1Man Goes on Hunger Strike To Get Weight Loss Surgery
A hunger strike… to get weight loss surgery? As strange as it may sound, that's what New Zealander Jason Patterson is attempting. Mr. Patterson currently weighs 286 lbs. and needs a hernia operation, which the New Zealand government is willing to pay for. However, in order to get this surgery, he needs to lose 110 lbs. Since obesity is not considered an “accident,” the Accident Compensation Corporation (the state-run insurance) won't pay for a gastric bypass procedure. Mr. Patterson contends his obesity is a side effect of his medication and is staging his hunger strike as a way to call attention to the way the ACC “f**ks around with people's lives.” You can watch one of his YouTube videos below:
2Man Stages Hunger Strike Over Parking Dispute
Alex Nizzini was tired of being told where he could and could not park in his own Houston neighborhood, so he took it upon himself to stage a hunger strike in front of Houston City Hall. Neighbors have said the “No Parking” signs have been up for a decade in order to prevent high school students from parking in the area. Mr. Nizzini felt that the signs are a part of incompetence and corruption in the local government. His 2014 protest lasted at least 10 days. He periodically weighed himself and put the tally on his sign. “A hunger strike is perhaps the most extreme way of dealing with a government that is being difficult, but I have no choice,” he was quoted as saying. (No word to how it was resolved.)
3Convicted Killer Threatens Hunger Strike For Playstation 3
Racist Norweigian convicted murder Anders Breivik is lonely. He is currently serving a 21-year sentence for killing 77 people in a murderous rampage and is kept in near total isolation, which he says is “torture." In a letter to the Associated Press, he threatened to go on a hunger strike if his demands were not met. He requested better conditions on his morning walk, the right to communicate more freely, and that his Playstation 2 be upgraded to a Playstation 3 with access to more games “that I can choose myself.”
Mr. Breivik had previously gone on a hunger strike because he was not allowed moisturizer and his coffee wasn't hot enough.
4Bolivian Prostitutes Sew Lips Together To Re-Open Bars
In Bolivia, prostitution is legal, but pimping isn't. In October 2007, citizens of the town of El Alto stormed the local red light district and forced the mayor to shut down brothels and bars in the area because they said these illegal establishments were a magnet to crime. However, the prostitutes struck back with a protest of their own, saying being forced out on the streets endangered their health and safety.
Thirty of the women refused to eat and three went under anesthesia to have their lips sewn shut. Meanwhile, two additional hunger strikes occured: students who wanted the brothels permanently closed as well as the bar and restaurant owners who also wanted them reopened.
The prostitutes eventually suspended the hunger strike, but went on another in 2012 when the local hospital where they got regular checkups was shut down.
5Student Threatens Hunger Strike to Eliminate “Testation without Representation”
Neil Muscat, a graduate of Hershey High School in Pennsylvania, returned to the Derry Township School Board in December 2013 to announce he would be going on a hunger strike for all students unless his demands were met. He handed them a letter called “A Declaration of Nonviolent Resistance” where he demanded eliminating the Keystone test and abolishing the school district's executive council. In the letter, Mr. Muscat stated that students were overly tested, resulting in “testation without representation.” He said that the mandatory exams were “a dark tyranny” that holds children “in bondage.” The school board said somebody would get back to him about his requests.
6Charles Barkley Vowed Not To Eat Until The Lakers Win
Charles Barkley, once nicknamed the “Round Mound of Rebound,” was so upset with the start of the Lakers' 2014 season that he went on national television vowing to not eat another meal until they won. The Lakers were in the middle of a 5-game losing streak, their worst record since 1957, and Barkley made the pledge after their Thursday loss on TNT's “Inside the NBA.” Barkley promised to drink only water, cayenne pepper and lemon until at least the next game (on Sunday). Luckily for him, the Lakers won, prompting Lakers forward/center Ed Davis to tweet: “Charles your fat ass can eat now.”
7Mormon Drinks Nothing But Vitamin Water Over Same Sex Marriage Ruling
Utah resident Trestin Meacham was always against same sex marriage, but was particularly upset by a state judge's ruling that he felt was unconstitutional. Utah had passed a law against same sex marriage, but U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby ruled this law violated gay and lesbian couples' rights. In protest, Mr. Meacham stopped eating solid foods and drank only vitamin water. His hunger strike lasted for 15 days until the Supreme Court decided they would rule on the matter. After that announcement, Mr. Meacham allowed himself some yogurt and promised his wife he would not go on a hunger strike again, but instead would make the “ultimate sacrifice” by giving up football if the ruling was allowed to stand. (The Supreme Court upheld the judge's decision in 2015.)
8Delaware Attorney on Supreme Court Steps Called “Dumbest in History”
In June 2014, Attorney Brian Zulberti decided to go on a hunger strike on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court to demand 90 seconds of media airtime. His goal was to raise awareness about people losing their jobs “because their social media account includes content showing they live a lifestyle that, while legal, an employer finds objectionable or immoral.”
Zulberti is no stranger to making an ass of himself online. In fact, the pictures you se above he posted to solicit work as a lawyer went viral. Mr. Zulberti also claims he was fired as a tennis coach for comments he made online about an opponent.
His strike lasted 6 days, until he was taken to a hospital for dehydration. While Philadelphia Magazine called it the “Dumbest Hunger Strike in History,” others praised him for taking a bold stance for privacy. One year later, Mr. Zulberti has started a blog where he has decided it's “Time to Give God a Chance.”
9Tenacious D Hunger Strike Lasts 23 Minutes
Portly comedy rockers Tenacious D planned a huge publicity stunt for the release of their DVD entitled “The Complete Masterworks." They promised they would live in a glass box suspended in Times Square for 45 days or until their DVD went platinum, there was an end to world hunger, or peace in the Middle East. After great fanfare and an appearance on MTV, the duo's stunt lasted exactly 23 minutes before they were rushed to the hospital and fed gravy.