Laws are rules and regulations which embody the system of a country or community which are established by authority and are recognized as the regulators of the actions of its people as well as applied by having penalties imposed. Laws are what keep society grounded and organized, and to certain extent, there are laws which people follow and do not, and there are some laws which are normal and are absurd or unrealistic.
This paper will be discussing some absurd laws coined by different nations of different authorities and some theories of reasons for their applications (if applicable).
One absurd law is the one in Venice wherein it is illegal to feed pigeons. Unfortunately for bird lovers, it is a no go if you wish to enjoy strolling in the park peacefully on a Sunday afternoon. As absurd as the law sounds; however, it is of great concern that the people Venice, Italy care for the diet of the pigeons since some have the tendency to feed inedible food or anything that may harm the birds. Furthermore, this law prevents the congestion of birds in one area which would inevitably hinder the productivity of some of their citizens since Venice is rather famous for the numerous amounts of birds which flock their area during the migration season.
Another particular absurd law can be found in Victoria, Australia wherein those ONLY qualified electricians are allowed to change a lightbulb in residences or any infrastructures. Changing a lightbulb does not require a lot of effort and is a rather common practice; however, light bulbs still pose a risk in households and are a common cause of electrical fires. As such, it is only rationale that any authority would enforce preventive measures to ensure the safety of their people and one such authority are found in Victoria, Australia.
In Britain, one of their absurd laws involves planks wherein they are illegal to be carried along the pavement. Typically, this can pose a problem for vehicles on the road; however, European countries are known for having a lot of their people preferring walking more than riding vehicles. In order to take consideration for this, this law was made in order to not hinder any passersby and will certainly avoid any accidents in doing so.
The laws discussed are definitely absurd to some but if logic is put into them, they are actually beneficial for the safety and productivity of their respective nations’ citizens; however, there are some laws which are just truly absurd and a few of them are:
- It is illegal to name a pig Napoleon in France due to this being an insult to the late great French general and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.
- It is legal of any age to be married in Saudi Arabia.
These laws may seem unrealistic and to some extent, a waste of legislation for some; however, they were all crafted with a purpose. These absurd laws also tell the story and the state of a nation wherein unknowing foreigners and locals are educated by knowing the logic behind the application of these laws which will also lead to their appreciation of them.
It is important, regardless of what nation you belong to and came from, what nation you are currently in, or what nation you are affiliated with so as long as you not only know the nation on an outside scale but dwell deeper into their rules and regulations which encompasses and organizes their society, and abide by them in order to appreciate and acknowledge them even if some of their absurd laws have no obvious benefits.
