How much do laws influence a country's culture ?

Maciamo

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In France, privacy laws are so strict that it is illegal to take photos of people against their will or knowledge. So paparazzi that photograph celebrities without their knowing it can be sued for thousands of euros of damages, even if the picture has nothing special (e.g. no nudity, no cause for scandal...).

In Britain, no such laws exist, so that the "People's press" flourishes, and everything comes and goes in all impunity. Paparazzi in Britain don't even try to hide themselves or take fake identities like in France. Consequently, there are much more tabloids in the UK than in France.


Second example, it seems that it is illegal to sell porn (magazines or videos) in supermarkets in Belgium (I am not sure about this, but it is a fact that porn is absent from Belgian supermarkets). On the contrary, in British supermarkets at least a third of the men's magazines contains porn or full nudity. The proportion is even higher in Japan.


Third example. Drinking alcohol is a common activity for many European teenagers. A recent study revealed that French youths have their booze-up/bender at 13. In Japan, people can't buy alcohol until they are 20. In the USA, the law is even stricter ; people can't buy nor drink (even with their parents' consent) alcohol until 21.


So my question is : how much do a country or state's laws influence the local culture ?
 

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