translated article: Sieve recognized as religious headgear in Massachusetts

[Mr.Obvious]

A slightly older one, but one that made me laugh.

Sieve recognized as religious headgear in Massachusetts
17/11/2015

Just like in a lot of countries, it's not permitted to wear a piece of headgear when having a passport photo taken, unless it's a religious symbol. That's why Lindsay Miller was not allowed to appear on her driver's license with a sieve atop of her head.

The lady dissagreed with the decission and went to court. For she claims to be a 'Pastafarian' at the Church of the Flying Spaghettimonster and with that a sieve is apparently inseperable.

Her legal actions were originally dismissed. With the help of a lawyer from the American Humanist Association she lodged an appeal in which was judged that Miller had the legal right to appear on the picture with the sieve. The woman now shows of the sieve on her driver's license.

The Church of the Flying Spaghettimonster is a parody on religion. In 2005 Bobby Henderson created the movement surrounding spaghetti with two meatballs als a reaction to creationist education in which next to evolutiontheory God is also taught to be the designer of all life. The religion-parody started to run wild and some people nowadays identify as 'pastafari'.

Miller isn't the only one with a sieve on her driver's license, by te way. In 2009 an Austrian man appeared with a sieve on his driver's license. Four years later a Tsjech man was also given permission to appear with his uniqe headgear on a passport photo. A Belgian was told that very year that he had to submit a picture without one.

Source: http://nl.metrotime.be/2015/11/17/must-read/vergiet-erkend-als-religieus-hoofddeksel-in-massachusetts/

Sadly I can't seem to link the pictures, but it looks funny.

[josephpalazzo]

Sometimes parody is fine. But this one makes the parody itself look silly, not what is being parodied... just my 2 cents.

[Baruch]

American judges are just as uneven as imams in Egypt.  No consistency at all, except for the uniform consistency of old oatmeal ;-)

[TomFoolery]

Every time I read about pastafarians, I imagine they're being ridiculous to prove a point. There's a fine line for parody between imitating life and mirroring life. What I worry about is in 100 years, are people going to legitimately be wearing this shit on their heads and taking it seriously enough to discriminate against those who don't?

[Mr.Obvious]

I doubt it. But then again, we've seen weirder shit in real religions. So, touché.

[stromboli]

Asia Carrera, former porn star, now residing in Utah.



Another picture of her from back in the day



I do believe there is some marketability there for the creative among us.

[josephpalazzo]

What I worry about is in 100 years, are people going to legitimately be wearing this shit on their heads and taking it seriously enough to discriminate against those who don't?

Spot on.

[stromboli]

In a hundred years you'll get pulled over by a 7 foot cop with radar antenna sticking out of his head and a drug sniffer on one of his fingers. He'll fart your ticket out while x-raying your trunk with his left eye and scanning your driving record with his right, and his middle eye will be looking for outstanding warrants. The colander will be the least of your problems.

[Unbeliever]

This is old, but still funny, IMO:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL7FcvEydqg

[TomFoolery]

In a hundred years you'll get pulled over by a 7 foot cop with radar antenna sticking out of his head and a drug sniffer on one of his fingers. He'll fart your ticket out while x-raying your trunk with his left eye and scanning your driving record with his right, and his middle eye will be looking for outstanding warrants.

This is my dream, anyway.

The colander will be the least of your problems.

The way I see it is, the pope's funny hat wasn't always customary. Someone somewhere said, "The pope needs to look taller (or something) and that's how the pope hat came into being, and then it just stuck. Same with those weird gang signs he blesses people with, hijabs, yarmulkes, <insert your own funny religious garb here>... Customs, traditions, and religious rites all start somewhere. Give it long enough, and people start really taking that shit seriously.

[Baruch]

This is my dream, anyway.
The way I see it is, the pope's funny hat wasn't always customary. Someone somewhere said, "The pope needs to look taller (or something) and that's how the pope hat came into being, and then it just stuck. Same with those weird gang signs he blesses people with, hijabs, yarmulkes, <insert your own funny religious garb here>... Customs, traditions, and religious rites all start somewhere. Give it long enough, and people start really taking that shit seriously.

Formal Catholic regalia was court dress from the late Rome Empire.  No wonder the empire failed ... too many hats ;-)  If you study Byzantine mosaics you can see this for yourself.

[stromboli]

Pretty sure it was to cover a bald spot, same as the Yarmulkeh......

[Youssuf Ramadan]

I, for one, welcome our noodly overlord. 

[TomFoolery]

Speaking of goofy fucking "new" religions, I came across this today:

MTV True Life: I'm Starting a Religion
Can these young people turn unicorn worship and a time traveling alien cult into the world’s next great faith?
http://www.mtv.com/full-episodes/i6sxjb/true-life-i-m-starting-a-religion-season-2016-ep-strtrel

[josephpalazzo]

Danger of a parody: it might very well get real.