Wednesday, February 24, 2010

They have feelings too.

I found this article on the BBC News website. This blogger is very glad these issues are finally being addressed.

The government of Finland has passed critical amendments to the Imagination Act requiring all made-up characters to register themselves on what the government is calling a Fictitious Being Registry. This legislation, commonly referred to as the Santa Laws, has been put in place to ensure that children are not exposed to the danger of embarrassing themselves in public by believing in Fictitious Beings beyond a certain age. All made-up characters must alert children of a certain age of their non-existence.

There has been some outcry from PEBLIEF (People for the Ethical Belief in Leprechauns, Imps, Elves and Faries) as the notification age for fantasy creatures was reduced from 6 to 4 years. Ghosts and aliens retained their 'all ages' classification thanks to the tin foil hat clause, which provides that a certain level of mental disturbance permits the belief in such concepts right up until death.

Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, two of the strongest campaigners against the new legislation, were exempt from the registry, reportedly proposing that they are intrinsically linked to religious ceremonies and as such the revelation powers should be left to parents. The Cabinet also noted that children in families with more than one child were exposed to possible physical and or mental harm by such a registry. However, the Opposition is expected to propose a fail-safe 'maximum age' clause that would be used in cases of extreme neglect.

Check out the full article here.

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