There'll be roving bands of droogs next

There are days when Breda O Brien obviously decides that today is not a day for facts or logic but for truthiness and common knowledge and feeling in her columns. Days where unsupported assertions, nameless fears, hyperbole and rhetoric are given free rein. Today is one of those days.

For example, today (subscription) Breda tells us that apparently the Pussycat Dolls(who?) are ''presented as role models''. Really? Sounds a bit unlikely to me I have to say. They're also ''allegedly icons of female empowerment''. Says who exactly?

Better yet, Breda goes on....
''It is not too far-fetched to suggest that our culture ''grooms'' young girls into a belief that sexual availability is the norm, and that any hesitancy about sexual activity is evidence of grim oppression''

Ummm, actually I would say its too far fetched actually, for a start culture is one of those usefully vague words that tend to be (ab)used when someone has no evidence and wants to make sweeping statements. Along the lines of ''this thing-that-I-don't-like is out there in our culture so obviuosly it must be having some effect'' The Pussycat Dolls are part of our culture therefore our culture grooms (a slightly loaded word) young girls. No not really. Then follows some hand wringing about the proposed lowering of the age of consent for girls to 16 (the age for boys is 15, they get all the fun) sending the wrong message. Teenagers will hear this and start going at it like rabbits (assuming they're not already)

Ooh but best of all, now comes some abuse of statistics to imply that society may fall (I may be paraphrasing here).

''There is a direct link between educational disadvantage and deprivation of all kinds, and early sexual activity''

Correlation is not causation Breda, having sex as a teenager will not suddenly make your family poor, make you fail exams or turn your school into a kip. Changing the age of consent will change none of these things. Not changing the age of consent will change none of these things. Or maybe she's proposing that we keep the lower orders in line? Or something like that.