Here are just a few of the innumerable past-their-relevance legal boundaries that still exist in the world:
*It’s not cool in Kentucky for a lady to purchase a hat without the consent of her husband. Even if she’s going to the Derby.
*In Georgia, sex toys are illegal. ILLEGAL! Can you believe that? I live in Atlanta and immediately went and had a date with my vibrator upon reading that, in a fit of heated rebellion.
*Many places, including Ohio, have outlawed breastfeeding in public. I mean, I’m not saying I’m dying to see your child thing latched on in the middle of Taco Bell, but hey, that should really be your choice to make and mine to criticize you for.
*File this under: “How the Hell Are They Gonna Know?” In the “progressive” state of Massachusetts, you can have all the sex you want (with toys, even!) But only if it’s in the missionary position. Ha. That’s basically a pretty way of outlawing lady-gasms, right?
And the list goes on and on, as you can image. Now, because I can’t handle the hard stuff in the morning, I’ve stayed clear away from the numerous laws currently in place all over the world that make a daily muck out of the civil rights of, oh, just about anyone and everyone.
I’m throwing around the legal levity but the harsh truth is that governing bodies have a long-standing tradition of denying human rights and needs, being arbitrarily controlling to the point of absurdity and being too lazy to make sure that their old laws keep up with modern social advances (ya know, like making sure us 21st century gals can buy hats whenever we damn well please).
All evidence considered, a great number of laws are, at the very least, open to interpretation as far as their applicability, necessity and fairness…and the way some people see it, if some laws are, then they all are. One such person is this dude named Matt: owner of a Masters degree in political science, world-traveler, general intellectual powerhouse, super sharp dresser, and habitual law-breaker. Here’s my brief interview with this interesting man:
Datepad: What the hell, man?
Matt: (Laughs) Yeah, I get that a lot. Well, not as much as you would think, really. Because I would say most of the time, people don’t realize/care that I’m ignoring laws.
DP: Why don’t you think they care?
M: Most likely because I deliberately choose to not obstruct anyone else’s ability to exist. I’m not going to even say that I follow the laws which pertain to other people’s personal freedom, or laws that keep me from messing with them, because the laws are not what compel me to do that.
The fact that I conduct myself in a way that is respectful of other people is because of a personal moral code that I’ve outlined for myself. And people are pretty self-involved…that’s not me hating on them, that’s just how it is…if what I’m doing or not doing doesn’t have a direct impact on them, they aren’t really going to notice.
DP: So that moral code thing…it’s like the personal set of rules that you abide by?
M: Exactly. It’s the sum of my laws and, at least in my opinion, they are way better than the ones put in place by some huge, detached, power- and economically-driven governing body. It takes into account how my life functions, how my community functions and what makes sense right now; there’s no long, arduous process to change laws once they no longer apply.
But it’s about personal education; I’ve always said you can’t rebel against an unknown oppressor. I think people have to make it their personal responsibility to educate themselves about laws, systems of government, international political and social history, and especially, the flow of money between governments, private companies and individuals.
I think any person with half a brain who makes themselves knowledgeable on these fronts will undoubtedly see a great number of inconsistencies and that a great percentage of the laws and restrictions they live under are either unfair, impede on their god-given human rights, are motivated by some fiscal or political power play that has nothing to do with them, or simply don’t make sense. Then you realize you can live around it, outside of it.
DP: So give me some examples of laws you might break.
M: (Laughs) I don’t know…it’s more about paying attention to the laws that matter and not worrying about the rest. I honestly forget what is illegal sometimes. It’s a matter of common sense; I obey speed limits on busy roads but on open, country roads, you better believe I’m going to go as fast as I damn well please. Because, again, it doesn’t risk hurting anyone but me.
I also love public art, demonstrations, thoughtful, beautiful acts of graffiti and manipulation of public spaces. For starters, it’s so much more interesting and keeps mundane cityscapes from being boring. Also, I think anything that the public dollar pays for, the public owns. But on that note, I also don’t pay taxes. But then, I also don’t partake in public assistance. I don’t believe in all give, or all take when it comes to the public/government fiscal interaction. I just choose not to participate at all.
DP: Are you ever afraid you’ll get caught for something? Have you been in the past?
M: I’m not particularly worried about it. Like I said, most people simply don’t notice because the laws that I’m disregarding don’t interfere too terribly much with the functioning of society. That said, some do get noticed.
Of course, it enters my mind that things could accumulate and catch up with me or that I could get pinched for something minor and these things pile on and add up. That risk is always there but it doesn’t affect my way of thinking or acting. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.
And in a way, I would almost welcome a chance to publicly confront the faults that I see in the way things work. I’m educated, I’m established and well-thought out in my beliefs and there are huge numbers of people who agree with me. If the government wanted to single me out for something they perceive as an offense, I would probably relish the battle. (smile)
