Sir, - I couldn't agree more with Maureen Levy (May 12th) about how objectionable it is to find pornographic magazines openly on display in practically every newsagents in the country. Of course I am in favour of freedom of speech but I do not believe that the availability of pornography has anything to do with this or any other freedom but more to do with oppression and exploitation of mainly women and children.
I sympathise with anyone who has to explain these so-called "adult" magazines to their daughters or sons. Does it ever occur to the people who run the newsagents that their own sons and daughters may find them frightening and distasteful or is profit the only thing that matters? Any time I have ever raised the matter in a shop (which isn't often as I have invariably been roundly abused for my pains), I am told that "no-one else has raised an objection".
Maybe more of us should get together to try to persuade newsagents to at least keep the material behind the counter or otherwise out of sight, as Ms Levy suggests. One thing I know for sure is that in 99 per cent of cases where you see "adult" you can substitute "for not very adult men only". - Yours, etc., Ellen MacCafferty,
Ranelagh, Dublin 6.