Madam, - Joe Humphreys (Opinion & Analysis, March 13th) defends the aberrant behaviour prevalent among today's youth by announcing that he, as a youth, "drank in public", "woke neighbours at night with drunken swearing" and "urinated against the odd lamppost". Despite these minor breaches of social decorum he declares: "Thankfully, for all concerned, I've since smartened up my act, and today I have no criminal record."
These revelations, of course, are a lead-in to his suggestion that Mr Michael McDowell's plan to introduce Anti-Social Behaviour Orders is draconian, unproductive and certainly unfair, since breaching an order might lead to the offender being branded as a criminal. Mr Humphreys implies that since he indulged in that innocent laddish carry-on without negative consequences, today's youth should be allowed to indulge in similarly irresponsible behaviour.
May I suggest that Mr Humphreys should consider that it was the previous generation's abdication of personal responsibility which led to many of the social problems we face today. - Yours etc.,
EDWARD D. RAFFERTY, Castlebridge, Co Wexford.
Madam, Joe Humphreys's "horror" at the prospect of laws to deal with louts is a example of writing without engaging his intellect fully. He admits to having woken neighbours with drunken swearing, to having urinated in public, and to "petty theft" of an election poster. Yet he goes on to say that he has "smartened up his act" - seemingly admitting, therefore, that this type of behaviour is unacceptable. I hope he plans to pass on his recently acquired wisdom to his children.
He accuses Michael McDowell of forgetting what it's like to be young. Can Mr Humphreys imagination stretch to understanding what it's like to be old, alone in your house, with drunken, taunting louts outside? To having neighbours so foul-mouthed that you cannot leave your children in the garden in summertime? I hope Mr McDowell succeeds.
I would never had anything to fear from this type of legislation: I was reared to treat all people with respect, and I never did any of the low-life things that Mr Humphreys admits to. I wear my badge of decency as proudly as Humphreys wears his of indecency. - Yours, etc.,
JOHN LARKIN, Sandymount, Dublin 4.