You go to that country, you will find their customs. One thing is certain: many lawmakers must have had a lot of fun creating downright bizarre rules.
When you’re pregnant, you know, you often have to pee. British law is probably very sensitive to the subject, to such an extent that pregnant women in England have the right to pee wherever they want. The law also specifies that, if she so wishes, the woman can also use a policeman’s helmet as a makeshift potty.
Let’s stay in Great Britain and always on the pee theme. If a man has an urgent need and cannot find a bathroom nearby, he has the opportunity to fulfill his needs with the permission of the law, only if he aims at the rear wheel of his car and if he keeps his right hand on the vehicle.
If a poor whale takes its last breath and runs aground on the English coast, its body must, according to the law, be divided. The head must necessarily be owned by the King, while the tail belongs to the Queen. This is because queens and noble women, in ancient times, used busts made from sticks made of whale bones.
If a woman goes to the gynecologist in Bahrain she can be seen by a male doctor, as long as he does not look at the patient’s private parts directly but only through a mirror and its reflection.
Anyone who does not feel well during a session of parliament in London is quickly rescued but … outside the building. Why? The reason lies in the fact that Parliament is in effect a royal palace and for this reason, according to English law, anyone who dies within its walls deserves a funeral with great fanfare and with all the honors reserved for members of the crown.
Let’s remain in English territory. If you have to send a letter, be careful how you glue the stamp! This is because, if you put the stamp upside down on an envelope, you could be charged with high treason. Be careful and precision then!
In the very puritanical Scotland the Victorian mentality is still very present. Parents of pre-adolescent children are well aware of this and, in order not to incur penalties, they must prevent their children from looking at shop windows in which there are naked mannequins. You never know they may have strange ideas.
In China, the law is clear: it is not possible to reincarnate without obtaining a formal permit from the competent authorities. Most affected by this law are Buddhist monks who believe in reincarnation after death. Now they know that before they die they have to queue at the competent counter.
Life is very hard for cannibals in China. A law still in force, indeed, establishes that a man cannot feed on his wife’s ex-husband if he does not want to incur heavy penalties.
In California, lawmakers must have been seized with an overwhelming desire to play a joke on citizens. A law, indeed, prohibits carrying your own bicycle and pedaling underwater. Perhaps has anyone tried?
FABIO MARCOMIN
(Original article by Giulia Piccinini)