Do you always obey the rules or use common sense sometimes?

No I don't follow rules unless they make sense to me. Otherwise I feel like the proverbial sheep! I take a common sense approach and am comfortable ignoring rules that are made sometimes by people who don't necessarily know what they are doing.

The OP never said they had not visited the museum- just they had not wanted to go on the actual museum 'tour' around- with a guide i presume?So not wasting their ticket to said museum but just not trailing around after a know-all guide- but just looking around after at your own pace after your coffee.Didnt take a genius to work that out.

Dont follow 'nonsence' rules like the above, just the sensible ones that are strictly neccessary.

I am ( mostly) a rule follower. I am disappointed to read the disparaging terms used for me - " fools"/ " sheep". There seems to be no such disparagement of rule - breakers. As Dickens said, "nanny state " is used to describe a society with rules and sanctions- how is that wrong?
The alternative is a society with no rules or in which no one feels inclined to obey any they don't like. This state is called anarchy.
Anarchy is an OK place if you are young, strict, fit, and well resourced. If you are none of these things it might be a more troubling place to be.

strong/ fit! ( strict not so necessary..)

I once skipped across a traffic light crossing very quickly as the red man appeared; as I reached the kerb, I heard 'WELL! That was VERY VERY naughty!' I turned to see a small girl, about four, with hands on hips, 'leaning in' as my DS calls the pose, and glaring at me. I apologised profusely and agreed that I had been very naughty and could have got knocked down, and I would never do it again. I generally always obey rules; 'probably would be a perfect citizen for a Communist state.

“This is exactly what I did when I worked busy football saturdays in Liverpool when both teams were playing at home.”

Not sure that ever happens BigLouis…

Rare, but if both were drawn at home in FA Cup...
(Mind you these days one would probably play on a Saturday, other on a Sunday)
It does happen twice a season when they are playing each other!

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To be honest I never knew which team was playing except that getting a bus in that part of the city was impossible as they were all arriving full. I was just a 16 year old girl wanting to get home after a days work. It cost me a few pence extra in bus fare (this was the 1960s) but I did manage to get on a bus before it hit the football crowds.

I have never had the slightest interest in football despite growing up in a city with two famous teams and now living in a city with one of the most famous teams in the world (Man United).

LovesBach

I once skipped across a traffic light crossing very quickly as the red man appeared; as I reached the kerb, I heard 'WELL! That was VERY VERY naughty!' I turned to see a small girl, about four, with hands on hips, 'leaning in' as my DS calls the pose, and glaring at me. I apologised profusely and agreed that I had been very naughty and could have got knocked down, and I would never do it again. I generally always obey rules; 'probably would be a perfect citizen for a Communist state.

That's exactly the problem I mentioned earlier!

I taught my children to look at the road, not some red/green man. And yes, if the road is clear then just cross the road.

My mother actually drove through a red light on a crossing. As I yelled at her I breathed a sigh of relief that no child was focusing on red or green lights.

I was holidaying in Austria years ago and was standing waiting to cross a big road….lits if Austrians waiting and us ( English) and a couple of Americans!
I kid you not there was absolutely no traffic from either direction ….zilch….we stood at these lights waiting for ‘green man’ …he never showed up ! Thinking the lights were faulty and seeing no traffic is English and the two Americans crossed the road …..the noise and hullabaloo from the indigenous populace was incredible. We just laughed and went on our way…..into a local shop ….we spent 7/8 minutes browsing ….bought a souvenir for out two teenagers left at home….when we came out , you’ve guessed it. They were ALL still waiting. You really have got to wonder about the mindset of people. Would they have stayed all night I wonder …..

I'm obviously an odd bod, as I try to follow the rules in all things. I had a strict catholic upbringing and it has affected my whole life. Friends feel the same.
As for people not liking the idea of a nanny state, I remember fondly when tv was used to pass on sensible messages about health and road safety etc. What's wrong with that. It's not a nanny state, just good common sense to keep the nation safe.

Heady moment today. Hardly any cars in the car park so we drove straight across, ignoring the arrows .

Some rules it would be daft or dangerous to ignore, eg don't cross at a level crossing when the barrier is down. So I wouldn't go against anything dangerous to myself or others.
However, I have been known to use the gents loo (the type in small cafes etc), when it's obvious it's not in use, and there's a queue for the ladies'. That's an example of using common sense!

JamesandJon33

Heady moment today. Hardly any cars in the car park so we drove straight across, ignoring the arrows .

😯

Oh you rebels!

Life would be boring otherwise and I have always been a bit of a rebel.

JamesandJon33 So proud you, living dangerously. Fun, isn’t it? 😆

I was being followed driving home one night with my teenage son. Absolutely certain as I went round a roundabout 3 times and round the block twice. Drove up a one way street the wrong way and across the pavement to lose them which worked. I could see they were waiting for me to come back out the one way street but luckily I knew the area and the pavement didn't have bollards. Think this was the only time I've broken the law but I was terrified. No mobile phones then too long ago.

I am sure Betty must be amused by all the controversy she has caused

i remember the kohlbergs stages of moral develpent story,A mother with a sick child, penniless steals the medicine to save the childs life,is that bending the rules? The nazis come for my children, do i lie? the list goes on. break the rules for the greater good, very simple.

On the whole, as an eldest child married to an eldest child, I am a responsible rule follower. I can generally see the need for rules which preserve safety and benefit the majority. I find people who break rules just for their own interest selfish and immature.

However, it is wise to audit the need for each rule and to update them when necessary. Rules need to change when circumstances do. Also, the desire for authority and control in others should be taken into consideration when deciding whether to obey rules. Once should also consider whether the rule maker have the capacity to make and enforce rules wisely.

Covid was a once in a lifetime example of how sudden rule making and overzealous enforcement in a situation where the level of knowledge rapidly altered, was both accidentally and deliberately manipulated by the powers that be.

During Covid and the Lockdowns my family rigidly stuck to all of the rules except for that mandating one hour of exercise (we were able to do solitary country walks to aid our health without risking that of others.) Gradually, we learned more about the transmission and seriousness of the virus from primary sources and assessed the degree of danger for ourselves and others. We acted accordingly.

We were actually quite shocked at the level of virtue signalling we saw amongst the middle classes where overt compliance (gel, masks etc.) were paraded while transmission of the disease was accelerated by the same people who defied the rule of six and spread Covid up and down the country rule busting parties and visits.

We were also shocked by the blatant use of the Nudge unit to bully people into complying with rules the government knew at the time were unnecessary.

Also an unwelcome aspect of the management of Covid was the revelation of contemporary WhatsApps from health leaders who displayed arrogance, ignorance and a contempt for the public and the important seriousness of their role.

What we had reinforced by this horrible time is that the individual needs skepticism and to be personally extremely well informed on all important topics to enable a personal response. After all, the inhabitants of Grenfell Tower obeyed the instruction to stay put and look where it got them.

Covid has not made me a rule flouter, but I see a reinforced need for personal knowledge and autonomy. The parallels between Covid and Climate Change activism in particular reveal the latter as a possibly real problem being hijacked by interest groups to the detriment of the majority.

I will stay rule compliant- but I will also think for myself.

I married the ultimate rule follower and social policeman. I am the opposite preferring common sense. Our rows can be seismic!

'Follow the arrows'...is usually the sensible thing to do, but there are times when it is not appropriate or convenient.
If you're at a pelican crossing and there are no cars in sight, then it's perfectly reasonable to cross even when the red man is flashing. I do it myself and have seen a policeman do it.
Some people love to have control over others and make rules simply to give themselves that satisfaction.
Fashion is an area where I never follow rules. I don't need someone else telling me what to wear!
Don't be a sheep...take responsibility for yourself.

The majority of you have stated that you would never break the law.
If you had watched your friend suffer excruciating painful spasms through having MS would you help her by buying cannabis.
She did eventually get a pain implant.

I used to be a total rule follower until I met DH. He's terrible and always questions why he should/shouldn't do something. He says it's from his time in the army when he had to follow stupid orders from officers who had no experience in the field but acted if they knew it all. Often the men they were ordering about knew the order was wrong/dangerous but had to follow it. He's not a total rule breaker. If he can see the point then he'll keep the rule but if he can't see the point then he doesn't. I still panic at times if we cross the road on the red man even when there is no traffic about but then I had my traffic safety training from an officer called PC Barker who used to tell us (5 to 7 year olds) about horrendous accidents where children had their stomachs ripped open by car door handles (the days when they used to stick out) or their skulls crushed and their brains on the road. PC Barker was a lovely man and I remember him with affection but he pulled no punches when it came to road safety and was certainly effective. He is a legend among those of my age group who were taught by him. Imagine telling those stories to you children these days lol.

The most crushing example I saw of a rule breaker being put in his place was when a young man tried to jump the queue in John Lewis flagship store in Oxford Rd. A very grand old lady was sitting by the counter being served. Back in those days they had seats for customers. The assistant was measuring out a huge amount of very expensive curtain fabric for her.

The young man walked to the front of the line (ignoring several people who were waiting) and addressed the assistant who was obviously busy. The assistant became flustered and stopped measuring the fabric. In a cut glass accent the lady said "Young man, this assistant is waiting upon me. Kindly wait for your turn." He stared at her, open mouthed, whereupon she banged her stick upon the floor and again ordered him to the back of the line. Shamefaced he slunk out of the department. It was like something out of Downton Abbey where the dowager countess dresses down a wayward servant.

Of course the assistant should have been professional, politely pointing out that she was occupied with a customer. She could suggested he seek another assistant or await his turn in the queue. That was how I trained all my staff when I worked in a public facing service. You should never leave off attending to one customer in order to deal with another unless its an absolute emergency. Like the aristocratic lady I have several time had to step in and point this out to a potential queue jumper or incompetent assistant.

The aristocratic lady, story brought another to mind. Off post, so I apologise. I was shopping in Fenwicks in London, late 1960s. An old lady, beautifully dress, wearing pearls and a fur coat etc came up to me. “Can you tell me the location of the ladies retiring room” she said. I explained that I didn’t work there. “Then you shouldn’t look as if you do” she said and stamped off!