Who or That?

Joel asks:
I recently received a gift of chocolates with the following sentence:

Chocolates for those that live their life as an exclamation instead of an explanation!

Should "that" have been "who"?

I prefer "who" when referring to persons, and "that" when referring to things or animals:

Give some chocolates to Joel, who lives his life...
Joel got some chocolates that he considered excellent.

But popular usage has made "that" acceptable as a substitute for "who." I don't like it, but I can't fight it. Look on the bright side, Joel: At least you got some chocolates!

By the way, I would rewrite the original sentence:
Chocolates for those who live their lives...

Comments

[moymoy]

what is who that whose or WICH

[ariana]

What about using who or that when referring to characters? For instance: The author creates characters (who/that) move beyond cultural barriers. I'd also appreciate a response to arianabelinda@Yahoo.com