# Ultimate ruler of your own country - What do you ban? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 23, 2011, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641 "2011-01-23T09:37:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BACI](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ce73a5/32.png) [@BACI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BACI)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/1 "2011-01-23T09:37:36Z")
Ok, so you’ve become the ruler of a small but important country. Your fictional paradise is resource rich and relatively without problems and so your subjects bend to your will and acquiesce to your whim without hint of protest. All is good, but there’s one thing that gives you the screaming squitters, and so you have it banned. Forever. What is it? In my Nation State there are no crunchy foods. No crisps, no apples, no pork crackling… What won’t I find in yours? ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/2 "2011-01-23T09:53:58Z")
churches ---
**Author:** ![Naxos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/50afbb/32.png) [@Naxos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Naxos)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/3 "2011-01-23T10:00:44Z")
People with a stupidity quotient above 1 x standard deviation. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/4 "2011-01-23T10:09:43Z")
hypotheticals ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/5 "2011-01-23T10:19:05Z")
disposable nappies ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/6 "2011-01-23T10:41:55Z")
After seeing clips of [“Toddlers & Tiaras”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toddlers_%26_Tiaras) on [“The Soup”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soup) I’d have to say child beauty pageants. ---
**Author:** ![Naxos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/50afbb/32.png) [@Naxos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Naxos)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/7 "2011-01-23T10:44:18Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > After seeing clips of [“Toddlers & Tiaras”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toddlers_%26_Tiaras) on [“The Soup”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soup) I’d have to say child beauty pageants. Did you have to watch them first? ---
**Author:** ![BeggersBelief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f1d935/32.png) [@BeggersBelief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeggersBelief)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/8 "2011-01-23T10:45:23Z")
Aston Villa ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/9 "2011-01-23T11:05:12Z")
Boxing. And wine snobs. It’s just a beverage, get over it. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/10 "2011-01-23T13:22:33Z")
Death ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/11 "2011-01-23T14:28:22Z")
The practice of all pseudoscience. If it can’t be shown to work under proper scientific conditions and controls, it can’t be practiced. No more dowsing, homeopathy, reiki, applied kineseology, etc. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/12 "2011-01-23T14:31:01Z")
Organized religion. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/13 "2011-01-23T14:35:02Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Boxing. > > And wine snobs. It’s just a beverage, get over it. Ban wine. Two for one. 😃 Candy made from styrofoam. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/14 "2011-01-23T14:42:00Z")
Vertical blinds. Assuming we can keep banning things in our own country. Like single answers. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/15 "2011-01-23T15:06:23Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > churches What about the houses of worship of non-Christians? Those too? ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/16 "2011-01-23T16:07:05Z")
Cigarette smoking. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/17 "2011-01-23T16:28:50Z")
Leggings. They are **not** pants. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/18 "2011-01-23T16:45:47Z")
Since you say my people won’t protest my rule under any circumstances there’s honestly very little to nothing I would ban, since I have no fear of my position being threatened. I am also assuming my fictional country has all the “normal” laws for the protection of society that any normal country would have (laws making murder, assault, rape et al illegal.) I guess I would ban: Homeschooling (public or private school would be mandatory) Bottled water (I’d allow a vending machine exception to the rule) Bicycles on all roads with posted speed limits \> 30 mph All forms of telemarketing Chiropractors ---
**Author:** ![Mongo\_Ponton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Mongo\_Ponton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mongo_Ponton)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/19 "2011-01-23T17:28:02Z")
The locking of one of a pair of glass doors. Like at the 7-11. I hate that! ---
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641/20 "2011-01-23T17:41:06Z")
There are so many things that would be banned, that its hard to write a list. First of all, its not open immigration - I personally decide who joins me on my island. Can’t let in the riff raff you know. Not only would their be a personality test to make sure you weren’t annoying and / or stupid, but there would also be a driving test to make sure you didn’t drive to slow. On my island the speed limit is the slowest you can go. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-ruler-of-your-own-country-what-do-you-ban/568641.md?page=2)