Nanny state

A nanny state is a term for a government or country with laws that tell people how to behave and how to live their private lives. The reasons may vary. Some may be to protect people's health, or to protect society. It is called paternalism when the government thinks they know better than the people. When someone calls a government a nanny state, they are accusing it of taking away too much of their personal freedom.

Nanny state is often used as a pejorative for a welfare state gone too far. The term implies that the state protects its citizen too much and intrudes in their private lives too much in order to prevent choices which might be bad for them.

Related pages
Big government
Police state
Welfare state

 References 

Category:Politics
Category:Pejoratives