Most things that are considered to be strange, dangerous, or offensive eventually become illegal at some point in time. However, there are a few things that are truly unsettling, and yet somehow, they are perfectly legal. Here are the top 10 outrageously strange things that are actually legal.
10. Too Many Babies
Mitsutoki Shigeta is the son of a Japanese billionaire. When he turned 24, he decided that he wanted to have a big family with lots of children. Sure, this seems normal, but instead of finding a girlfriend or a wife and trying to make babies the old fashioned way, he hired multiple surrogate mothers in Thailand to carry his DNA.
Surrogate mothers in Thailand can earn up to $10,000 for each baby. In 2014, Shigeta paid ten different surrogate mothers to carry his children, and ended up with a total of 16 babies. According to witnesses, he wanted to make 10 to 15 babies per year for the rest of his life.
Despite the fact that Shigeta’s lawyer keeps insisting that his client just wants a big family, no one seems to believe it. Even Interpol thought that there is a darker motive at work, and yet they cannot find any evidence of human trafficking. Thailand actually passed a new law in 2015 claiming that it is illegal for foreigners to use Thai mothers as surrogates. As soon as it was illegal in Thailand, Shigeta jumped ship and began making babies in Cambodia. In 2016, three more of his children were found living with nannies. According to someone who worked at a Cambodian fertility clinic, they say that one day, Mitsutoki Shigeta would like his gigantic clan of children to vote for him so he can win elections, as well as run his business empire. He was quoted saying that he isn’t going to stop making more babies until the day he dies.
9. It Will Cost an Arm and a Leg
It’s definitely not legal to keep freshly severed human body parts lying around the house… unless they’re yours. In 2011, Kristi Loyall was diagnosed with cancer in her toes, and it was beginning to spread. She had to get her entire foot and a portion of her lower leg amputated. When the operation was over, the doctors put her leg in a plastic bag. She didn’t want to part with it, so, she asked the doctors if she could take it home.
It turns out that this is perfectly legal, because… well, it was still technically her foot, whether it was attached to her body or not. The doctors preserved the leg for her in formaldehyde, and she passed it onto a company that specializes in cleaning flesh off of bone. Now, she has a clean skeleton of her leg. Kristy uses it as a decoration in her home, and takes selfies with it. The foot is also a star of its own Instagram account, called OneFootWanderer.
8. Gone Fishing
Fishing is usually a rather calm pastime that requires a lot of sitting and waiting. For Courtland Hunt, he wanted to take fishing to the next level… by shooting fish with his Glock 9mm handgun. It turns out that as long as you are 8 miles away from the Florida shoreline (of course it’s Florida), it is perfectly legal to shoot fish. After all, if hunting with guns is legal on land, why not underwater?
Thankfully, Courtland exclusively shot Lionfish. They are venomous, and they do not have any natural predators to keep their population in check. The only reason why they are in the Atlantic Ocean is because they were once kept as exotic pets in fish tanks, and Americans began to dump them into the ocean when they grew tired of them. Lionfish began to multiply and kill off other species of fish. They are responsible for damaging natural ecosystems of coral reefs. So, while Courtland and his friends have a hobby that is a bit odd, he is actually doing a good thing for the waters surrounding his home in Florida, and it is perfectly legal.
7. May the Force Be With You
There are a lot of die-hard Star Wars fans out there, but not many would go as far as to completely change their identity to match one of their favorite characters. The Sith Lord formerly known as Eric Welch decided that he wanted to legally change his name to Darth Vader, and he got his wish. His New York State driver’s license reads ‘Darth Vader’, and yes, he does cosplay.
It turns out that you can change your name to anything you want, so long as you’re not using it as a way to avoid your debt, or running from a crime. You also can’t try to impersonate a famous person, use racial slurs, or change your name to a number… that is, unless you spell it out with letters. So, that means Eleven from Stranger Things would have a hard time getting that on a driver’s license. Welch was raised in 8 different foster homes as a child, and transferred schools 15 times. To make matters worse, he has been battling leukemia for years. As far as we’re concerned, he can call himself anything he wants, and thankfully, the law agrees.
6. Pigs on a Plane
For many people who have a physical disability, they will get a service animal to help them navigate the world around them. For someone with a mental condition, they can get permission to bring their “emotional support animals” with them in public places. For most people, they choose a dog or cat as their support animal.
Technically, anyone with a licensed service animal can bring it in a public place. US Airways complies by allowing service animals on their planes, so long as the passenger notifies the airline within a year of their travel date. They also must provide documentation from a certified medical professional. Normally, people will bring their dogs or cats in a crate. US Airways would have never anticipated that in 2014, a passenger brought her pig on the plane. According to witnesses, the pot-bellied support pig was squealing the entire time it was on board, and the passengers were not very happy.
A man named Robert Phelps was unlucky enough to have a seat next to this woman… especially when the pig pooed all over the aisle. According to Phelps, the woman talked about the pig like he was a person, and her reaction to him defecating everywhere was that he was “being a jerk.” The flight attendants had to ask her to leave. Technically, this woman wasn’t doing anything illegal, but honestly, no one ever wants to be flying next to a pig on a plane.
5. Life Insurance on Employees
This next one is immoral and unsettling, and it is a perfect example of how the rich get richer. In the United States, it is perfectly legal for major corporations to take out life insurance policies on their employees. So, if an employee were to ever pass away, the company cashes in on their deaths. In fact, major banks like JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo own billions of dollars in life insurance policies on their employees… as if they needed any more money.
What is even more upsetting about this fact is that none of this money will ever go the the families of the deceased. It is intended to help the companies reduce any loss that they may endure from the employee’s death, and the cost of finding a replacement. However, the amount they cash out on these policies far exceeds what they are actually paying in expenses.
4. Imitation is the Highest Form of Flattery
In the United States, there are strict copyright laws that protect a company’s brand image, and lawsuits are filed on a regular basis to protect their rights. In China, however, these rules are lax, if non-existent. An American travel blogger spotted an “Apple Store” in Kunming, China, only to realize that it actually wasn’t. The store claimed to be Apple, and everything from the decor to the employee uniforms are a total copy. The computers, phones, and iPods are also legitimate products. However, she realized that it was actually an elaborate fake. Even the employees assumed that they worked at a real Apple Store, despite the fact that it was not listed among the Apple website’s official Chinese locations.
One of the shop owners was quoted saying, “There is no Chinese law against decorating my store the way I want to decorate it.” And they’re correct. While a few of these stores applied to become official Apple stores for the sake of their reputation, others simply don’t care, and continue to sell in their fake shops without risk of being sued.
3. Worst Gift Ever
Getting a package in the mail is exciting, even as an adult. Imagine opening a package to find… poo. Yes, even mailing poo is legal. On Black Friday of 2014, Cards Against Humanity had a “Bullsh** Box” that sold 30,000 copies at $6 each. When customers opened their packages, they discovered that it was very literally a dried piece of bull excrement. They’re not the only ones who have a corner on the poo market. A company called PoopSenders.com specializes in mailing elephant, cow, and gorilla poo as a “gag gift.”
Sending poo is only illegal if it’s done with the intent of harming or harassing a victim. If it can be considered a joke or for “entertainment” purposes, then it’s perfectly legal… but obviously, unwelcome.
2. I’ve Got a Bone to Pick With You
Facebook Marketplace is still a relatively new place to buy and sell online, but they’ve cornered one particular market that eBay banned in 2016: selling human bones. The only type of bones that are illegal to sell online are the remains of Native American people. For any other race, it’s perfectly legal to trade in dry bones for “scientific” purposes.
Outside of private collectors swapping through Facebook, there are independent businesses, like SkullsUnlimited.com, that sell bones that are both real and re-creations. If you want your very own re-creation of a Cro-Magnon cranium, it will only cost you $195. However, if you’re looking to buy a real human skull from shops like The Bone Room, expect to pay $1,500 or more.
One of the most disturbing facts about this is trend is that for years, human skulls were a popular in India. One dealer was found with 1,500 child-sized skulls in a single shipment, and he never offered a reasonable explanation as to where they actually came from. Because of this incident, it became illegal to export human remains in 1985. China picked up with exporting human remains, until it also became obvious that people were being murdered to keep up with a trend. They outlawed it in 2008. However, it still remains legal to buy and sell human remains in the United States, and for those with a fascination for the macabre, the demand appears to still exist.
1. Driving With The Top Down
Last, but certainly not least: in the United States, it is perfectly legal to drive around in your car naked. Actually, this law changes slightly from state to state. In Nebraska, a man named Nickolus Borgman was driving drunk with his girlfriend when he was pulled over by the cops.
Both he and his girlfriend were completely naked, they weren’t wearing seatbelts, and they had open containers of alcohol in the front seat. He was cited for a DUI, but in Nebraska, there is no law against driving naked. In most states, it is legal to drive around topless… even for ladies.
1 Comment
I hope to hell that #10 is supporting all his kids.