Also “They thought I was possessed by the devil, so I guess I just give off that vibe.” is a true banger of a sentence.
Wait hang on I need to squint a little here. I think it's old racism! Mostly.
So yes, that's a real law (article from 2013). But why...?
The law itself provides us only so much context, by the way the provision expires 12/31/2023 says the website. I skimmed a twitter thread that said it dates from the 1860's. I dig deeper. Penned in 1861 claims this article, and it last was actually used in the 1930's, which sounds right for one of these ye-ye ass 'women can't wear denim pants' laws.
I need to go deeper. Dare I go deeper? Yes. Let's go deeper.
The U.S. Civil War was happening, and that's the most noteworthy thing immediate to the year of the law. However, if we scan back to the previous segment of this history site, it closes with a commentary about the significant Conservative Religious attitudes dominating Pennsylvania during the 1800's through to the Civil War. If you know anything about the often remarkably plot-twist heavy history of Abolitionism, it's that religious fundamentalism in the North was fueling a lot of its momentum. Also, Suffergettes (that's women's voter rights) are part of this splash of religious motivated politics. An ironic later historical tie-in will be established here to anti-masturbation rhetoric, the creation of veganism, and the intentions behind prohibition.
So where does the sentiment to punish fortune tellers come from? Well, demographics may tell a story: Catholics, Presbyterians, Germans, and Irish immigrants make up some of the key players during the time. There are also Evangelicals and by my guess Jewish Orthodoxy afoot as well. If you don't know European Migratory History, a big part of why there may have been pressure to ban fortune telling could relate to prevailing attitudes about the Roma (or Romani) cultural-ethnic group. If certain community leaders wanted to secure themselves politically, it is possible that slamming down such a law would've been extremely politically viable particularly for German migrants. Astute observers will note that later during the holocaust, the Roma suffered substantially.
