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Photographer Breaks 43 Of The Most Ridiculous Laws In America, And It’s Hilarious
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In her “I Fought The Law” series, Olivia Locher has come up with a series of images that creatively poke fun at some of the more absurd laws in effect in the United States. Each photo is a tongue-in-cheek rebellion that intentionally violates some absurd U.S. State law, most of which are outdated or bizarrely specific.
Some of these laws are simply outdated historical laws, while other are total headscratchers. It’s hard to imagine why riding bikes in swimming pools is illegal in California or why wine can’t be served in teacups in Kansas. And it begs the questions – was people working out while driving such a big problem in Oregon that they had to outlaw it? Other laws, while weird, have historical context and are simply outdated. It’s illegal to carry an ice-cream cone in your back pocket in Alabama because this was an ingenious way for horse thieves to steal horses. They could lead away horses with the ice-cream without ever having to lay hands on them, thereby not technically stealing the horses until they were “lost.”
To see more of this talented artist’s photography or more of this cheeky series, check out her website!
More info: olivialocher.com
This post may include affiliate links.
In Alabama, It Is Illegal To Have An Ice-Cream Cone In Your Back Pocket
Who on Earth thought it could be a good idea to carry an ice-cream cone in his/her back pocket ?
In Ohio, It’s Illegal To Disrobe In Front Of A Man's Portrait
In Pennsylvania, It’s Illegal To Tie A Dollar Bill To A String And Pull It Away When Someone Tries To Pick It Up
In Arizona, You May Not Have More Than Two Dildos In A House
In Minnessota A Person May Not Cross State Lines With A Bird Atop His Head
In Utah, No One May Walk Down The Street Carrying A Paper Bag Containing A Violin
In Oklahoma It's Illegal To Make Love With An Automobile
In Connecticut, Pickles Must Bounce To Officially Be Considered Pickles
In California, Nobody Is Allowed To Ride A Bicycle In A Swimming Pool
In New Jersey A Person Can Be Arrested For Slurping Soup In Public
In Indiana, It’s Illegal For A Man To Be Sexually Aroused In Public
In Michigan It's Illegal To Paint Sparrows To Sell Them As Parakeets
In Texas, It Is Illegal For Children To Have Unusual Haircuts
I wonder who decide what's unusual. I mean if tomorrow Nicki Minaj or anyone else decide to shave her/his head except a blue strand of hair right above the left ear and a yellow one on the back. It would be ugly af, but if few hundred kids copy her/him and it become a trend, would it be punishable by law?
In Maryland Hammering A Nail Into A Tree Is Punishable By A Fifty Dollar Fine
In Rhode Island, It Is Illegal To Wear Transparent Clothing
In Virginia, Spitting On A Seagull Is Punishable By A Fine
In Hawaii Coins Are Not Allowed To Be Placed In One’s Ears
In Kansas, It’s Illegal To Serve Wine In Teacups
Wine in a teacup???!!! How uncivilized... lock the barbarians up and throw away the key!
In Kentucky, It’s Illegal To Lick A Toad
Any toad that produce hallucinogenic venom with their skin in Kentucky?
In Kentucky It's Illegal To Paint Your Lawn Red
In Wisconsin It Is Illegal To Serve Apple Pie In Public Restaurants Without Cheese
An Apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without the squeeze!
In Arkansas It’s Illegal To Kill Or Preserve Any Living Creature Without A License
In Washington, It’s Illegal To Paint Polka Dots On The American Flag
In Colorado, It’s Illegal To Have Weeds In Your Yard
This is pretty common. Most states and municipalities have laws against growing invasive plants. For example, in Oregon you must remove all ivy, broom, and heather - as well as a laundry list of others. These three are considered Class One Invasives. If you are found to have these things in your yard, you can be fined and ordered to remove them. If you choose not to do this, the city or county will remove them for you, then send you a bill for the work.
In Nebraska, It’s Illegal For A Parent To Perm Their Child’s Hair Without A State License
Oregon: One May Not Test Their Physical Endurance While Driving A Car On The Highway
Was a five year old driving? I just imagine the lawmaker saying "ugh, alright fine! we'll make it a law"
In Florida, A Person May Not Appear In Public Clothed In Liquid Latex
In Delaware It Is Illegal To Wear Pants That Are “form - Fitting” Around The Waist
In Wyoming, It’s Illegal For A Hairdresser To Groom One’s Pubic Hair
In Tennessee Hollow Logs May Not Be Sold
In Delaware It’s Illegal To Serve Perfume As Liquor
It's easy to see how some of these came about. The one from Tennessee, this one and some others. They never came off of the books. Several aren't even silly laws.
In Vermont It Is Illegal To Use Colored Margarine In Restaurants Unless The Menu Indicates You Do
In New Mexico Defacing Rocks Is A Crime
Not stupid at all. Inscription Rock anyone??? There are historical rocks everywhere in the desert. The law was put there to preserve historical native american sites and places like Inscription Rock. I get the "humor" part here but....ah, whatever. I guess every state has several silly laws. I don't know if the artist here knew (probably). It's a cool photo anyway.
In Alaska No Person May Drive A Vehicle When There Are Three People In The Front Seat
In Mississippi Sesame Street Was Once Banned From Pbs.
One has to wonder what circumstances caused these laws to be passed...
My question exactly to lots of them: "why did they had to decide that?"
"Upskirting" despite its frivolous name, is disgusting and a violation. Shame on Bored Panda for perpetuating the crime as ridiculous
I'm thinking this particular instance is of two consenting parties. ANY photos like that taken without consent is an invasion of privacy. In this case, I took it to mean even if you want to, those photos are not allowed. I don't believe they are intending to make light of a crime.
I think you really need to be sexually repressed to make a comment like that. People are sexual animals, get over it.
1. I'm not, I'm asexual. 2. Being a sexual being does not absolve you from having some goddamn self control. If you cannot refrain from shoving a camera under a woman's skirt--or a man's, for that matter--without permission, then you are functionally not a human being, you are a would-be rapist. And the laws against up-skirt photo are specific to a LACK OF CONSENT, sir, not to consenting adults taking sexy photos. If you can't understand the need for consent, you need to be cast out of society to where the only person you can hurt is yourself. It's not about sexual repression, it's about sexist oppression, in other words.
So what are the degrees of separation between this action and, say, masturbating in public? They are on the same spectrum, and fyi, upskirting is illegal in other places too - see the two articles I've linked below. Then have a nice day, mythblster (we all know you will).
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/05/25/national/kyoto-law-puts-upskirt-photography-focus/#.WVUWbRPyveQ
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4650004/Bodybuilder-jailed-taking-upskirt-photographs.html
In Toronto Canada it illegal to drag a dead horse down Young Street by a rope I guess you can drag a dead one down any other Street just not Young Street
The Massachusetts up-skirt laws were a necessary, and hard fought change in Personal Privacy in Public laws. We had a rash (read: hundreds) of men getting close to women in shops, busstops and other public venues to use their cell phone to sneak photos under a woman's skirt, without her consent. Most of the victims were under age, high school and middle school children. The previous law protected these men under the "no expectations of privacy in public spaces." Most of these photos were being sold or shared via online porn sites. The law still isn't perfect, but at least children are protected now.
Was it in Oklahoma, that it's illegal to eat at an establishment that's also on fire. And I think, a shotgun is required in a church on Sunday in Maine. It's illegal to whistle underwater in Vermont. It's against a law to consume more than 3 sandwiches at a wake in Massachusetts. You aren't allowed to bathe without 'suitable clothing' in Oregon. So on and on. This is what happens when bureaucrats walk all over the common sense.
I'm pretty sure most of these became laws because common sense isn't, and people were actually DOING some of these things. Like refusing to leave a restaurant that was ON FIRE because they hadn't gotten their meal yet, and then winding up putting firefighters in jeopardy and causing themselves injuries that they wasted the courts' time suing over. And "bathing" in the type of ordinance from Oregon goes back to a time when that's what they called "swimming." In other words, "No nudist beaches in Oregon," not "you must be fully clothed in a bath tub."
How the hell is #43 a ridiculous law?! If you have permission, but there have been far too many instances in the news over the years of this happening without the subjects permission for it to be a ridiculous law!
The Utah rocks one makes complete sense- given that Utah has several national and state monuments that are natural rock formations, and people kept doing cr*p like carving their initials on them, or slapping grafitti down.
The upskirt photo one came about for a very good reason. Pervs were doing this to unsuspecting women & girls to get their jollies. The nails in trees came about because environmentalists were spiking trees and later after they were harvest the spikes would damage equipment and sometimes injure the operator during cutting & milling.
so sexual assault should be legal in your opinion? disgusting
Where are the hilarious ones?
Wait, why is 25 (In Arkansas it's illegal to kill or preserve any animal without a license) absurd? Surely protecting wildlife is a good thing!
'Upskirting' is a crime and should be punishable by law. Do you really want someone taking a photo up the skirt of your daughter, mother, sister...any female?
Well #19 is just indecent exposure isn't it? :P
Coins in ears?
Some of these are explainable. The no hammering nails into trees one is because some wacko militant environmentalists did that hoping the nails would fly out and injure sawmill workers. The no serving perfume as liquor one is probably because someone tried exactly that to get around liquor laws. As for the no upskirt photos one...that's totally not a ridiculous law. Taking upskirt photos is sexual harrassment at the very least.
No doubt states passed most of these laws just to prove they could.
I'd say that this article has been a very boring story ever since all of this was posted.
Laws against colored margarine were once prevalent, the result of dairy industry lobbying. Margarine is naturally a sickly white color. The dairy industry fought for laws that prevented margarine makers from using yellow food coloring to make margarine more attractive and more competitive with butter. This is a perfect example of special interest legislation.
People ride bikes (and skateboards) in empty pools, ya doofus.
I don't think New Mexico's law about defacing rocks is bad. I HATE driving through beautiful country and seeing rocks defaced by graffiti because some drunk jerk thought the whole world needed to know their class graduated in '15, or who the eff they love.
#23 you followed the law - which doesn't fit with the theme of the listicle.
Sorry everyone, number three is still clearly necessary
"#39 In Alaska No Person May Drive A Vehicle When There Are Three People In The Front Seat" Soooo, 4 people in the front seat would be just fine, then...
no because technically there would be 3 people even if there was a 4th ;-D
#s41 & 42 are duplicared in the series. Otherwise it's cool. Hopefully she weill do another series on this, or just crowdsource it.
What were they thinking?
In Massachusetts, a guy was photographing sup women's skirts on public transit, without their permission. It's a huge invasion of privacy, & they needed a law to charge him (& others) with breaking. It's not something silly like 'no carrying ice cream in your pocket' Also, where's the one that says it's okay to marry off girls as young as 12? Yes, in this country. Usually to legitimize a pregnancy (which would be rape) http://news.wgbh.org/2017/05/11/local-news/how-underage-marriage-puts-girls-risk
Who made these laws ?
I saw most of these on imgur already, but they're stull mostly funny.
Haha, sooo looking forward to reading these!! Silly Americans...
We need all the back stories!!!
Most of them are eeehh .....STUPID!!!
I wish the photo add creativity not straight forward, to make it more fun 😀
And Trump wants to make America the greatest? Unless their government stops wasting time in coming up with pointless laws, they'll never even be taken seriously.
I dont think the Last one is ridiculous... it says CAN BE soooo.... in other words Without that womens permission it is illegal to take upskirt pictures And i find that completely reasonable... you wouldnt want people taking unconsented pictures of your dick.
One has to wonder what circumstances caused these laws to be passed...
My question exactly to lots of them: "why did they had to decide that?"
"Upskirting" despite its frivolous name, is disgusting and a violation. Shame on Bored Panda for perpetuating the crime as ridiculous
I'm thinking this particular instance is of two consenting parties. ANY photos like that taken without consent is an invasion of privacy. In this case, I took it to mean even if you want to, those photos are not allowed. I don't believe they are intending to make light of a crime.
I think you really need to be sexually repressed to make a comment like that. People are sexual animals, get over it.
1. I'm not, I'm asexual. 2. Being a sexual being does not absolve you from having some goddamn self control. If you cannot refrain from shoving a camera under a woman's skirt--or a man's, for that matter--without permission, then you are functionally not a human being, you are a would-be rapist. And the laws against up-skirt photo are specific to a LACK OF CONSENT, sir, not to consenting adults taking sexy photos. If you can't understand the need for consent, you need to be cast out of society to where the only person you can hurt is yourself. It's not about sexual repression, it's about sexist oppression, in other words.
So what are the degrees of separation between this action and, say, masturbating in public? They are on the same spectrum, and fyi, upskirting is illegal in other places too - see the two articles I've linked below. Then have a nice day, mythblster (we all know you will).
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/05/25/national/kyoto-law-puts-upskirt-photography-focus/#.WVUWbRPyveQ
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4650004/Bodybuilder-jailed-taking-upskirt-photographs.html
In Toronto Canada it illegal to drag a dead horse down Young Street by a rope I guess you can drag a dead one down any other Street just not Young Street
The Massachusetts up-skirt laws were a necessary, and hard fought change in Personal Privacy in Public laws. We had a rash (read: hundreds) of men getting close to women in shops, busstops and other public venues to use their cell phone to sneak photos under a woman's skirt, without her consent. Most of the victims were under age, high school and middle school children. The previous law protected these men under the "no expectations of privacy in public spaces." Most of these photos were being sold or shared via online porn sites. The law still isn't perfect, but at least children are protected now.
Was it in Oklahoma, that it's illegal to eat at an establishment that's also on fire. And I think, a shotgun is required in a church on Sunday in Maine. It's illegal to whistle underwater in Vermont. It's against a law to consume more than 3 sandwiches at a wake in Massachusetts. You aren't allowed to bathe without 'suitable clothing' in Oregon. So on and on. This is what happens when bureaucrats walk all over the common sense.
I'm pretty sure most of these became laws because common sense isn't, and people were actually DOING some of these things. Like refusing to leave a restaurant that was ON FIRE because they hadn't gotten their meal yet, and then winding up putting firefighters in jeopardy and causing themselves injuries that they wasted the courts' time suing over. And "bathing" in the type of ordinance from Oregon goes back to a time when that's what they called "swimming." In other words, "No nudist beaches in Oregon," not "you must be fully clothed in a bath tub."
How the hell is #43 a ridiculous law?! If you have permission, but there have been far too many instances in the news over the years of this happening without the subjects permission for it to be a ridiculous law!
The Utah rocks one makes complete sense- given that Utah has several national and state monuments that are natural rock formations, and people kept doing cr*p like carving their initials on them, or slapping grafitti down.
The upskirt photo one came about for a very good reason. Pervs were doing this to unsuspecting women & girls to get their jollies. The nails in trees came about because environmentalists were spiking trees and later after they were harvest the spikes would damage equipment and sometimes injure the operator during cutting & milling.
so sexual assault should be legal in your opinion? disgusting
Where are the hilarious ones?
Wait, why is 25 (In Arkansas it's illegal to kill or preserve any animal without a license) absurd? Surely protecting wildlife is a good thing!
'Upskirting' is a crime and should be punishable by law. Do you really want someone taking a photo up the skirt of your daughter, mother, sister...any female?
Well #19 is just indecent exposure isn't it? :P
Coins in ears?
Some of these are explainable. The no hammering nails into trees one is because some wacko militant environmentalists did that hoping the nails would fly out and injure sawmill workers. The no serving perfume as liquor one is probably because someone tried exactly that to get around liquor laws. As for the no upskirt photos one...that's totally not a ridiculous law. Taking upskirt photos is sexual harrassment at the very least.
No doubt states passed most of these laws just to prove they could.
I'd say that this article has been a very boring story ever since all of this was posted.
Laws against colored margarine were once prevalent, the result of dairy industry lobbying. Margarine is naturally a sickly white color. The dairy industry fought for laws that prevented margarine makers from using yellow food coloring to make margarine more attractive and more competitive with butter. This is a perfect example of special interest legislation.
People ride bikes (and skateboards) in empty pools, ya doofus.
I don't think New Mexico's law about defacing rocks is bad. I HATE driving through beautiful country and seeing rocks defaced by graffiti because some drunk jerk thought the whole world needed to know their class graduated in '15, or who the eff they love.
#23 you followed the law - which doesn't fit with the theme of the listicle.
Sorry everyone, number three is still clearly necessary
"#39 In Alaska No Person May Drive A Vehicle When There Are Three People In The Front Seat" Soooo, 4 people in the front seat would be just fine, then...
no because technically there would be 3 people even if there was a 4th ;-D
#s41 & 42 are duplicared in the series. Otherwise it's cool. Hopefully she weill do another series on this, or just crowdsource it.
What were they thinking?
In Massachusetts, a guy was photographing sup women's skirts on public transit, without their permission. It's a huge invasion of privacy, & they needed a law to charge him (& others) with breaking. It's not something silly like 'no carrying ice cream in your pocket' Also, where's the one that says it's okay to marry off girls as young as 12? Yes, in this country. Usually to legitimize a pregnancy (which would be rape) http://news.wgbh.org/2017/05/11/local-news/how-underage-marriage-puts-girls-risk
Who made these laws ?
I saw most of these on imgur already, but they're stull mostly funny.
Haha, sooo looking forward to reading these!! Silly Americans...
We need all the back stories!!!
Most of them are eeehh .....STUPID!!!
I wish the photo add creativity not straight forward, to make it more fun 😀
And Trump wants to make America the greatest? Unless their government stops wasting time in coming up with pointless laws, they'll never even be taken seriously.
I dont think the Last one is ridiculous... it says CAN BE soooo.... in other words Without that womens permission it is illegal to take upskirt pictures And i find that completely reasonable... you wouldnt want people taking unconsented pictures of your dick.