All men not toxic

THE EDITOR: I am disgusted and feel insulted by a letter sent by one of your readers and published on January 17. I am also disappointed that it was even published.

In any case the writer made sweeping generalisations about all men. Surely some are “toxic” but not even a majority, not all of us. Maybe the writer's affirmations reflect her personal experiences. If so, that is unfortunate.

She admits to being no psychologist, and then goes on to spout pseudo-scientific supposition, with no statistics or studies to back it up. It is plausible that she invented every detail that followed for all anyone knows.

Like the writer I am no psychologist. But, unlike her, I will offer statistics, albeit based on an American study: “Children from fatherless homes are 71 per cent more likely to be maltreated, 62 per cent more likely to be neglected, and 59 per cent more likely to sustain serious physical injury from abuse" (Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect, Congressional Report, 2010).

That is to say that there is a desperate need to fix and favour a stable and healthy family life. If the government should do anything, it would be to make policy in that regard.

ISIDORE M GABRIEL

via e-mail