On morality

John O'Dea (Youth Morals, January 28) states that I have not "been exposed to the ugly, sordid side of life". He has obviously not understood my point. History is littered with examples of sordid behaviour. The Bible had Sodom and Gomorrah, the Roman Empire contributed Caligula. The Marquis de Sade is a famous emblem of perversity. The 20th century gave us The Naked Lunch - a book written by someone who was far closer to Mr O'Dea's age than mine.

What got my goat was his tone of morality, his holier-than-thou attitude which leads him to draw blanket conclusions on teenage mothers based upon his observations "at his workplace". Last week I was harassed by a drunk old man while urinating in a public toilet. Can I therefore assume that all old men are prowling voyeurs with a soft spot for the bottle?

I fail to see why I should pipe down - perhaps Mr O'Dea is not accustomed to hearing protests from the comfort of the saddle of his high horse. "Morality," Oscar Wilde wrote, "is the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike." Mr O'Dea obviously doesn't like Maltese youth. I, on the other hand, am not too taken by people who think that their values and beliefs should be a blueprint for the rest of mankind. Horses for courses.

I consider the matter closed - as stated in my previous letter, Mr O'Dea can continue to trumpet the moral superiority which is so dear to him. My only hope is that when I reach a venerable old age, the young "nymphets" of the day will find me as Casanova-like as today's batch find him!