteran]

4. I BEG YOUR PARDON!!!!!??????

It was 37. :D

[davidinalameda]

15. how many do the cats have

:shrug:

[goddess40]

5. Criminal records are public - unless your a republican running for pres.

That goes back to don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

[Liberal Veteran]

6. It's still impolite to go nosing around people's records digging for dirt.

Public or not, unless you have a compelling reason to do so, you are just being nosy and inconsiderate to do it.

You don't have to agree with me, but I don't think it is conducive to a good society to engage in "Mrs. Kravitz" behavior.

[miss_kitty]

7. Public record is public record

looking for and finding someone's criminal record, which is available to the public-got no probs with that. That you get a giggle outta it-BONUS! for your hard hard work. Not a prick at all, not an invasion of privacy.

:D

[Liberal Veteran]

8. *sigh*

It never ceases to amaze me how people rationalize pure nosyness.

I consider it impolite to go digging around the public records looking for dirt on people.

[miss_kitty]

11. Actually, I am not a nosy person

I will not go through your bathroom cabinet as a guest in your home, and I will not rifle through your drawers if I am house-sitting. I have an excellent sense of 'Public' and 'Private' It simply is not nosy to look stuff up in public records.

No need to sigh about my attitude, pal.

[Liberal Veteran]

16. Legal doesn't mean polite.

Just because I CAN legally do something doesn't mean it is polite.

Without a compelling reason, digging up dirt on people is just rude. I certainly don't have anything on my public record, but I would be offended if some casual acquaintance went out of their way to go snooping into my record and I would probably remove them from my circle of friends for doing so if they couldn't come up with a good reason.

I don't understand why people don't get that doing background checks on people legally is just bad manners.

If you can justify it to yourself, that's fine. It's still nosy, by definition. Inquiring into someone's record to satisfy idle curiosity is the very definition of nosiness.

Why is that so hard to understand?

[miss_kitty]

17. ok

whatever. :eyes:

[Liberal Veteran]

20. So I am wrong to have good manners and understand...

...that just because I can do something, it doesn't make it polite or worthy of respect?

I COULD sit on my front porch and take down the license plate number and a description of every visitor to my neighbor's houses and I could be very open about it.

Do you think they would appreciate it? Would you appreciate it if I did so as your neighbor?

It's legal.

I think one of the biggest problems facing our society is that everyone thinks they have a right to nose into everyone else's business whether they have any compelling reason or not.

From where I stand, it breaks the social contract of civility and is disrespectful to friends to do so and I feel very strongly about it.

20 years ago, people wouldn't dream of going nosing through the "public" records of their friends unless they had a really good reason. Now computers have made it a simple task and that makes it okay? I don't think it does. That's how I feel about it.

I am not trying to make you out to be a bad person for disagreeing with my position, but I would think that people would respect that people like me believe that such an action is a breach of respect and friendship.

[miss_kitty]

24. sure whatever you say

you win. I'm not bothered by the search of public records; you are.

[Liberal Veteran]

25. Thank you for respecting how I feel...

Your dismissive attitude towards how I feel about good manners warms me to no end.

[miss_kitty]

26. And you think taking me to task because I don't agree with you

and your attitude toward my opinion is the model of polite and good manners?

Nice irony! :D

[Liberal Veteran]

28. Pointing out that you find something rude and intrusive is now rude?

Okay.

[miss_kitty]

29. well you are stuck on me

painfully explaining shit long after I GOT IT. So yeah. If you don't get that, well-Not. Important. To. Me.
so like i said-you win. I gave up a few replies ago. Not. Important. To. Me.

[Liberal Veteran]

31. The reason I felt compelled to continue the discussion.

Was because my explanation got an eye roll and "whatever" and I thought maybe I could do a better job of explaining my position on the matter and why I find it to be intrusive and impolite.

I feel badly that my efforts to explain my position were construed as excessive.

[Bunny]

22. I can agree with you somewhat. A year or so ago, my Mom asked

me to go online and try to locate a former SIL of mine. She did a nasty thing to my brother, and my mother was still getting phone calls from collection agencies, etc. THREE years after the incident!!

So, for $9.99, I purchased a temporary membership in one of those "net detective" type places. I was able to locate my ex-SIL, and at the same time I could not resist looking up the records of practically everyone I know. I felt really funny about doing it, too. It was just really gratuitous nosiness. Fortunately, everyone came up clean, but if there had been something there, it wouldn't have been anything I needed to know.

So, even though it's legal, without a good reason it does seem like it's just "being nebby", as we call it here in W. PA.

[Liberal Veteran]

27. That's exactly what I am trying to say.

I have nothing against people looking up information on friends and aquaintances and relatives if they have a better reason than just idle curiosity.

But I don't know why people get offended that I consider being nosy to be impolite and disrespectful.

I set very high standards for people's privacy. I generally don't need to know they had a DUI 20 years ago. I don't need to know if they got busted with some weed a few years back.

Now if that person was being hired to watch my children or I was getting ready to go into business with them, that would be a different story. There would be a reason to look a bit deeper.

[crispini]

9. THAT is nosy.

Now, looking into the aforesaid records to doublecheck on an internet date you just met? Kosher, IMO, as a safety issue, but he should never, EVER be told that you did that.

How about this? Looking up people's house values, which is available ON THE INTERNET in my town.

Nosy, eh? Yeah..... I know..... (hangs head).

[tigereye]

14. I've looked up my friends houses and

yes, they cost more than mine. ;)

[WMliberal]

10. how high? Michael Douglass without Viagra high.

I'd do it if I could.

[DrWeird]

12. Depends on the context.

If you want to dig up dirt on your neighbor, because you're just a prick, then you'd be a prick. If you're doing it as part of some elaborate practical joke on your roommate because you're in the middle of a prank war, then you would not, necessarily, be a prick.

[HEyHEY]

18. It began I was killing time and kinda wondered

What happened to a few burnouts headed that way in highschool. So I checked it out. Then I was thinking, "Hey, I wonder if so and so is in here."

[DrWeird]

23. Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that.

I was actually considering putting in my OP, well, if I was really bored and sitting in front of a computer with that kind of information, and was thinking about old highschool buddies...

[redqueen]

13. Doesn't even rate IMO

Can I send you some names? ;)

[Book Lover]

19. Prick? Zero. Nosy and impolite? 100%

Giggling at the misfortune of others, whether brought on themselves or not, is impolite, to say the least. Can't you look at porn online like all the other guys?

[HEyHEY]

21. Wait a tick

Looking at someone's criminal record = nosy.

Getting of on seeing people naked and screwing each other = not nosy

?

;-)

[Book Lover]

30. Criminal record - record of shame

porn shoot - written consent, some not-faked orgasms.

Seems pretty clear to me :-) Of course, I *am* recommending that you engage in tumescence in public, near a courthouse of all places, so you probably should not listen to what I have to say. :P

[Groggy]

32. Nothing wrong with it..

if you are just doing it just for curiosity sake and don't "use" the information to harrass or spread rumors. If you keep it to yourself, its fine. Its public record on the internet..no big deal!! Its there, why not??hehe

Okay, maybe I'm bad,but oh well.

[Melynn]

33. I'll confess

I have checked the criminal records of people I know. The only thing I found was minor traffic tickets. I must run with a dull crowd. :boring: