Our society might tell us to follow laws that we don't necessarily agree with. While we could delve into all the messed up rules and regulations on the books, there are some out there that are so ridiculous that it's amazing someone had the audacity to think them up.
Redditor MaxienLai is responsible for today's burning question: "What are some of the dumbest laws that exists in your country?"
"One lemonade company..."
GiphyOne lemonade company had to up the sugar in one of their products, cause it was called "Die Limo" (german word for lemonade) and in order to call something "lemonade" in Germany you have to have at least a certain percent of sugar in it. German logic at its finest.
"In Montreal..."
In Montreal, Canada, there's a municipal regulation that says you can't build or store a nuclear weapon within city limits. The fine is $100.
"Not so much a single law..."
Not so much a single law as the unintended effects of how two laws interact.
- It's illegal to dig up a specimen of an endangered plant species (sensible).
- Sometimes the authorities need to hold controlled burns to prevent uncontrolled wildfires (sensible).
- Want to rescue endangered species plant specimens growing in a place slated for a controlled burn area? Scrooged.
"In Pennsylvania..."
In Pennsylvania, there's a state law that you can't buy a car on Sunday.
Also, it's illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator at night.
"Not passed yet..."
Not passed yet, but in order to reduce the consumption of beer, some lawmakers want to make it illegal for the sale of COLD BEER in MEXICO CITY.
"I can enlist..."
I can enlist, train, and see combat in the armed forces, fly home and still not be old enough to legally have a beer while talking about it.
"Dressing up like a member of the armed forces..."
Dressing up like a member of the armed forces is illegal and punished by a 0.00036$ 0.28$ in today's money fine, however soldiers take it to mean that wearing camouflage is illegal which they use as an excuse to beat up civilians.
"In the Netherlands..."
In the Netherlands it's forbidden to insult a foreign head of state. The only exception is if we are at war with that nation. The only foreign leader assholy enough to charge someone over this law was Erdogan.
"In Connecticut..."
In Connecticut, the law states that for a pickle to be considered as such, it must be able to bounce.
Otherwise, it's just a salty cucumber that's "unfit for human consumption." Thanks CT!
"I know it's a thing here..."
GiphyThe "cannot collect rainwater" laws baffle me. I know it's a thing here in Canada, probable elsewhere?
"Civilians..."
Civilians cannot wear camo patterns in Barbados. Even if it's pink camo it's illegal and the police can request that you take off the offending garment. If customs find camo clothes in you belongings when you enter the country they will confiscate it.
"Oh there are a BUNCH..."
Oh there are a BUNCH of super dumb laws in the US, and in specific states:
California: It is a $500 fine to detonate a nuclear device
Hawaii: it is illegal to stick a penny in your ear.
Alabama: Sticking an ice cream cone in your back pocket is illegal.
The entire USA: You can vote, join the army, and are required to pay your taxes when you turn 18. You are not allowed to drink, rent a car, purchase a pistol (or rifle in certain states), or in some states, smoke, for another three years.
Also the entire USA: Except for Maryland and California, it is legal to own and use a flamethrower. There is no background check for this.
California YET AGAIN: It is illegal to attempt to ride a bicycle underwater.
The Entire USA: The National Firearms act has very specific requirements for what is considered an "NFA" firearm that requires a tax stamp. Here's a helpful guide
And many... many other laws...
"It's illegal..."
It's illegal to kill a whale in Nebraska. IN NEBRASKA! Where are you going to get a whale in Nebraska?!
"In Korea..."
In Korea, the libel laws are so broad that you can be sued for telling the truth, even if you have demonstrable proof that you are telling the truth. The only way to get out of this is if you can prove that your telling of the truth is "for the good of the country".
I'm not Korean, but I live here, and I can tell you the most common way this affects the non-Korean community is when we are looking for jobs. We will get approached by a company, and start asking around in online forums to see if anyone has worked there before and if they have a good reputation.
No one will ever respond, because... well, if you are found to have ever said anything bad about a company, no matter how much proof you have of it, they will sue you for defamation.
There are also cases where rapists (yes, actual rapists) have sued their victims for naming them because it "defames" them. This has actually been a factor in the Korean MeToo movement, because victims cannot name their abusers or harassers without threat of being sued (which is something that has happened).
DQ: What's the dumbest law on the books in your area?
Do you ever use a product and wonder... "Who in the world thought this would work?"
That seems to be an issue with a lot of items in life.
Like, who designed all these extra dinner forks?
It's all too confusing when you just want to eat a salad and a steak.
Let me keep my fork.
You're wasting water on all the cleaning.
Think before you create.
Redditor DongLaiCha wanted to discuss some products that may need more in-field research, so they asked:
"What products are clearly made by people or companies who never actually use them?"
Remember CDs?
It was easier to break into the Pentagon than open that plastic wrapping.
Who thought that idea up?
Too Dry
Hair Bathing GIFGiphy"I swear that people who design some shampoo and conditioner bottles have never tried to use them while wet."
danarexasaurus
Assessments
"Elementary state assessments. They are the most obtuse, poorly written, unrealistic questions on earth. They enrage me. They are clearly written by people who either have zero experience in elementary education or haven’t had any in a decade or so."
meadow_chef
"I have a BA in English and couldn't figure out one of the answers to my child's third-grade ELA state test practice. I spoke to the teacher about it and she sounded so defeated about the testing. There's no way to prepare children for a test when the questions and answers are so poorly written that the students, their teacher, and the parents can't pick the correct answer."
DistractedHouseWitch
Cheap and Expensive
"A few years ago we wanted a coffee maker with a slightly larger carafe. The only 14-cup one we could find at a reasonable price was branded with Drew Barrymore's name. Whatever, we bought it. It was the worst kitchen device I've ever owned. The interface to set the clock, program it, etc. was absolutely baffling to use, never seemed to do the same thing twice."
"The instructions were apparently written by whatever guy at the factory had a cousin who'd seen an American TV show once. And when it actually did somehow make coffee, it came out shriekingly hot, to where I would put a couple of ice cubes into my travel mug when I left for work just to get it down to drinkable temperature."
Fabulous-Quality-282
Flip It
"Those who make the 'pull this flip to open' on plastic packaging of cold cuts."
MissNatdah
"Similarly, the people who make 'resealable' packages of food products where you have to cut it open in a certain place, but cutting there either results in: A) the package still being sealed closed, or B) ruining the internal sealing zipper. I have this issue with the frozen dumplings I buy and no matter what I do, I have NEVER been able to reseal the package as advertised and have to resort to a chip clip."
pls_send_caffeine
Punch a Hole
Mac And Cheese Eating GIF by Megan BatoonGiphy"The 'push here to open' spot on Kraft Mac and Cheese."
coop_doop
"Whenever I get a different brand I just punch a hole in the same spot out of habit. It’s about exactly as hard to do as with the Kraft ones. So they might as well take out the perforating step and save .001¢/box in the production process."
Reaper_Messiah
Why do they want to keep our Mac and Cheese from us?
Give me my meal!!
Tearing Sheets
office paper GIFGiphy"Those toilet paper holders in public toilets that cut off at two sheets."
theshortlady
"Same area: those paper towel dispensers that require a two-handed pull, commonly leaving you with two little torn-off triangles of paper in your hands."
repowers
Useless
"Zebra printers. I swear Zebra customer service is useless. I've had to call the help desks for the specific companies I've worked for because the Zebra CS is just like 'Huh!?'"
monotoonz
"We wrote our own internal manuals for how to setup, manage, and troubleshoot Zebra printers. It includes helpful information like 'Do not call Zebra about this issue, instead, see Appendix A' (which is screenshots of conversations about how it is is a known issue and the resolution should be coming shortly (dated 2016))."
001235
City Life
"Maybe a bit off-topic, but in a meeting with a former colleague of mine, the person in charge of the metro for a nearby city admitted that he had never used the metro. Not that he didn’t use the metro, but that he had never used it in his life, even once. I suspect that this kind of thing isn’t uncommon for government services."
KireGoTI
"Similar story. A lifelong friend of didn’t even know we had a Metro until a recent expansion meant she had to drive a different way into her office. She works for the city council."
TheKingMonkey
Warn You
"Hospital beds. From the standpoint of the person who has to push it around and mess with rails that get caught in the mattress and plug it in with a long dirty cord that gets mixed up with another random cord that no one knows its purpose. No retractable cords so they constantly drag on the ground and try to trip you when pushing the bed."
"Brakes that are in the most awkward position that you have to invert your knee to reach with your foot. And worst, the screeching, ear-piercing alarm that they emit to 'warn you' that the bed is not locked. Hospital beds are obnoxious."
Agitated-Effort3423
Help Please
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno CalypsoGiphy"Customer-facing software. Developers should be required to hire grandmas under the explicit condition that if grandma can't look at a menu option and decide what to click without giving up and calling the help desk your functionality has failed."
Puzzleheaded-Bat8657
I can't even begin to get into software options.
It brings back too much PTSD.
