The Times newspaper has published 25 weirdest and funniest laws from different countries. Taking inspiration from the example of the British edition, here is another, more comprehensive, parade of eccentric and frankly amusing regulations from world legislative practice.
The peculiarities of national legislation.
One can study the traditions and the peculiarities of the mentality of the nations through the strange laws. In this sense, a form of status is the same product of culture as a film, a book, or a painting. Australians have shown themselves to be very naive people in the supposed “mirror of laws: there is a law in Australia, which prohibits walking the streets in black clothes, with felt shoes and with black face paint, because all of the above The above mentioned things constitute the disguise of a night thief. Besides, here is a law that orders persons who practice the trade of carrier for money, to carry hay with them. It is true that no one cares that modern taxi drivers adhere to this law. rule: they’re lucky they haven’t been transporting their passengers by team for a long time.
The inhabitants of Switzerland treat the rest of their associates with excessive respect. The legislators of this same country came up with the idea of ​​prohibiting the noisy flushing of water down the toilet after 10 p.m., because it can disturb the neighbors. However, modern Swiss sanitary engineering makes violation of this law almost impossible. The waste tanks are manufactured with reinforced soundproofing; furthermore, they are constructed in such a way that the water flows through the special pipes instead of crashing down.
The city-state of Singapore is world famous for its cleanliness and high fines for attempting to violate this cleanliness. Thus they fine for the garbage, thrown in the street, in the amount equivalent to 600 dollars. In addition, the sale of chewing gum was prohibited for 12 years here, a radical measure in the fight against hooligans, who hit them anywhere. The ban was only lifted in 2004, when chewing gum appeared on pharmacy counters in Singapore.
The law, according to which women are prohibited from wearing pants, was passed in Africa Swaziland not so long ago. The regulation was sanctioned by the local monarch, who proclaimed a return to traditions, while the pants represent non-traditional undergarments for Swazi women. The punishment for wearing pants is quite humiliating: the soldiers take them from the women and tear them into little pieces. It is true that it is not clear how the arm of the law will see underwear, if according to the law, which was approved by the monarch himself, Swazi women over 10 years old should not wear skirts above the knee .
The contempt of the King (the Queen).
It is forbidden by law to trample on money in Thailand. At first sight the measure is absolutely insane, however some details will clarify the situation. The point is that the King of this country is represented on all the banknotes and coins of Thailand. Stepping on his image is a show of disrespect to the monarch, for which imprisonment is expected.
Finally, it is still forbidden to name pigs after Napoleon in France. It should be noted that in this case the dissemination of the book “Animal Farm” by George Orwell on the territory of the country should also be prohibited, since the pig alias Napoleon is one of the main characters of the work.
The survivals of the past.
Many strange laws, nominally in force today, are nothing more than survivals of the past, sometimes quite remote.
Most of the time, such regulations are found in Britain and the US, where the legislation has not been fully reconsidered over the years. There are even public groups in the US, fighting for the abolition of “dumb” laws. This occupation is not one of the easy ones: after all, you need to find an absurd law, which was not used for a long time, and you also need to check the following fact: what if it has already been abolished?
Consider, for example, the British law, cited by The Times, which prescribes two hours of archery exercises per day for each male subject, who is over 14 years old. This decree was issued by King Edward III as early as the 14th century; It is also famous for the prohibition of the ball game, which is known today as soccer. Football was finally allowed in 1603. The British were officially released from the obligation to play
daily archery under Queen Victoria, in 1863. It is true that there is a suspicion that they had stopped practicing it long before.
The Times also reminds that any free man can drive the flock of sheep across London Bridge duty-free in London. Also, a free man gets a chance to lead geese on Cheapside. But a plague-stricken person is forbidden to take a taxi on the streets.
In addition, there is a law according to which two men are prohibited from having sexual intercourse with each other in a house, where the third person is present. This law was promulgated at the end of the 16th century as a fight against homosexual brothels, which appeared in the big cities of England.
Private life and public morality.
A gynecologist has the right to examine the genitals of a woman in Bahrain, however, he (she) cannot look at them directly, but only their reflection in the mirror. Sex with animals is permitted by law in several Muslim countries, but exclusively with women. One person faces the prospect of the death penalty for liaison with a mail animal in Lebanon. They can behead to masturbate in Indonesia.
In the State of Florida, only the so-called missionary position is allowed and kissing a woman’s breast during intercourse is prohibited. Sex involving the “horsewoman” position is not permitted in Massachusetts.
The legislators of countries and states also show a somewhat inappropriate desire to defend public morals. A man in a skirt can be arrested in Italy, for example. Of course, it is clear which men in skirts are in question, but what should the Scots, who revere their traditions, do in Italy?
Women are prohibited from wearing patent leather shoes in the state of Ohio: it is considered that the shoes may reflect underwear. Kissing for more than five minutes is prohibited in Iowa.
Florida’s state law, under which single women are prohibited from parachuting on Sundays, is the latest in this category. Perhaps it is also related to public morals.
The hodgepodge
It is forbidden to hide anything from the tax officer in case you don’t want him to know about it in the UK regulations on tax avoidance (issued in 2006). For all that, in case he doesn’t mind if the tax official gets to know some facts, he is not obligated to tell them.
Driving while blindfolded is prohibited in the State of Alabama. Watering fish with alcohol is strictly prohibited in Ohio. Killing birds is not permitted in the City of Boulder, Colorado. Also, it is illegal to own pets there. Therefore, everyone who owns a cat or dog is officially called “the animal assistant”.
A wife must obtain her husband’s written consent to have dentures fitted in the state of Vermont. The head of any dead whale found on land in London belongs to the King. The tail of such a whale belongs to the Queen in case she needs the baleen for the corset.
Laws, which can unambiguously be called absurd, are also enacted in the post-Soviet region. Therefore, car enthusiasts in Belarus are prescribed to carry no less than three contraceptive devices in the medicine cabinet. Not only women, but also men and even priests were mercilessly fined for the absence of contraceptive devices. True, according to recent data, the Belarusian authorities have abolished this rule in 2007.