Ignorant paternalism

Sir,

I am writing to comment on the ‘14 pupils face prosecution over school brawl’ article published on December 8. Specifically, I want briefly to remark upon the reported utterances of Justice Minister Sophocles Sophocleous.

I shall reserve any comments on his platitudes (cf that the state must take more steps in the area of prevention and “collaborate with everybody involved to tackle the phenomenon of this unacceptable behaviour.”) which are a general malaise plaguing the discourse of the island ever since the search for a ‘just and viable solution’ to our national problem began.

Instead, I want to refer to the Honourable Minister’s claim that “The best way to prevent this type of conduct is through parents, who are there to provide a solution.” Two things jump out of the page at this point. First, the lack of knowledge of basic facts of human development which hold that in teenagehood the major influence on behaviour originates from the peer environment, not the parents/home. Secondly, the claim smacks of the kind of paternalism which is also part of our culture, a paternalism which holds that the older
generations know what is best for the younger generations.

Andreas Avgousti, London

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.