Stupid, stupid laws!
Laws have always been and will always be – there is simply no other way for humans to conduct themselves in an organized society. Even during the darkest ages of mankind’s history, there were laws. Even if you put two people on a deserted island together, in time they will develop rules for themselves. Because nobody is perfect, and thus laws come about sometimes from the oddest of circumstances, there have been an incredible number of stupid and weird laws over the centuries. Most end up being removed or revised, but oddly enough, many are still on the books. The following ten websites and articles are about the oddest laws that have ever been, or still are, in existence. How many of them have you broken lately?
Global Alexa Rating: 110
This articles is good for a quick giggle, especially when you consider that some of these British laws were made in more recent history. How were the lawmakers able to keep a straight face with any of these? The site does include links to the source information, although some of the links are not working. Don’t worry about it though, it is doubtful you will be involved in any of these any time soon.
Global Alexa Rating: 667
While this article may list the ten laws as archaic, there are at least a couple on there that actually might make some sense, such as it being against the law to cuss at a firefighter. Some you might be actually tempted to do, so you might want to read up quick – such as before you try to sell your child to the circus. The statute about not selling cars on Sunday might be a great idea too. All in all, this is a very funny article about some unusual laws still on the books.
Global Alexa Rating: 1,799
This is a very nice long list of weird laws that are still on the books, although in many cases they thankfully are not enforced or are in the process of being removed. There are also a few that most cultures would find ridiculous but that are seriously followed in the country in which the law is found. Some will make you laugh, others will make you confused, and perhaps one or two just might make you a bit nervous!
Global Alexa Rating: 6,094
This is a very humorous article about some of the craziest laws there are, that are all completely still legal, although thankfully not enforced. Not only does one have to wonder why many of these were never repealed, but also what caused them to be made in the first place. For example, when was it a problem that people parked an elephant at a meter in Orlando, Florida and didn’t pay? Perhaps a few bored lawmakers decided to have some fun one day.
5. Laws.Com: http://stupid-laws.laws.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 119,028
This site is filled with articles about all types of crazy laws. It is nicely categorized for ease of locating the article you are most curious about. You can find blue laws, crazy laws, curfew laws, dumb laws, funny laws, prohibition laws, silly laws, strange laws, stupid laws, wacky laws and weird laws on this site. Each link takes you to an appropriate article about those types.
6. Dumb Laws: http://www.dumblaws.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 307,409
The Dumb Network’s goal is to share info on the dumbest things in the world. This page is a large collection of stupid laws organized by state in the US and also includes some international contributions. Many of the laws also include links to the full text of the law. Once you finish being entertained by all those, you can skip over to dumb criminals, dumb warnings, dumb facts, dumb lawsuits, dumb movies, dumb photos, dumb quotes and more.
7. Lowering the Bar: http://www.loweringthebar.net/
Global Alexa Rating: 324,252
Did you know that a lawyer can be funny? Well, this site shows that it can happen. The author of the site is Kevin Underhill, a partner at a San Francisco office. He has written a book, The Emergency Sasquatch Ordinance, which is about some of the world’s weirdest and/or dumbest laws. The site includes tons of witty articles about all sorts of laws including dumb, odd, outdated, baffling and even ones we shouldn’t need. You’ll also find the section about comical case names worthwhile for some laughter. Even the articles that don’t deal with stupid laws are entertaining.
8. Stupid Laws: http://www.stupidlaws.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 493,848
This site shows us that no government has a monopoly on creating stupid laws. The laws are categorized by location and by subject. The main page also includes a scattering under three categories: Most Popular, Most Recent and Random. All entries have been submitted by users and many have long since been repealed, but it is an entertaining site nonetheless.
Global Alexa Rating: 536,644
This is a quick article listing 100 weird laws, complete with some cute pictures to emphasize a few of them. Many of them can be found on other sites as well, but there are a few that are unique. A few completely defy reason as to why they were ever enacted in the first place – such as why would it be needed to have a law making it illegal to have sexual intercourse with a porcupine??? (#70 on the list).
10. Hub Pages – 53 Dumb Crazy Stupid Laws: http://drbj.hubpages.com/hub/53-Dumb–Laws
Global Alexa Rating: 1,694,682
While many of the items on this list have been covered by other sites, the writer has gone a step farther and added wit to them that adds to the entertainment. There are also links to some additional articles on the same topic, so if you enjoy this writer’s style, keep going for more entertainment.
So, how many laws did you find that you have violated? These sites make it obvious that there are far more criminals out there than we previously thought. Perhaps we need to build more courthouses and jails. Let’s not let the police know about these though, as they seem to have enough luck getting their monthly quota of tickets written!
