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Why is it in some cases acceptable to pay off something as "fine" but in others its "bribery" and thus a "bad thing".

posted 14 days ago by TheMan18 (12575)
16 replies | jump to latest

Is there a reason why some things in life we can pay a fine for (and even have to) but in other cases, if we voluntarily offer money for something it is considered "bribery" (and will even get folks on the receiving end angry and whatnot) and thus a "bad" and "terrible" thing etc.

Also, what about some impoverished people out there who have no money for EITHER.

And OK I get that in some very SERIOUS matters for which money cannot make up for it, or in cases where one has to rely on fairness and talent its of course wrong but still... And some people CAN afford to pay FINES but at times are stubborn about it and others cannot, but bribery is like almost always bad and wrong, also, are there thin lines between either one?

P.S. I understand that to some people it can and does come across as "bribery" and thus, well yeah, bad and wrong. BUT... What if someone offering it actually had GOOD intentions but also desires to end something, and what if that someone either NEEDED money or wanted it or didn't mind it to help their financial situation and whatnot? And if people are against it, barring any de-facto legal cases that you can't buy off anyways (but we still hear tales about people with money getting the better deals etc and how unfair it is), could they not negotiate politely and diplomatically alternative solutions for some or other problems, if they aren't say arrogant jerks here or there? Thanks.

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[–] TheMan18 (12575) 14 days ago

On a side note, it also seems to me like in this life, both the rich, and the poor, and also middle class etc, in one way or another, STRUGGLE for money, and all people have money-related principles whether they HAVE it or NOT. And no its "not a big mystery" or anything, but then again, to those aware and those are not, where does the truth lie in all of this, thanks.

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[–] moviechatterer (13466) 14 days ago

nope sorry , zero clue what you are babbling about on this occasion.
I cant even begin to guess from the fragments.

Any chance you could try comprehensible English?
Tips:
-Short concise sentences
-use some examples

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[–] TheMan18 (12575) 13 days ago

Oh come on - and you can get it from the opening line. Really that clueless mate?

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[–] TheMan18 (12575) 13 days ago

The main gist of this was - why are for some infractions and offenses you CAN pay off/make up with money (commonly known as a "fine") but for others you CANNOT and if you do offer to do so, it would be seen as wrong and offensive (also known as "bribery") - why is all that, thanks.

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[–] moviechatterer (13466) 13 days ago

I think I'm getting there but we still need examples to be clear.

" some infractions and offenses you CAN pay off/make up with money"

you mean like if you get an official fine? or you mean smaller scale bribery?

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[–] TheMan18 (12575) 13 days ago

Pretty much official fine there. Bribery in other cases - where people state that you CANNOT make up for some misdeeds with money. And I wonder both why AND what do we all think of it in general.

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[–] moviechatterer (13466) 13 days ago

Thats true

If you are caught parking in a restricted area you get parking ticket with a fine. you pay the fine , all is forgotton.

If you you beat someone to death , you get a prison Sentence.
There is no chance you can make up for that by paying a fine.

I'd have thought this was obvious why some things are more serious than others
what do i think of it in general?
harsher punishments for more serious crimes is clearly a good thing.

Income related fines are a source of debate and actually implemented in some countries , which i think is a good thing

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[–] TheMan18 (12575) 13 days ago

I gather in general you don't know all that much about finances and bribery and fine not just rules but preferences and all, no offense to you movie chatterer.

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[–] moviechatterer (13466) 13 days ago

I know the definitions of the words and are able to put them together in a sentence!

If you go over the speed limit you get a fine , and you pay it.
If you bribe a politician to vote a certain way , thats bribery , you get a much bigger fine or possibly go to jail.

Now what is it you're trying to say about these concepts?

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[–] AmeriGirl26 (12410) 13 days ago

I believe it depends on the situation.

There are certain laws out there (depending on the region and country you're in) that state that if you break them, the penalty is paying a fine. These are usually for minor infractions against the law, but once in a while, if massive damage is involved, jail time and a huge fine are the penalty instead. Paying a fine is a way of covering damages you've caused, or a way to punish you by taking money out of your wallet because you did something that wasn't legal.

Now if you're paying someone to look the other way while breaking a law, that's bribery. If you're paying someone to give you information you're not normally allowed to have in, say, an election, or digging up dirt on an enemy, that's bribery. If you're basically giving someone something they want in exchange for doing something illegal for you, that's bribery. If you're rewarding your kids for being quiet about a bad secret you don't want told to another person, that's bribery.

My brother, erroneously, keeps calling the training I've done on our dogs "bribery," by giving them treats to do tricks or obey commands, but I keep telling him that you can't exactly give a dog money, and they won't do what you want without some kind of reward, and often that's food. So it isn't the same with animals, just to be clear.

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[–] TheMan18 (12575) 13 days ago

Yeah, I thought so, but also, this is life in general, correct?

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[–] TheMan18 (12575) 13 days ago

Also, and this IS a provocative AND sensitive issue, but I kind of wonder...

Besides some well KNOWN offenses and whatnot, what do you think about the fact that, well, yes, some crimes and misdemeanours ARE punished by imprisonment and others by fine alone, and what are the criteria and whatnot?

Also, with regards to jail... NOW, again, I KNOW its VERY provocative thoughts and I already anticipate a lot of people going "Well yes, if you can't do time, don't do crime etc" (I wonder though, if this "can't" and "don't want to" applies to like 90% of the world's population, right, I mean, who in their minds, normal and not, just like that "wants" to go to jail, right?) but I wonder... Can such prisoners, say for not severe offenses, or wrongdoings of a non-violent variety etc, actually be safe, as in, well yes, from other inmates and guards - and just because certain individuals CAN be out of order or brutal in any way, it doesn't mean they HAVE to, right? Oh but then, they do or may do it anyway, but even more than that...

Also, with regards to avoiding doing anything illegal or immoral or both, I myself have actually become a mental tiptoe walker and I am more than sure whatever 'wrong' I may have done in the past, well, in my nearly 38 years of living, I may at best pay off with a fine and whatnot, don't worry I haven't and never will [insert certain bits here].

P.S. 2 movie chatterer - here's a few examples of BRIBERY from MOVIES where characters found it offensive. "Nico" (aka "Above the Law") (1988) has one young man whom Steven Seagal is beating over drugs issue with his relative offer him money to keep him out of legal trouble, and he goes "You wanna bribe me man, huh?" and hits him afterwards. In "Unlawful Entry" (1992), Kurt Russell's character offers Ray Liotta's money for him to leave them alone and he says "A bribe, huh Mike?" and later gets into a hissy fit with him and threatens to kill him. Other films here and there had characters offer money but fo

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[–] TheMan18 (12575) 13 days ago

for matters that cannot be made up with money alone, and yes are pretty much as claimed by American Girl over here, looking the other way.

And with "Unlawful Entry" (1992) for example, well... It was that man's lawyer who offered for him to give that cop money. But the offer enraged him further. Also, I know he was a crazy obsessed psycho in that film, but what if money was what he really needed, would he accept it and move on?

P.S.S. Remember that Annie Lennox song "Money Can't Buy It"?

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[–] AmeriGirl26 (12410) 13 days ago

The type of penalty for punishments are usually determined (at least in America) by the federal as well as the state governments, depending on the crime, the severity of the crime, where it took place, and who got hurt by it. Like I said, minor crimes usually just involve paying a fine, such as driving too fast on the road, or blowing past a stop sign/red light, etc.

To be fair, in most situations, paying a fine as a punishment is minor compared to what you could be forced to pay instead, such as your time and your life. Like I said before, it all depends on the situation.

And yeah, it's normal for someone with morals to police themselves mentally.

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[–] TheMan18 (12575) 8 days ago

Yeah, its almost like "Pay up or pay the price". In life there are also brutal debt collectors who will force others to unlawfully pay with threats of force etc.

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[–] AmeriGirl26 (12410) 8 days ago

Ever hear where the phrase, "'Sorry' doesn't feed the bulldog" came from? (I'm using correct grammar in that phrase). In the old days, debt collectors (more often thugs hired by crime lords) sometimes kept nasty dogs (often bulldogs) they had trained to attack on command, mostly as a scare tactic to get people to pay up. Sometimes the person was being honest and said that they were sorry, but they couldn't pay, and the cruel bastard who had hammered at their door would say, "'Sorry' don't feed the bulldog," and the poor victim would get attacked brutally by the bulldog, as a lesson to them as well as making an example of them to the neighborhood.

That phrase is sometimes still used, but it's more figurative these days instead of just a literal threat.

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