Here at JONJ we applaud all Jewish inventors and inventions. From the ballpoint pen to the shopping cart to... the flexible drinking straw? Yeah, about those straws...

For all of the items that could come to the forefront of the culture wars... drinking straws? Sure, they are a... thing?

A completely useless thing, if you ask us. (Obviously, there are some very valid medical reasons where a straw must be used. We're not talking about that.) Do we really need straws? Sure, little kids have fun with them, but if you are over the age of ten? Pick up the cup and take a sip. Who needs a freaking straw?

So, yes, the flexible version of the straw was invented by Joseph Friedman, who saw his daughter struggle when using a straight straw. (You know what else would end her struggle? Not using a straw at all!) Friedman was a serial inventor, who also came up with a lighted pencil that he dabbed the "pencilite". That didn't exactly catch on.

But flexible straws did. And now we're in the middle of a culture war.

Over straws!