The Land of the free sure has a lot of arbitrary restrictions
this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2026
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The "Land of the free" has jaywalking laws... They literally aren't even allowed to cross the street without permission from the state
Its because of all the Christmas suicides.
But yes I agree with you. Lot to control in "freedom land"
Pshh, bunch of idiots. They should ban suicide on Christmas.
I'd kill myself if I had to survive Christmas sober.
When they impose white christian nationalism on everyone, they are not seen as restrictions but devotions. What kind of heretic are you anyway? /s
As Douglass recalled, the temporary respite from hard labor allowed slaves to tolerate their condition. Masters also used the holiday more directly, encouraging slaves to binge drink hard liquor: “One plan is, to make bets on their slaves, as to who can drink the most whiskey without getting drunk; and in this way they succeed in getting whole multitudes to drink to excess.” Binge drinking not only asserted the dominance of the slave owner, but according to Douglass, it also made working in the fields more attractive: “We felt, and very properly too, that we had almost as well be slaves to man as to rum. So, when the holidays ended, we staggered up from the filth of our wallowing, took a long breath, and marched to the field,–feeling, on the whole, rather glad to go.”
In celebration of the birth (observed) of the guy who transmogrified water into wine (allegedly) no wine is allowed. I guess in some manner that's fair, any true follower should be able to accomplish the same feat.
Plus, that Christ guy was really into wine. Go to a church and they'll offer you a sip of wine and tell you it's his blood. That's a BAC of what, 11-12%?
Well they're not doing it in honour of Lord Jesus (i think), they're doing it because they're hardasses who tried to ban all alcohol in the past, after having significant societal problems with it, and they're not giving up.
My notes:
- kind of good for really lonely people on christmas, who might be tempted to drink their sorrows away?
- but obviously christianity is effectively a pro booze religion as you said, and this might interfere with many people's christmas plans.
- e.g What if you go to a family christmas dinner and everyone assumed someone else would bring alcohol? Alcohol really is an importamt part of christmas; egg nog, blood of jesus, casually drunk.
- if said people have to start planning around the day of dry sales, won't they start stockpiling extra alcohol at christmas "so they don't run out, like last time" ?
- said people then feel compelled to drink more alcohol to make SURE they get through all that they stockpiled
- more drunk drivers that holy night, or extra string hangovers the next day - woohoo!!!!!!
See also: same issue occurs for those lonely alcoholic folk. They'll be doosmday prepping for christmas in various parts of the USA because they're cinvinced they'll need it to cope. Homeless people might need it for warmth
kind of good for really lonely people on christmas, who might be tempted to drink their sorrows away?
They are adults, and they should be able to do that if they want.
The reason drunkenness was so prevalent back then is because brewing alcohol was the easiest and most accessible way to turn water into something that wouldn't kill you
A lot of people (very much including me) forget that not long ago, there was no electricity for easy refrigeration. I’m middle-age, but that’s such a crazy concept for me. How do you take a boat journey for weeks, months(?!?!) and survive? Everything would go bad in the ocean heat and blasting sun so quickly! Insanity.
Obviously they'd bring twinkies and canned food
TIL boiling water was harder than fermenting spoiled fruits
Don't a lot of them do that on Sundays as well?
Puritans still trying to stop us from having a merry Christmas!
Fr though, I've never bothered trying to go to a store on Christmas I just assume most are closed
These ate the last gasps of these, though. There's small resurgences but for the most part these are steadily going away.
It makes sense. Christmas is a weed holiday.
🌲
You've obviously never spent the day drinking Irish coffee and watching braveheart.
I think a more appropriate movie for the holiday would be Die Hard. Or The Exorcist.
Exorcist would be perfect. This was my grandma's Christmas tradition. I don't much care for Braveheart.
Godfather
Pfft, so? Religious-based morality laws are the ultimate American freedom, you commie drunk!
I dont think it's a bad thing. A lot of people suffer around the holidays, and drunks will get drunk. If they can't do a packie run on the holiday, It can reduce overdoses. Harm reduction if you will.
My state is the only state in New England I believe, who doesnt sell alcohol in gas stations, or on sundays. You also cant get wine in the grocery stores. I remember the first time I went to a Maine walmart, and I was blown away therevwas wine on the shelf. Walmart wine, tf lol. So Im used to the rules, but I do believe the holiday rule actually to be beneficial. The rest are wierd, and if you live close enough go a border state, people who want booze (on a sunday) just cross state lines for it. But sad drunk darrel cant go grab another bottle on the saddest day of the year for him, because it's closed.
It's pretty obvious you've never been an addict. Seems like you have probably never known or even talked to one either.
It doesn't reduce harm. It makes addicts purchae more to make sure they have "enough". Then, when the stores are closed and they still have SO MUCH BOOZE they try to drink it all because, hey, it's a special occasion. On the next event, they'll buy the new, greater quantity, because that's how much they needed last time.
For the real addicts, the ones who can't sleep a whole night without waking up to hit some shots, a whole day without booze can be deadly.
These laws are made exclusively by religious nut jobs that want to legislate morality, villify conduct they don't agree with, and control the behavior of people they don't like.
wild, I come from addicts. Like, youre right, Im not addicted to alcohol or drugs. But that is because Ive watched my entire bloodline struggle with addiction.
I have sat side seat to an alcoholic triggered from wine at thanksgiving dinner who tried to buy alcohol after we left, and couldnt. Kept him sober that day.
Harm reduction. Full of fire in this comment, I dont like religous nut jobs either.
I can tell you horror stories about alcohol. Ive seen my step family, a group of 40something year old siblings, throw a man going to prision for so many dui's they threw him a kegger before he left. I come from straight up white trash. My bio father just passed away last feburary from drinking himself dead, like
My step father would get so drunk he'd just beat us for no reason. Drunks still gonna drink, yes, but christ to say it again, its harm reduction. Because if they run out on the sad holiday, they cannot get more that day. Theyre not DRIVING to get more either. Most severe alcoholics are suicidal, and will try to kill themselves with the bottle around holidays.
note, CT is a little different than KY or such. These laws are old, and like the sunday thing, are more from the package store lobbiests than the relgious people.
It's my god given right to buy (full strength) liquor, ice cold beer, hot rotisserie chicken, and .22LR at the same store at 3:00 AM
What New England state doesn’t sell alcohol on sundays?
CT
That's nkt very Merry of them
When I lived in Houston, TX, USA, we used to open the neighborhood bar early, BBQ outside, and have a potluck on Thanksgiving and Christmas. A lot of us had little or no family or were otherwise unable to see what we did have. I can't remember if Texas does (or did) forbid sales.
Well that's dumb.
At least the liquor store employees get the day guaranteed off
We just shut down literally everything here so not being able to buy alcohol is just another thing your not able to buy along all the everything else.
In KS there are quite a few partially dry counties (no liquor stores, sales only allowed with food). And I think there is one fully dry county, which only allows for the sale of 3.2% beer.
They had the longest prohibition of all states and never fully ratified the 21st Amendment (ending prohibition).
I lived in KS and then in MO. It was really weird seeing hard liquor sold in Walmarts and grocery stores at first.
Yeah let's make the small subset of addicts who don't have an extra bottle do benzoes from a dealer instead!!
Can't buy alcohol in stores/restaurants on election days in Georgia until after the polls close.
that's probably not related to any kind of moral or religious belief, but actually a form of election security
Cooping was a form of electoral fraud in the United States by which gangs kidnapped citizens off the street and forced them to vote, often repeatedly, for an election candidate.... so-called "cooping gangs" or "election gangs" working for a political candidate would hold random victims in a chamber or cellar (the "coop") and ply them with alcohol or beat them to get them to comply.
Yeah because its impossible for them to buy alcohol the previous day!
The non-secret and repetition-loopholed voting sounds like the crux of the issue, not being able to buy alcohol
Ha...lal bro?
Silent night....