Sunday, June 01, 2008

Nanny State, French Style

The Times Online (UK) reported yesterday on new regulations in France.

They are drawn by a love of American culture - although definitely not American politics - and a passion for line dancing, which enables them to swing but avoid all human contact.

Now country and western has become so big in France that the country's bureaucrats have decided to bring the craze under state control.

In a peculiarly Gallic approach to the phenomenon, French civil servants say line dancing should be submitted to the same rules as sports such as football and rugby. This means imposing training courses for line dancing teachers and a state-approved diploma for anyone who wants to give lessons or run clubs.

Amateur instructors will have to take 200 hours of training under the new rules. Professionals will get 600 hours, including such subjects as line dancing techniques, “the mechanics of the human body” and the English (or at least Texan) language. They will also learn how to teach line dancing to the elderly.

Wow. I've done some line dancing before, and a person could get hurt. Seriously. Good thing the French have seen the importance of state control over such a dangerous pasttime.

Now, if only we can get control of it here. Think of the lives that could be saved...

2 comments:

Jacob said...

Wow.

People still line dance?

janice said...

The french authorities need to step up the regulation of stamp collecting as well. I hear that get be a bit hairy.