Rishab Aiyer Ghosh <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > i have noticed that the term "paternalistic state" has fallen out of > favour, left to academics, in favour of the "nanny state" in western > public discourse. in india, on the other hand, people still refer to > "mai baap sarkar" - mother father government. is this a sign of the > decline of the family in the west, or is it an increase in wealth that > allows the substitution of parents by the nanny?
In the US, the use of the term "state" to refer to the government is infrequent except among the overeducated classes, probably because "state" usually refers to our provincial layer of government. Perhaps as a result, none of these terms (nanny state, etc.) have ever been popular among the masses. "Big Government" is the closest term I've seen in use, but it lacks the oompf of the others. BTW, among my libertarian friends, the terms "state", "statism", etc., are very popular, but we're a loony fringe group of overeducated people. Perry -- Perry E. Metzger [EMAIL PROTECTED]
