Full of sound and fury signifying nothing

THE EDITOR: I refer to Gregory Sloane-Seale’s letter to the editor “Sexual Hangups in Adults” Newsday 16/05/03, page 40. I note that Mr Sloane-Seale carries a lot of big words after his name — National Youth Outreach Director, YMCA of Trinidad and Tobago, Executive Member, TT Coalition on the Rights of the Child (TTCRC).

I wonder if Mr Sloane-Seale has all those big words tattooed on his chest as he struts his vocal rubbish full of sound and fury signifying nothing? Is Mr Sloane-Seale married, with teenage daughters, and will he hand out condoms to them or allow a strange man to hand out condoms to them in front of their school? As an executive member — TT Coalition on the Rights of the Child — does Mr Sloane-Seale know that it is an infringement of a child’s rights to hand them condoms or advise them on sexual matters without their parents’ consent?

Has anyone — beside only blaming the media in all its forms for the upsurge in sexual activity — ever looked at the following causes for such increased sexual activity? Years ago children had to work at home in addition to going to school — there was no bus, taxi, private car to transport them to and fro on their journeys from home. They had to walk or ride a bike and tote parcels. They thus learned to be responsible and their physical efforts burnt up their sexual hormones.

Today, our young people are bone idle, couch potatoes, eating three square meals of rich food  with no outlet for their sexual energy, and they are lazy, selfish and self-centred. Every thing is me, me, me. What Mr Sloane-Seale and others are doing is simple — if you are doing something wrong and we advise you not to do it and you refuse we will just sigh and say if we cannot change you we will encourage you in your wrongdoing. Mr Sloane-Seale is taking the easy way out — the hard way is to lecture to the young about responsibility, self-esteem and self-worth and on being a role model of a parent when one becomes a parent. Handing a condom and bad sexual advice to the young is to insult, demean and misguide them. Think again Mr Sloane-Seale.

JACK LEARMOND CRIQUI
Diego Martin