Letters to the Editor: Men need to start calling out others’ violent behaviour

'Men need to ostracise other men for their violent behaviours. Men need to embarrass other men for behaving this way.'

We have a strange thing that happens in this country and we really need to out it and put a stop to it. When a man rings one of his mates and says he lost his temper and hit his wife and damaged the house, the reaction he sometimes gets is sympathy and pity. Sure we will go for a pint and a chat, he is met with.

Men need to start calling other men out. Men need to ostracise other men for their violent behaviours. Men need to embarrass other men for behaving this way.

Do not pat them on the back and say you silly devil, sure she’ll take you back — maybe buy her something nice. Tell him he’s wrong, tell him he is a waster.

Where did all our strong Irish men go? Where did our protectors and warriors go? Who are these men that we have now? Where did all the respect for one another go?

Some people talk about refugees and that they don’t know who they are or what they are capable of. However, we are not talking about our neighbour who is beating the crap out of his wife and kids every Friday.

Take back respect lads. Take back the strong Irish respectable caring role you all once had. Teach your sons and nephews about respect, boundaries, and what ‘no’ means.

Brenda McNally

Belfast

Society must act to prevent more killings

It has been heartening to see the spontaneous gatherings of people all over the country to express their sorrow and anger at the killing of Ashling Murphy and to show solidarity with her grieving family and friends.

It was good too that many of these gatherings have also celebrated the richness of Aisling’s young life, and in particular her love of music and sport.

Her death has had a deep impact on people everywhere. We have all been forced to ponder how such an act could take place.

We have to ask ourselves how some men can have such a dysfunctional relationship with women that they could perpetrate such an act.

We can’t blame society as a whole, but society as a whole has to respond to this horrific event in a way that ensures the likes of it can never happen again.

John Glennon

Hollywood

Co Wicklow

Abuse of women long past ‘watershed’

We don’t need the killing of another innocent woman to be a ‘watershed’.

This country’s abuse of women has long passed the stage of watersheds.

I want gardaí to stop being condescending to me and other women. I also want verbal abuse from a man to be criminalised.

Florence Craven

Bracknagh

Co Offaly

Children deserve inclusive schools

'In the 21st century, our children deserve better. Inclusive, secular schools with equal access and equal respect for all races, faiths, and gender.'

In the 21st century, our children deserve better. Inclusive, secular schools with equal access and equal respect for all races, faiths, and genders are the very least we should provide, along with comprehensive, factual relationships and sexuality education, delivered without religious ‘ethos’.

We could also take a look at the continuing prevalence of single-sex schools. There may never be a more appropriate time.

Bernie Linnane

Dromahair

Co Leitrim

Drug survey reveals appalling culture

The survey document Drugs Use in Higher Education in Ireland 2021 (DUHEI) should be compulsory reading for every citizen in this country. Not only does it highlight the appalling and worrying drug taking culture which exists in our higher education institutions, it also dramatically scopes the drug culture landscape of Ireland in all it’s manifestations, with a chilling reference to drug abuse by our young school-going children.

Eugene Currivan

Middle Glanmire Road

Cork

Humans, not animals, litter our beaches

As both a dog and horse owner, we have used the various beaches for all purposes relating to the entertainment of both beast and human. It is an understanding that any mess made will be tidied up by the various users of the beaches.

Most animal owners do not need a law to follow common decency rules.

That said, a lot of sunbathers and swimmers could do with a bit of common decency training. The amount of rubbish left behind by bathers and sun lovers is a disgrace.

Sophie Kool

Sneem

Co kerry

Not possible to gamble responsibly

There is an advertisement at the moment that is asking people to gamble responsibly.

If you are responsible, you would never take a chance because that is not being responsible.

On the other hand, I have known someone to put their whole weekly salary on a horse, knowing he could lose the lot, with the result that he and his family would have nothing to live on for the week.

Such a gambler would go out and borrow money, telling the person that he would give them back the money the following week when he received his pay.

It is impossible to gamble responsibly.

MG Hulme

Hartlands Ave,

Cork

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State needs to start cherishing children

“‘It’s like an abandoned place that people forgot about, it’s like we’re forgotten, we feel like garbage.’ That’s the direct experience of a 12-year-old girl, living in a halting site, explained to the Ombudsman for Children.” (Travellers bear the brunt of the homeless crisis, Irish Examiner, January 17).

It is high time our current political ascendancy made a start on cherishing our children just slightly more equally.

Justice delayed remains justice denied.

Damien Flinter

Headford

Co Galway

Will pandemic bonus be source of friction?

Early signs of how the Government intends to roll out the bonus payment to those who did sterling work during the pandemic are ominous (“Extending €1,000 pandemic bonus ‘simply not possible’”, Irish Examiner, January 20).

With a whole raft of citizens who put the wellbeing of others before their own likely to see their efforts receive lesser recognition, are we about to see another case of a cack-handed, begrudging Government taking a good idea and turning it into a dog’s dinner that will end up being the source of great hurt and friction within the community?

Jim O’Sullivan

Rathedmond

Sligo

Dining out on Lotto win that never was

I’ve never got so many phone calls as I did last Sunday. Someone spread the word that I won the €19m on Saturday’s Lotto draw. The most amazing thing was how many people wanted to bring by dinner. So, if you win the lotto you won’t go hungry.

Kevin Devitte

Westport

Co Mayo

Learning lesson from Tonga destruction

The volcanic eruption near Tonga has shown us the power of nature and the destruction that it can create. We have already seen satellite videos of the explosion in all of its might, local videos of the tsunami waves arriving, and aerial before and after photos of the islands.

The aerial photos show the lush green islands before and the dust-covered blackened aftermath, but what we also see is that nothing could be done to stop this.

The same changes can be seen in historical photos of glaciers and forests. However, in this case, the changes could have been prevented as they weren’t natural events but the consequence of people destroying nature.

There must be a balance between people and nature if we want to survive because, despite all of our technological advances, we can do very little to stop natural forces. However, we are doing so much to destroy the natural environment.

Dennis Fitzgerald

Vic Melbourne

Australia