Incredible These Things Used to Be Illegal in America

[@LegalEagle]

Which one of these formerly illegal things is your favorite? 🍋 Go to legaleagle.link/hellofresh to get a free breakfast item for life! Just use the code LEGALEAGLEFREE! ⚖ Get a great lawyer, fast! legaleagle.link/eagleteam

[@TheHeavyDead420]

First reply

[@davea6314]

Professor Hill in the Music Man praised Gary Indiana as a wonderful place to live. That didn't age well.

[@SomethingFakeAndUnOriginal]

Hello fresh is really terrible to its employees. I didn't expect you to promote them in 2024

[@internalizedhappyness9774]

What was yours? Was it slavery? My favorite illegal thing currently is giving food to homeless people! And smoking weed! Oops, silly me I forgot that slavery was legal at a time and pretty much still read (read the 13th amendment and understand why we enslave poor Black people more than any other demographic in this country)

[@chronosschiron]

wrong usa is not the most free in world google freedom index

[@agentchaos9332]

"America is the most free country on earth, just ask anyone who's never been outside of america." I want that on a T-Shirt

[@terrencesauve]

Yeah, it's a pretty fabulous statement. I would even add county, not just country. Unbelievable how people can still be so isolated with all the virtual meeting tools we have.

[@cillcamst2]

I need this on a shirt also.

[@migmit]

@@terrencesauveSo, "America is the most free country, ask anyone who's never been outside of a county". We need to make it shorter to fit on a T-shirt though.

[@Loccyster]

​​@@migmit, or you could just change the font size 🤷‍♂️ Edit: also, your shortened version makes less sense and isn't as funny.

[@justinweatherford8129]

@@migmit it could easily be placed on a t-shirt, especially if you split it in half and use the back of the t-shirt for the second half.

[@maurer3d]

12:00 When I was about 17 a local Psychic closed down, and had a sign out front, that read "Closed due to unforeseen circumstances". I laughed every time I drove by the shop.

[@mrcryptozoic817]

🤣

[@HandsomeDanVacationRentals]

Underrated comment. Have a like good sir.

[@GracedApollo476]

Hope he didn't have the last name "Vance".

[@allanpatterson7653]

He didn't see that coming.

[@yoseftreitman7226]

Better than "closed due to impending disaster, get out while you can."

[@garmatey3816]

i literally thought the premise of Footloose and Dirty Dancing was a metaphor and not just an accurate depiction of events.

[@GoXDS]

sometimes, reality is stranger than fiction...

[@theflyingdutchguy9870]

didnt even think about that😂😂

[@mchjsosde]

Oh you sweet simmer child.... this is America!

[@TheEudaemonicPlague]

Dirty Dancing was an entirely different story--the only things they have in common is dancing. Dirty Dancing is rich people looking down their noses at the hired help kind of thing. Simply not related stories. I'll admit that it shocked me to learn Footloose was based on real events--it seemed too corny, like an exaggeration of some unrelated events, grouped together to make a story. It's mindblowing that that law stayed in effect for ninety years.

[@garmatey3816]

@@TheEudaemonicPlague never seen either

[@dhamp_]

Theres one thing that was kind of glossed over in this - those English laws prohibiting fortune-telling and astrology were *absolutely* targeting the existence of Romani people. Its why court astrologers and other forms of divination werent covered by these laws - they were specifically aimed at Romani traditions and practices.

[@marvindebot3264]

Rom, Dom, Lom, it was aimed at all three. Not that the lawmakers would have known the difference.

[@dhamp_]

@marvindebot3264 except the Lom and Dom have never had a noteworthy presence in England/the UK, while the Romanichal have, as have the Welsh Kalé

[@Colopty]

Fun fact about the pinball ban: At a 1976 hearing in New York, a man named Roger Sharpe was a key part in lifting the ban through a demonstration of it being a game of skill by declaring that he'd pull the plunger back just right to send the ball through the middle lane, and then went on to do just that, leading to an unanimous vote in favour of lifting it. He later admitted that the shot was in fact pure luck on his part. He liked the game, but was in no way skilled enough to intentionally send the ball through a lane of his choice.

[@NiveusMilitis]

As soon as I saw the pinball machine in the cover image, I thought of that interview. Love it.

[@kyuubinaruto17]

So he risked it all on luck? Regardless, I find it to be a failure on the council's part to take 1 single shot as proof of it being skill based. I have no opinion on the slot machine issue itself, but just that it feels foolish to take one instance of ANYTHING and apply it on a broad scale.

[@LeCharles07]

@@kyuubinaruto17 I want to go back in time with a copy of the PAPA pinball table tutorials and show the jury video after video of Bowen Kerins brutalizing the concept that pinball is random and no skill is involved. Top level pinball is amazing to watch.

[@janemiettinen5176]

He wasnt familiar enough with this particular machine, he hadnt played it before and had just few hours to train before the demo. So, he needed a bit of luck on top of his killer skills.

[@thomaslyons441]

Did he say pinball didn't have flippers at first? That's wild.

[@johnpotts8308]

Fun fact: The last conviction under the 1735 Witchcraft Act in England was in 1944. She wasn't hanged or burnt at the stake but was fined £5 (the Witchcraft Act was replaced in 1951 by the Fraudulent Mediums Act).

[@geoffroi-le-Hook]

£5 was a lot of money in 1735.

[@johnpotts8308]

@@geoffroi-le-Hook Less so in 1944 (around £250 in today's money)

[@kirara2516]

So, I love dancing, pinball, and I'm Pagan/Wiccan. I don't think I'd fare too well in the past. 😅

[@persaunna]

I find it HILARIOUS that *Pound Town* decided to take a "moral high ground." The ironic confidence and audacity of "I'm right, and I want yours" people never cease to amaze me.

[@SanDukey]

Came here to make a comment to this effect 😂

[@maurer3d]

I just hope we can get some weird laws from Intercourse, Blue Ball, or Climax Pennsylvania. 😜 (and yes those are three real cities/towns in Pennsylvania.)

[@ku8721]

I put it down to religion, I have no problem with someone saying "I can't do that because of my faith." What this is and what I hate about religion is someone saying "YOU can't do that because of MY religion"

[@interloper8029]

who knew "pound town" was this boring...

[@noahb5573]

IM OUTTA TOWN 🗣️

[@rayceeya8659]

Oregon famously has very strong first amendment rights and you can literally dance if you want to. You can leave your friends behind. 'Cause your friends don't dance And if they don't dance Well, they're no friends of mine

[@sureshmukhi2316]

Safety Dance - Men Without Hats

[@lazykbys]

IIRC, people who danced in a particular way were kicked out of Canadian disco clubs because the owners were afraid people might get hurt, and the Safety Dance was written as a protest.

[@sureshmukhi2316]

@@lazykbys it was in response to Slam dancing which was popular in the early 1980s

[@rayceeya8659]

@@lazykbys OMG I though they were British. I had no Idea they were Canadian. Thanks!

[@jeffreyquinn3820]

@@lazykbys Montreal in particular. And this is one of our more progressive and fashion-forward cities.

[@minioli01]

Just imagine the supreme court saying dancing is illegal unless nude therefore making strip clubs some of the only places where dance might be legal all in the name of preserving good morals.

[@mrcryptozoic817]

I'd vote for such a law.

[@bellablue5285]

Which would actually make strip clubs in some states illegal, since some require as much as chest coverage for them to operate

[@swa5026]

Not really as the term is stripping. Half of the dance the dancer is clothed.

[@mrcryptozoic817]

@@bellablue5285 If a woman come to the floor nude, then she can't be accused of stripping. 😃

[@AnonymousAnarchist2]

Also.. the folks trying to uphold these laws against dancing openly said it was because of thier religious belief and NOT from any empirical source or any reasonable arguement. So... Imagine the suprime court failing to read the first ten words of the first amendment.

[@cweaver4080]

You buried the lead here: "Supreme Court says teens have to dance nude when they go to Pound Town'

[@TroutBoneless]

we never really talk about how the Puritans were so goddamn annoying that they got kicked out of europe and had to make their own country, and now that country has most of the worlds nukes

[@bluester7177]

And exports a lot of its most crazy cultural ideas.

[@IBeforeAExceptAfterK]

Not only that, but at least in my school we were taught that actually it was the Puritans who decided to leave because Europe was being intolerant of their religion. It's like someone coping after a bad breakup.

[@Zalzany]

@@bluester7177 yeah it sad were exporting sovcit ideals now... Although it is funny seeing a guy in UK or Canada quote fake supreme court cases when the supreme court has no say in their country. But it has to be annoying as hell for those cops...

[@WE-te3vp]

I don't remember them moving to Russia as they have more more nukes than the United States

[@APerson863]

​@IBeforeAExceptAfterK I remember it being that they wanted to be intolerant of other religions. And couldn't do that, so they left.

[@SakuraNyan]

1:22 That pastor(?) just made my skin crawl.

[@MICHAEL-vy3ch]

He did seem a little too excited about describing why dancing was prohibited. "All those sweaty bodily gyrations of young flesh and those hips moving to the pounding music building up to a carnal eruption of Biblical proportions...Oh, my, I seem to have sinned into my leisure suit..."

[@sebastianwagner7334]

Yeah, he was one of those people where you just think "Yup, that fits..."

[@kirara2516]

​@@MICHAEL-vy3ch I'd be surprised if he didn't "educate" young boys.

[@thomaslong8401]

Can you imaging spending eternity in heaven with that preacher? No thanks! Yikes

[@ronstewart5945]

Wondering if the violent pastor from Kingsman is intentionally similar-looking.

[@TricksterModeEngaged]

"Footloose was based on a true story" is not on my list of things I expected to learn today

[@themechanic9226]

I remember visiting my grandparents in South Carolina back in the late 1970’s and there was a pinball machine in a 7-11 near their house. My siblings and I walked down there to get some candy and we started playing a game of pinball. The clerk came over and unplugged the machine mid-game. We had no idea why (being from out of state) and I remember the clerk pointing at the sign stating it was illegal for minors to play pinball in South Carolina. I remember thinking “what a stupid law”, and I was only 10 years old. Not surprised it is still on the books.

[@TheRaySkye]

I spent most of my childhood in a town called Comanche, Tx. They refused to let a travelling roller-rink (skating) set up shop inside the city limit for even a day. Their logic: Skating involves music, Music leads to Dancing, Dancing leads to Sin and Sin leads to Hell. The rink had to set up just outside of the city limits but was chased away after just one weekend of sending young people straight to hell.

[@chri-k]

. . .

[@CallieMasters5000]

Well how did you turn out? Are you currently residing at 666 Hell Lane, Hellsville? Say hi to the Devil for us!

[@TheRaySkye]

I was able to escape just after elementary school. I currently live in a big, sin-filled city. My eldest sister was unfortunately trapped in that one pony town.

[@cmdraftbrn]

@@TheRaySkye one whole pony. rich town

[@TheRaySkye]

Can't expect too much when the city limit signs are back to back. Place has a fraction for a zip code.

[@CartoonHero1986]

Kids in the Hall (a Canadian Sketch Comedy show from the late 80's early 90's) actually did a hilariously good example of fraudulent fortune telling defined by law that could be used to help clear up confusion. The fortune teller was actually the owner of a courier company and when a person would come in (they were all supposed to little old European ladies in the skit) for a reading someone would drop a package through the ceiling and he'd tell the client they had to deliver the package to build their karma, luck, or protection. The skit ends with a bunch of old ladies running around Toronto delivering packages like it is life or death and eventually assaulting a Canada Post worker for packages to deliver. (it's a lot funnier then I make it sound lol)

[@jeffreyquinn3820]

Most KiTH sketches sound pretty awful if you describe them. They could make someone who only dreams of Oompah bands into a popular recurring gag.

[@CartoonHero1986]

@@jeffreyquinn3820 LMAO for real... try describing one of Bruce's skits like "Sausages" or "My Pen!" without it sounding like the dumbest thing you've heard... but are probably the funniest things ever. Even the ones that were outright hilarious like any of Buddy Cole skits, the Crushing Your Head guy skits, etc are hard to just tell people about and make them sound good.

[@jeffreyquinn3820]

@@CartoonHero1986 Unfortunately, a lot of people thought they could be funny by copying them.

[@feliciasjoberg9886]

It is legal to DANCE at restaurants now in Sweden! In 2023, restaurants or bars don't need dance permits. For 67 YEARS this law meant that the owners would get fines or prison if they didn't interrupt spontaneous dancing!

[@notbot2648]

They were just very prescient about the eventual danger of flash mobs.

[@didikohen455]

So Dancing Queen was not in a bar, I understand.

[@zubetp]

i keep imagining being in one of places where dancing is illegal and testing at which point my activity stops counting as fidgeting and starts counting as dancing.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Officer, I am not dancing. I am standing still, but faster.

[@Ynno2]

There are still several other European countries with similar laws too

[@dalton6859]

I was born and raised in Wise County, Virginia, and I love to see that my county is getting some recognition! I'm also glad that someone other than a local enjoys the "Pound Town" ( 3:45 ) joke.

[@carlthehatllama8930]

It is kind of interesting that people are trying to ban dancing for not upholding "good Christian values" when in their own book one of their gods favorite people "danced before the lord with all his might" in a sleeveless colorful robe

[@SamAronow]

“Favorite” is a misinterpretation. “Chosenness” is just a contract with God to fulfill certain ritual obligations, whereas everyone else just has to follow 7 basic moral laws (assuming God doesn’t have other contracts with other groups, which isn’t to be taken for granted). All of which is to say a legal argument could be made by these fundamentalist groups that _they’re_ not allowed to dance but other people are. Which of course defeats the justification for a civil ban on dancing, but that’s ancillary to an ecclesiastical argument.

[@chanterelle483]

a lot of dancing in the Psalms

[@CommieHunter7]

They actually argue that David danced and that was giving in to his lustful, fleshly desires. And that led to his adultery with Bathsheba, proving dancing is bad.

[@ConstantChaos1]

Same dude consulted the lady of the spheres and is full of prophesy, but gods forbid I make a little profit from being a profit

[@raistlinmajere7149]

so Footloose is based off of a true story

[@Crabby303]

"Just ask anyone whose never been outside of the country" - straight out of the box with a deadpan-delivery winner lol 🤣

[@gus.smedstad]

14:22 - I initially read that poster as "Bourbon for President." McKinley isn't in small print, but it's still smaller than Bourbon in the poster.

[@atoucangirl]

if a law forbids a seemingly arbitrary and unimportant thing with seemingly arbitrary criteria, it's either just old and nobody even remembered to revoke it... ...or it's a way for the people in power to oppress people they don't like, or people who could be a threat to their power.

[@Krushak8888]

I mean, I don't remember which islands it was but in the Americas there was still technically a war people forgot lol... hell margerine was banned in wisconsin and when it was legal, it was dyed a godawful pink so no one could confuse it for butter

[@exeggcutertimur6091]

These laws do just that 3/5ths of the time.

[@atoucangirl]

@@Krushak8888 look up "Berwick-upon-tweeds war ussr"

[@Zalzany]

You think that but again when you go to do it there is groups who will fight you on it. As that creappy dancing ban spokesman proved. I mean he made my skin crawl way he got excited trying to talk about teens dancing at prom was just huge ass red flag to me that he needs to be watched at all times...

[@atoucangirl]

@@Zalzany yeah, its the second type i mentionned, "a way for the people in power to oppress people they don't like, or people who could be a threat to their" edit: yes a forgotten law can shift to being an oppression tool once it goes into the spotlight

[@astroarguello1521]

Ever since I was a young boy, I played the silver ball. From soho down to Brighton I must have played em all.

[@ImTrIgGeREdd]

Glad I’m not the only one who thought this XD

[@LeCharles07]

If you want to see a real pinball wizard google Bowen Kerins; he actually *has* played them all.

[@brianmclaughlan2546]

True Footloose story here. I went to a fairly small Arkansas high school (about 150 students in my graduating class) where dancing was banned due to a local church that held a pretty strong sway over the town. The students begged the school board to let them have a dance (can't remember if it was homecoming or prom). They finally agreed, but added that they'd "be watching us" and would take away the priviledge if they saw *any* funny business. This was in the mid-80's, so the movie was a big inspiration. I don't think anybody's kids died on a bridge after dancing or anything, so much less drama for us.

[@EmyrDerfel]

Whatever happened to the separation of church and state?

[@sylvrwolflol]

@@EmyrDerfelthat runs directly against small-town conservative values of "I want to control everyone and will screw over myself if need be to make sure you suffer with me."

[@masterofdoots5965]

​@@EmyrDerfel That died a *long* time ago, my friend.

[@poudink5791]

@@EmyrDerfel unfortunately, your town's local government is not the state and is free to be influenced by whichever church it wants

[@johnsterling6659]

Psychic "Are you here for your psychic reading?" "I don't know you tell me you're the psychic."

[@tdhoward]

For some reason, I read that in Steven Wright's voice.

[@onijester56]

Psychic: "In fact you are not. You're here to be invited to a potluck and tabletop RPGs at *insert address*. The password is bringing a big bag of chips."

[@nowthatsjustducky]

@@tdhoward Once I stayed up all night playing poker with a deck of tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died.

[@HighAsHeckPriestess]

A note: the ethics of asking/confirming your reading appointment is in part because of the laws in each state, but mostly spiritual/religious belief (in my culture, even with prior consent, you still have to ask for consent again)

[@godwinwong2809]

Imagine being so scared of dancing you destroy your own town infrastructure

[@JoshuaRed-v4f]

Must be Conservative

[@AnaGolightly]

​@@JoshuaRed-v4fthey were Antifa. Jk

[@todd-617]

Books must terrify them

[@swa5026]

Sounds like a infrastructure problem.

[@ImAlxxy]

Are you questioning the validity of dance mania events which ruined lives and cities throughout history? I'm not even joking. Similarly in 1962 the Tanganyika laughter epidemic plagued the country for months.

[@Splucked]

Colonial troops throwing a raging kegger sounds like a perfect Monty Python skit. In the 60s/70s it was illegal to dance here on Sundays. (Stones throw from Boston.) It was still on the books in '79 when I got married. Never enforced in my lifetime, that I know of, but I got married on a Saturday just in case.

[@timdelaney2798]

I was a teenager in a small Oklahoma town where dancing was illegal, except for "Teen Town", open 2 nights a week. It was a dance hall, but there was a white stripe placed down the middle. Girls on one side, boys on the other. You could dance near each other, across the line. Of note, it was a dry county where I had my first drink (moonshine) at age 15. And it seemed like half the girls were pregnant by senior year in high school. Fun fact: I moved to Utah where, a few years later, Footloose was filmed.

[@jeffreyquinn3820]

There seems to be a correlation of banning "things that lead to teens having sex" and high numbers of teens having unprotected sex.

[@cjweezil5206]

​@@jeffreyquinn3820if prohibition taught us anything, it's that people will just make pregnant teens in their bathtubs.

[@thedapperdolphin1590]

@@jeffreyquinn3820A good mix of 1. Teenagers will always want to rebel 2. Not being taught how to have safe sex 3. Not being able to gradually form a healthy relationship with sexuality over time

[@sylvrwolflol]

@@thedapperdolphin1590funny how conservatives never learn their lesson about taking cudgels full of stupid to practical and targeted regulation. They're learning it again with abortion right now, after the last time they "learned" it all of... 30 years ago maybe?

[@PositiveThinkTankSama]

LOL Cooking in a suit with an apron over it! Man REFUSES to be seen wearing anything else 😂

[@concinnus]

Some real _Hannibal_ vibes.

[@TysonJensen]

Technically, all this stuff also happened in my timeline, so it only confirms that I do in fact live in the dumbest timeline.

[@CRneu]

A lot of stuff happened in modern times. It's crazy to remind people that the civil rights acts were only in the 1960s. Many people still alive today were alive when black people became somewhat equal to white folks. Americans love to act like all that stuff is taken care of and solved in the distant past...when it really hasn't. We're one bad guy away from going back to a very dark place.

[@Mentallysubnormal]

Nah there’s dumber timelines. I can’t tell you too much or the time police will get me, but things could have a lot worse

[@LabGecko]

@@Mentallysubnormal Also SO much better in others. Can't wait for my gamma capacitors to charge back up. Need to get out of here.

[@Mentallysubnormal]

@@LabGecko You fool! I was the time police all along! You’re going away for a long time bub.

[@LabGecko]

@@Mentallysubnormal I'd like to defer my time to myself in timeline 82968. He / I have agreed to the exchange. Of course you're invited to the parties in his "prison" penthouse. I hear he hired Röyksopp to open for Eternal Abba next week.

[@hyliantraveler10]

In Mississippi around 1900 it was illegal to a) not have a job b) quit your job or c) offer a job to a person who has a job- all at the same time so amazingly it used to be even worse to work here.

[@zombieoverlord5173]

Is that how they tried fighting unemployment? Just ban unemployment. Mississippi is just strange

[@Jacob_Weiser]

illegal to quit your job... great job Mississippi. atleast thats just how it used to be

[@derekjohnson424]

My biggest takeaway from this is not the fact that pinball machines didn't catch a break until the invention of the flipper, but that there was a period of time where pinball machines didn't even have them! Back in the day, did you just pull the plunger and hope for the best?

[@_Twink]

The flippers were first introduced in 1947 and quickly took off in popularity a few years later. Before that you absolutely did just hope for the best. The machine would award coins depending on which hole the ball entered. They had active electric bumpers, bells, score keeping, and lights in the late 30s.

[@arnobreedt5048]

​@@_Twinkso it was a pachinko machine before 1947.

[@_Twink]

@@arnobreedt5048 pachinko was interestingly enough based off early US bagatelle machines, which were inspired by the French game. Both started diverging into their own thing during the early 1930s (USA) and late 1940s (Japan). Japan also banned Pachinko machines in ww2. So yeah, pretty similar games that share an origin.

[@Suosiili]

If you wanna learn more how old pinball machines work, @TechnologyConnections did few interesting videos about them few months back.

[@LeCharles07]

@@_Twink Now when you say, "Japan also banned Pachinko machines in ww2." you mean during the war, right? The pachinko parlors came back post war, obviously.

[@BobHannent]

There's a prohibition on selling alcohol in Greece on election days. The idea being you should be sober on the day and that it reduces the opportunity to have a drink bought for you. That being said it's very common for local candidates to go around the villages in advance of an election, stopping at the local drinking establishments to court the men of the villages into voting for them. There will be a local party member in the village who facilitates things and makes sure the most influential people have a good time.

[@mathewiamele3730]

That's not as bad as making it illegal for people to give FREE water/beverages to people waiting in line to vote like they did in Georgia a few years ago.

[@danieldicesare7365]

I grew up with a pinball machine in our basement. My dad loved pinball, and since he'd grown up in a time when the law wouldn't allow him to go out and play a coin-op machine, he bought his own machine to enjoy at home.

[@chefdevergue]

Same thing here. We couldn't play in public venues, so our dad got us machine where we could hone our skills. Also had a pool table

[@szupko]

Sir, it's been years watching you and I'd say this is the most value per time I have ever had with an actual Lawyer. Thank You

[@russlehman2070]

The real skill in pinball is bumping the machine just enough to influence the path of the ball but not trigger a tilt.

[@todd-617]

In Pound town it's probably illegal to bump the pinball machine. Seems too sexual

[@LeCharles07]

Post pass, bounce pass, live catch, drop catch, cradle separation, nudge pass, over under, slap save, tap pass... bump play is merely the gateway to a wide and incredible world.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

0:25 - Chapter 1 - Footloose origins 5:10 - Chapter 2 - Banned ; pinball wizardry 8:40 - Chapter 3 - Sis boom banned 12:50 - Chapter 4 - Voting under the influence 16:40 - End roll ads

[@robert3622]

The city i grew up in had bans on oral sex, pinball, adultry, and premarital sex until I was 17 or 18. It all got repealed when I was 20 (right before I moved away) when one of the local churches tried to get a ban on any business being open on Sunday. I'm 39, and there's an Adam and Eve store there now lol.

[@notbot2648]

Poetic justice

[@cmdraftbrn]

too bad it wasnt Adam and (st)Eve

[@fabrisseterbrugghe8567]

In the church? Go Adam & Eve!

[@t1m3f0x]

I one heard of someone who was actually arrested for adultery, a cop got called out to a noise complaint about a couple outside arguing. He kept getting called back because they wouldn't shut up, and stop bothering the neighbors. So when the cop heard the women say she slept with someone else, he arrested her for adultery, because it was still on the books. Obviously she wasn't going to be charged, but that wasn't the point. He just arrested her for adultery, because arresting her got rid of the noise problem.

[@robert3622]

@@fabrisseterbrugghe8567 Not on the church site, no. But in the plaza in front of the shopping mall which now has a truck stop next to it that's immediately across from the hotel in the mall lol

[@gm2407]

"We're going to Pound Town where there is no rhythm." An unexpected statement of truth.

[@PrecludeLP]

The B-roll with Devin in the kitchen wearing the suit and apron was gold.

[@LincolnDWard]

I wonder who did his nails for the shot at 17:30? : )

[@gestaltdude]

I always enjoy topics such as these. For a start, they remind me the world really is a lot stranger than most people realize. They also remind me of my time on the railways in the 1990's. It was owned by the state at the time (Western Australia), and had become burdened with outdated rules and regulations. The handbook for these rules, which began in 1963, was a legitimate ten centimeters thick (minimum). When in 1996 someone finally decided it was time to streamline things, the book became less than half the size, having rid itself of such relevant rules as, "When a horse is being used in track work and a train is about to pass, the horse's head must be held until the entirety of the train has passed." Or the constantly enforced, "When an unaccompanied woman boards a train, every effort must be made to sit her in a compartment with another woman, if possible."

[@nicholasarmstrong8349]

I always thought the plot of footloose was just as absurd as the plot of urinetown. To hear it was based on a true story is INSANE

[@janemiettinen5176]

You know, this makes me somewhat happy. Im old enough to have (older and more rural) friends whose parents were absolutely against dancing, even music and singing (except hymns, of course). The craziest rule I remember was whistling, girls werent to whistle in any circumstances! Boys could whistle outdoors, but never inside. These being so insane to you gives me hope for humanity. Ps. Most of these friends have stories of how they went dancing in secret couple towns over, like with elaborate set-ups and everything, Im sure people today buy drugs with less effort. All moved out from home as soon as possible.

[@Nimelennar]

Although Urinetown, too, has its basis in reality (a pay toilet that the writer, Greg Kotis, encountered while traveling in Europe). Admittedly, Kotis ran with that a little further than the writers of Footloose did with "ban on dancing."

[@XVanillaCherryX]

I go to the Footloose Festival every year and it’s always hilarious watching people realize it’s based on a true story. Plus it’s nice whenever the cast comes by!

[@KillerQueensRyche]

Wearing a suit and tie while you prep and cook and having a gavel on your cutting board is how I picture you doing every task at home now.

[@NeutralDrow]

"Pinball machines used to not have flippers" ...I'm sorry, WHAT?

[@arturoaguilar6002]

Pinball without flippers is just a reclined Pachinko machine.

[@NeutralDrow]

@@arturoaguilar6002 That would certainly explain how one could gamble with them...

[@LeCharles07]

@@arturoaguilar6002 Pinball came first, fyi. Break down the name, it literally describes itself.

[@allanpatterson7653]

They have gone through quite an evolution. EM games began as a bagatel game it was gambling. They started adding lights and noise effects and gradually became more complex.

[@PsychoSavager289]

"America is the freest country in the world, just ask anyone who has never been outside the country." Or anyone who has never looked at where the US ranks on the Human Freedom Index.

[@ferretyluv]

The people who say we’re the freest only care about guns.

[@LeCharles07]

The Koch brothers _would_ rank it low because they have to put up with things like taxes, regulations and laws.

[@CRneu]

@@LeCharles07 that's not what the freedom index is.

[@thomasfplm]

12:53 In Brazil, it is forbidden to sell alcohol (I don't know about buying) in election day, until the time the voting is closed. But as far as I know, the consumption is not forbidden, unless you start disturbing the voting process.

[@HandsomeDanVacationRentals]

I don’t understand how Alcohol would impact citizens ability to vote. I would argue the vast majority of voters do not research the options beyond parroting their party’s attack ads. Most voters vote for a certain type of party because of base tribalism. Their friends, parents, family, etc have always voted that way and that’s good enough for them.

[@thomasfplm]

@@HandsomeDanVacationRentals, I didn't make the laws, and my guess is that it is more about avoiding drunk people disturbing the process than anything else. Specially if some of those meat someone who vote for a candidate they don't like.

[@jeffreyquinn3820]

@@HandsomeDanVacationRentals I believe that selling alcohol was banned, at least partially" to stop politicians from using it as a bribe. Not sure how this would work because they would have had to buy it in advance. Saloons were also common polling places, as they were often the only suitable buildings in a lot of neighborhoods.

[@HandsomeDanVacationRentals]

​@jeffreyquinn3820 the days when politicians were more honest about bribing and being bribed 😅

[@johntracy72]

But it's not illegal to drink on election day.

[@ObservantHistorian]

True story: In 1976, I traveled by Greyhound to Paducah KY, to visit a college friend. Above the jukebox in the bus station there was a sign that read, "No Dancing or Acts of Dancing Allowed." An "act" of dancing?

[@CdnTrader1]

Perhaps the Horizontal Mambo was illegal.

[@Andres-nu3xh]

tapping your foot and bobbing your head? crazy this was a thing

[@bluester7177]

​​@@Andres-nu3xhme and my adhd ass would go to jail, i guess, or was it a fine?

[@ObservantHistorian]

@@Andres-nu3xh That's what I worried about as I was waiting!

[@jannarkiewicz633]

We took a trip to Canada in the 70s. The hotel had kind of restaurant, bar, rec room (kid friendly). There was a pool table. I could not play my sister in pool b/c women were not allowed to play pool.

[@SsnakeBite]

Fun fact: at least part of the argument made for pinball being gambling is that they offered free games as a reward for high scores. And even though that wasn't monetary or even really physical gain and pinball is a game of skill and not luck, that was apparently enough to count as gambling, back in the days. Anyway, this lead to the invention of the "extra ball" reward, with tables offering a single ball at a time as a reward instead of a full game (which, funny enough, I would argue makes it more addictive as a game can then theoretically continue forever), in order to bypass the law/ruling. This started with a 1960 table called _Flipper_ and the feature was named _Add-A-Ball_ early on. And of course, that ruling has since been overruled, so modern tables get to have Extra Balls AND free games (a.k.a. Replays)!

[@David_K_Booth]

I think it might be Harry McKeown's book "Pinball Portfolio" that mentions that some pinball tables actually did give monetary payouts. In effect they were just gambling machines in disguise, and that's what led to the ban.

[@allanpatterson7653]

Do not forget Match numbers.

[@jesseincognito.]

I could never get those especially with how shitty I play

[@scottthewaterwarrior]

With pinball being illegal for so long, I'm rather surprised the puritans didn't go after lootboxes more. Guess video games are already the devil so they don't look any deeper then that.

[@hairymcnipples]

Early pinball machines didn't have flippers and at least some of them returned cash prizes, so at least some of them were gambling devices.

[@christopherg2347]

2:11 Did I miss something or did they say: "Social dacing has no protection. But striping does." ?

[@sylvrwolflol]

Welcome to conservative logic. The actual point is arbitrary as long as ham-fisted control is maintained.

[@th3r0d]

I absolutely lost it over the Pound Town Council

[@michaelmayhem350]

This is one of your best videos yet. It was a very long & painful wait for it to pop up on KZbin so I could share it with coworkers that don't have nebula lol

[@distortedrain5624]

"Alcohol was synonymous with voting. I can't vote without it." Same. Cheers man!

[@_Twink]

I'm like that with driving 🍻

[@todd-617]

I always feel like I need some afterwards

[@Tim.Stotelmeyer]

Same with watching a sporting event or a marriage ceremony.

[@edwardallenthree]

Wait. So I quit drinking, but I can drink on election day? We vote by mail, and we have a lot of elections, several every year. We have one on Tuesday. Can I drink Tuesday? What if I fill out my ballot today and mail it Tuesday? Can I drink today and Tuesday?

[@angelabailey8130]

⁠@@edwardallenthreeStay sober, man. You can always drink after the voting.

[@Efreeti]

They were really concerned about their high moral fiber in Pound Town.

[@ariste01]

You know I started reading tarot over 15 years ago out of curiosity and i like to collect decks. My favorite spread is the celtic cross. Out of 10 cards, only 2 deal with the future. In most of the 3 and 5 card spreads, only 1 has to do with the future. The readings tend to focus on the present and past much more than the future but still is called fortune telling. Personally, I view them more as a psychological tool than anything really woo-woo. Like when I read I like to know absolutely nothing and just purely read the cards. This allows the client to apply the cards to the situations in their own life where it fits. It can help bring things you need to look at from the subconscious to the conscious. Obviously, I can't help someone the same way a psychologist can, but people have lots of reasons for not going to psychologists and I do think, if it sparks some introspection, it's better than nothing at all.

[@Psilomuscimol]

I see decks themed after popular shows sold online all the time. I think temu has them cheap too.

[@ageishyena3035]

Said it better than I could. I did readings on one of those all-too-common websites online for a few years. Then the websites upped their minimum amount you had to charge (I went with quanity, charging absolutely bare minimum and still making almost 1000 a month) and I lost 95% of my business and never went back. Kinda wish I could, I need money but can't justify the "minimum charge" most sites have of about $2 to $5 per minute. And then there are those who game the system, taking free minutes constantly by using multiple credit cards and claiming "I got cut off."

[@ariste01]

@zechrussell4938 yeah hubby got me the supernatural deck the other xmas. I think I'm up to at least a dozen. I have a lot on my Amazon wishlist that friends and family chip away at. Then sometimes I spot a deck I like when I'm out and about. I do have to like the artwork. I won't buy just any deck.

[@MickeyMousePark]

not much different than horoscopes ..there was an experiment done by a high school teacher many years ago..he printed out 6 different horoscopes..he handed them to the students in the front row and had them rate how well they fit them..they rated them very high then he had the students pass them to the row behind them and those students rated them..the horoscopes fit everyone in the class...

[@ariste01]

@MickeyMousePark yeah horoscopes rely a lot on Barnum statements... phrases that seem specific, but can apply to pretty much everyone. Like "you have a lot of acquaintance, but there's only a few people you'd consider close friends" or "sometimes you feel like no one knows the real you." With tarot cards, it's more the case that each card can mean 3-4 different things, and one of them is bound to apply.

[@claudiad5505]

I love how you are still wearing your suit and tie when you're doing the hello fresh commercials. Lol

[@Net7Ruins]

Yet another mark against Religious zealotry

[@AnaGolightly]

No shortage of those

[@TheModdedwarfare3]

The wall is 100% marks now

[@ZombiZohm]

Are you suggesting we just lock all preachers up

[@thatonedude9744]

@@ZombiZohmif you got that out of any of these comments, your reading comprehension is below zero. You’re literally just putting words in someone’s mouth and getting mad about it

[@warlordofbritannia]

Blooday Papistry

[@harrisdizdarevic5797]

It's so cool how all of these professionals are creating a record on KZbin of how it was when humans used to do those professions before the robots replaced them. It's like a historical record.

[@outrageous-alex]

George Washington Story - my family owns the US's oldest whiskey distillery location, not the brand but the original location. Just a few years ago most of the buildings fell down. But when George Washington crossed the Delaware he stopped by for some whiskey for his officers and it was called "the whiskey that warmed the revolution"

[@pigs18]

Objection: Lacks context. Pinball machines as we know them now and in 1974 is a game of skill. The vertical machines shown in the older footage where gambling machines, more akin to Japanese pachinko machines. Players would deposit their dimes, put the balls into play and receive whatever balls that fell through a particular hole. There were no flippers and the only way to influence the balls' path was to bump (or tilt) the machine. The establishment, typically run by the local mafia, would then pay for the number of steel balls that the player cashed in. Eventually, the flippers were added, the steel balls weren't dispensed by the machine, and the extra balls were valuable only for increasing the player's score. Bumping the machine was kept, but a tilt mechanism added to stop players from breaking the machine.

[@ronvlaarsvar6867]

This video is like your parents taking you to Disney Land before getting divorced, enjoy it kid because it's going to get rough in the coming months.

[@terrencesauve]

Everyone just need to vote, if not, it means you don't care to have your rights and freedoms repelled by the courts or by phoony politicians.

[@c.a.savage5689]

It's going to be a bumpy ride.

[@theflyingdutchguy9870]

damn. i didnt even get that. altho i did go to disney land with my grandparents as a kid. but i was so young i barely remember anything. other than my grandfather smelling my socks and freaking out as is commonly done to make small kids laugh😂

[@LeCharles07]

The fact that a dancing ban stood for 90 years and wasn't even overturned in court but was simply taken off the books because the mayor's daughter met a boy from out of town is disgusting and makes me really pissed about all the lies I was told about American constitutional principles as a kid.

[@TheBreadthatcausedLesMis]

With all the stuff coming out and the recent statement, I'm kind of interested in seeing LegalEagle end up tackling the whole mess that is the Nijisanji/Doki situation.

[@Zalzany]

That guy I can almost smell the sweat coming off him thinking about teenagers touching while dancing the way he described it just made my skin crawl..

[@nunyabiznis3595]

I have a question, If a dance hall permit could not be issued to " a person who is not a person of good moral character", and one was denied a dance hall permit, could one sue for defamation?

[@elSethro]

Imagine getting your dance permit application rejected because the town determines that you "lack moral character". How do they even decide that? I'd be fascinated to hear if any applications were actually rejected for that reason.

[@thetimebinder]

The South isn't big on due process. They banned people from running for office because they weren't the right type of Christian or were atheist and thus lacked moral character despite such a thing being unconstitutional.

[@devinphillips9704]

The guy at 1:15.... yeah, that guy doesn't look like he's harboring some deep, dark, regretful secrets, does he?

[@notbot2648]

He's probably thinking of a teenager's ankles, he's sweating so much.

[@foogod4237]

12:44 Wow, I think I'm becoming psychic! I'm starting to see Legal Eagle's jokes coming!

[@gzalensk]

"Yeah... It was the Pound Town Council" you're god-damned right it was

[@shlomster6256]

GREAT writing, engaging, timely. Love all the snark!

[@alexandermichaud957]

It sounds like he had to do a few takes of "the devil's balls" without laughing

[@bagfootbandit8745]

Brings a whole new meaning to "taking someone to Pound Town"

[@feliciasjoberg9886]

LegalEagle: "America is the freest country in the world, just ask anyone who's never been outside the country". Me: *laughing in Swedish* You're spitting facts!

[@devinyoung168]

Sweden doesn't exist. The U.S. is the only country (this is a joke. Do not take me seriously)

[@JorgeCastro-hz6fm]

How do you laugh in Swedish?

[@deanromanado5850]

​@JorgeCastro-hz6fm i guess making weird chuckling noise while constructing your furniture ( ikea)

[@Zynt0xik]

​@@JorgeCastro-hz6fm depends on the region, but for a good chunk of northern sweden a sharp sucking in of air would be acceptable. The rest just Skrattar.

[@luisgomez8635]

How does someone laugh in Swedish?

[@QuintonMurdock]

What’s even more insane is that it used to be illegal for people random to exist for no reason. What’s insane is people want to return to that

[@BluegrassGeek]

Oh my god, the Drunk History clips make this even better.

[@4RILDIGITAL]

I had no idea how much of American history was intertwined with laws on dancing, pinball, and drinking. It's fascinating to see how our legal views have evolved over the centuries.

[@CdnTrader1]

Woohoo. Taking the Fun Bus to Pound Town!! Thank you America for doing crazy like no other country.

[@_Twink]

Careful you might wind up at Dildo wondering what just happened.

[@jessemanning5409]

​@@_Twink oh, I'm not wondering at all! 👀

[@PunishedFelix]

I love how the super repressed town that youre not even allowed to dance is called POUND TOWN

[@notvenom1152]

"I got to cut loose. Footloose. Kickoff your Sunday shoes..."

[@SamAronow]

Who can forget the song inspired by the time Kenny Loggins was kidnapped by Jimmy Buffett and had to be rescued by Michael McDonald and James Ingram?

[@theorixlux]

"They shouldve seen that coming" All good jokes come in threes.

[@fleeb]

I'd love LegalEagle to sponsor a franchise of swimming pools. Watching a lawyer in a suit swim in a pool would amuse me to no end.

[@LabGecko]

He'd need a tie-on shark fin though

[@Zachattack-ot2un]

I walk past that fortune telling place every day in Bethesda, never knew it had such a Story

[@Lord_Ralph]

You hooked me on your opening line, Devin 🤣 Regards from the Netherlands.

[@l88ch3r]

Having been an unwilling resident of Wise County, VA for a few years, I can confirm that those people are pretty odd. Doesn't surprise me that they'd outlaw general human pleasure.

[@justsomedude4783]

Used to live in Pound, then Wise... Nothing there and they try to block anything that would liven the place up... Are rideshares still banned there so that drunk college students have no way to get a ride?

[@jake_]

5:08 LegalEagle: "Dancing kind of makes sense when you think about it" Editor: "No it doesn't". Objection sustained Mr. Editor.

[@diydame7163]

Haha I didn’t catch that the first time until I saw this quote. 😂

[@antonioquesada-castro4925]

-any bizarre type of censure -US people: is this freedom?

[@Hannah_Em]

I think the wildest sentence in this video was "... comparing fortune telling to polygamy", and there's just... zero explanation of wtf that even means? I am,,, very confused

[@poweroftheztars]

In the 1870s some Mormons tried to get an anti-polygamy law repealed by saying that banning polygamy infringed upon their freedom of religion. The supreme Court disagreed, saying that freedom of religion has limits. If it didn't, any random group could come up and say some practice or another is part of their religion and it should be legal, according to their reasoning. That's what I'm assuming they are referring to.

[@jeffreyquinn3820]

@@poweroftheztars There's apparently a group of "satanists" who promise to set up a church and put up prominent signage whenever a state or municipality promises to allow "freedoms" of religion that infringe on other people's rights.

[@johntracy72]

That was apples and oranges.

[@johntracy72]

​@@poweroftheztarsthat makes sense if it's human sacrifice you're talking about.

[@SeeStuDo]

Moves tp Poundtown Runs for Mayor Realizes Life Dream 😂

[@ActuallyImaginary]

I *love* pinball. I had no idea that it used to basically be extreme plinko

[@IBeforeAExceptAfterK]

Fact: 90% of pinball players quit right before they get the high score.

[@Psilomuscimol]

​@@IBeforeAExceptAfterK. Not me. I type in the code and drag the ball through all the space themed missions and back and forth through the gates that give points.

[@Psilomuscimol]

I've got the score high afff on the school computer.

[@Compucles]

Well, pachinko, which is where "The Price Is Right" got the word plinko.

[@benjaminprietop]

Here in Chile, there's still an alcohol sale prohibition on the day before an election, but most people just buy it the day before lol

[@LokiScarletWasHere]

"Alcohol was synonymous with voting, I can't vote without it" I see what you did there.

[@pigs18]

I think it should be _required_ this year.

[@sk8chkn]

Confiscating machines made for leisure/entertainment so they can be melted down into warheads is so on-the-nose that an English teacher would tell you to come up with a better metaphor for imperialism.

[@cericat]

Wait until you hear about stockings.

[@zeframmann1641]

Slingshots are reportedly still illegal in NJ having one can reportedly carry a prison sentence because some lawmaker mistook the word "slingshot" for "slungshot".

[@AdamYJ]

So, I guess Dennis the Menace should stay out of New Jersey.

[@LeCharles07]

"BuT tHeRe'S nO tRaDiTiOn oF gUn CoNtRoL!" 🤦‍♂

[@jeffreyquinn3820]

@@LeCharles07 "Two kids walk down the street. One has a slingshot. The other has an assault rifle. The police come and arrest the kid with a slingshot." This is a joke in other countries.

[@TonboIV]

Regarding fortune telling: Christian churches are allowed to tell you that praying to an invisible being will solve your problems and collect money for it. If that isn't fraud how is fortune telling fraud?

[@jennyjumpjump]

Yes! All the bad boys in old movies were always playing pinball while smoking cigarettes. It all makes sense now! I always thought it was just a way to demonstrate loitering.

[@ShortstopJEsq]

Honestly, came here for your breakdown of the DC Circuit immunity decision five days ago as is your usual timing, but got a great history education instead! Thanks and good luck with the aforementioned requested video!

[@davea6314]

Professor Hill in the Music Man praised Gary Indiana as a wonderful place to live. That didn't age well.

[@Fwyd]

Is Gary still enveloped by a stink cloud of toxic smoke?

[@davea6314]

@@Fwyd It might be.

[@classycolas]

​@@Fwyd arguably Whiting or Hammond would have a more toxic cloud over them- BP is right there

[@thatguy1917]

@@FwydNo, the cloud caught fire and the fire was stolen, so…

[@ZombiZohm]

Any speculation on why that happened I wouldn't be surprised if it was from gutting the steel industry

[@rnunez6398]

It sounds like Devin hasn't been to LaGuardia Airport in years since it has undergone a multi-billion dollar rebuild and is far from being one of the country's worst airports, unless your focus is on never having flight delays or having mass transit to midtown.

[@MsZeeZed]

So no-one who dances in Pound Town can be of good moral character? 😹

[@Ballacha]

imagine banning fortune telling but allowing organised religion lmfao america is the land of double standards for sure