A lot is being expected from the governments of countries, from taking care of safety of its citizens to development of infrastructure and generation of employment opportunities. However, there have been instances where the governments have acted like parents to its citizens and decided what name to keep, what to eat, what to wear and how to live your life. Some of these bans are understandable as they define the fear of the government while several others are absolutely illogical.
Here we have collected 15 instances in which the governments have imposed some really weird bans and citizens have no other option than to follow them:
The Greek government wanted to bring an end to online gambling and for this purpose, it banned all the electronic games which run on computers, portable consoles or mobile phones. Since the Greek government couldn’t recognize the difference between online gambling and other video games, many tourists paid heavy fines or served in prison because of having games on their mobile phones.
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The Singapore government banned chewing gum in 2004 as it was posing a problem in maintaining cleanliness. Some people used to stick chewing gums in key holes, mailboxes and elevator buttons. It not only made cleaning difficult but also increased the cost of cleaning by damaging the cleaning equipment. However, an exception has been made and chewing gum can be purchased for medical purposes only.
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China has banned all the movies and TV serials related to time traveling as the government is of the opinion that it disrespects their glorious history. This happened when a good number of Chinese serial makers were already showing time travel in their serials because it was liked by public.
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Baby walkers were banned in Canada in 2004 as the health data collected by the Health Canada from 16 hospitals all over the country revealed that 1900 kids between the age bracket of 9 and 14 months suffered injuries due to baby walker during the years 1990-2002. The injuries included flipping over, falling down from stairs, reaching objects which may be harmful for kids, etc.
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North Korea’s ruler Kim Jong-un is known for imposing some weird bans in the country and one such ban is imposed on the blue jeans. Wearing blue jeans and getting piercing done on the skin is banned in order to save the North Koreans from coming under the influence of Western culture.
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The Chinese government didn’t let 2-D version of movie Avatar release in the country as they felt that it could inspire or motivate citizens to carry out a similar revolt as shown in the movie. The other reason for not letting Avatar release was the fact that it could have affected the local movie business to a good extent.
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There is no doubt that almost all the middle-eastern countries are pretty determined to stop western culture from spreading among their citizens and each one of them has adopted different techniques. Iran has banned the western hairstyles for men such as spikes, mullets, etc. and any hair salon going against the ban may get its license cancelled.
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When in Milan, never frown except during funeral or a hospital visit. As per the rules and regulations of the city administration, everybody needs to have a smile on the face and if the rules are not followed, a fine will be imposed on the violator. Good news is that this rule was enacted in 19th century when Milan was under the rule of Austria and it is not being followed very strictly nowadays.
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The Chinese government has banned the word and the flower of jasmine after Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution. The sale of the flower was banned in the market and even the word “jasmine” was censored on the Internet as the government felt that it has the capacity to destabilize the Chinese society.
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The American actress Claire Danes was banned in Manila in 1998 after she made some negative comments about the city. During an interview with the Vogue magazine, Claire termed Manila as a ghastly and weird city. She also went on to say that the city smelled like cockroaches, it has no sewerage system with rats all over the place and people have no arms, no legs and no eyes. The city council banned her from entering the city and also banned each and every movie in which she works.
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You may love to jog but if you are in Burundi, jogging can lead you in jail. This east African country has a history of turmoil, hence people used to jog in groups so that they can save each other if militia attacks. However, in March 2014, the President of the country Pierre Nkurunziza imposed a ban on jogging, saying that people are using jogging to plan anti-social activities.
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Sounds absurd but it’s true! The Chinese government decides as to who will come back after departing from this world. This is just one of the methods of the government to control the spiritual guru of Tibetans, Dalai Lama. It is being said that Dalai Lama takes rebirth as per his own will and this time, he refuses to take rebirth in Tibet until it is in the control of China.
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In Denmark, parents can’t name their kids as per their own will. They are provided with a list of 7,000 approved names from which they have to choose one. The first name should indicate the gender of the baby; it should never be a surname and it can’t be quirky. If parents want to keep another name which is not in the list, they have to take permission from local church and the government. On an average, 1,000 names are rejected every year.
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The Russian government became concerned when the number of teenagers giving up their life reached at an alarming stage and they felt that the reason for such negative activity is emo fashion. As a result, a ban was imposed on the emo fashion and its clothing. We may have heard that parents decide what their kids should wear but it must have been the first time when a government decided the clothing of youngsters.
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After the World War II, in 1947, an anti-prostitution law was framed which was termed as “Feuiho”. During those days, the clubs were considered as “Adult Entertainment Establishments” and a special license was required for dancing after midnight. This ban was removed after 67 years in 2015 when a famous musician Ryuichi Sakamoto led a campaign against it.
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