February 17, 2010

Can "nanny state" be taken too literally?

Okay, look, I get annoyed by an unruly kid as much as the next guy.  Even my kid.  Actually, come to think of it, especially my kid.  However, if I move in next to a daycare, or an elementary school, I better expect that kids are going to be kids and are therefore going to be noisy while they learn and play.  Apparently, that was not the case in Germany:

In Berlin alone, hundreds of complaints are made each year about noise levels in kindergartens and children's playgrounds.

Some day-care facilities have even been forced to close after local residents have gone to court in search of a quiet life.

Now Berlin's local government, the senate, has passed a law giving children the right to be noisy, the first law of its kind in Germany.

Axel Strohbusch, from Berlin's Department of Noise Protection, said it was "the first time we have it written in law that we have to consider the rights of children to shout and make noise while they are growing up and this must be considered by all the neighbours".

Oh, Nanny State, how do I love thee.  Let me count the ways.

Posted by: Ember at 08:04 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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