12 Things that Were Banned For Ridiculous Reasons. Who Says Government Can’t Be Absurd?

Governments don’t always do the right thing with laws they create. Sure, many of them are there to protect us. They (hopefully) make sure we don’t get murdered, that our belongings remain ours, that we are treated fairly before the law, and that there is some fundamental security that we feel we can count on. However, some laws seem just absolutely nutty and really make us scratch our heads. Some might even say they are absurd and insane. Sometimes things, books, people, and ideas just get banned because someone “up there” wanted it to be so. Here are 12 things that were banned for ridiculous reasons.

Brad Pitt Can’t Go to China
It is reported that Brad Pitt was banned from entering China after his role in the movie “Seven Years in Tibet”. Tibet and China are in the midst of a long conflict, and apparently Brad’s role in the movie was deemed detrimental to the interests of the Chinese government. Although no official paperwork has been found, Brad Pitt indeed hasn’t visited China for well over a decade. Only at the tail end of 2016 did he make a return to promote one of his films.

Grapes of Wrath film banned in USSR – Thanks Uncle Joe!
The book-to-film adaptation of Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath” was banned in the USSR by Joseph Stalin’s regime. Although it did play in theaters for a period of two weeks, the government quickly placed a ban on the film when it realized that it was making the citizens disappointed in the Soviet government. Joseph Stalin did not want his citizens to see that even the poorest people in America could still afford an automobile.

Graeme Obree Bike Position
The World Cycling Union found Graeme Obree’s position to be too brilliant to be allowed in races. The way he would position his body on a bike minimized the amount of air resistance he would encounter while riding, allowing him to gain faster speeds and maintain it for longer periods of time. Dumb!

Canada and Westboro Baptist Church
The Westboro Baptist Church, a primitive Baptist/Calvinist sect is known for its radical stance on everything good in this world. It seems like they just want everyone to be unhappy. They are openly homophobic, openly racist, picket the funerals of U.S. soldiers and pretty clearly just are out of touch people. Canada, on the other hand, is famous for having the kindest population in the world, and placed a ban on WBC members from entering its country. Go Canada!