Columnist fawns over sisterhood of the ’60s

FAR be it from me to cast aspersions on the historical bona fides of your esteemed columnist Diarmaid Ferriter.

Nevertheless it appears when he approaches within 1,000 miles of our feminist friends all critical faculties give way to a sycophantic, fawning demeanour ill-becoming a detached, cold-eyed historian.

His recent ode to Sister Margaret McCurtain (April 3) was a classic of its type. It seems to me the type of doctrinnaire gender-driven feminism espoused by the good Sister and her many lower-case acolytes is long overdue a much more incisive critique than that supplied by Dr Ferriter.

Ironically, it is a mirror-image of boorish male chauvinism (largely emanating from the silly ‘60s and encapsulated by such dangerous mantras as ‘a woman’s right to choose’).

It’s time that the same rational deconstruction which led to the implosion of socialist mythology in the last decade was now applied to the equally deranged theories of the Sisterhood.

One need only review the horrific statistics in relation to divorce fallout (especially its impact on children) to appreciate the ideological cul-de-sac that Sister has bought into. Let’s start the debate now — perhaps a Late Late Show critique of feminism.

I won’t hold my breath.

Eric Conway

Balreask Village

Navan

Co Meath