John Parry's column on the Oldham riots (Argus, June 1) should have been reprinted in every newspaper in the land.

During the last three-quarters of the previous century, technology advanced so fast to bring excitement and pleasure into people's lives it makes one wonder whether the speed of this change has numbed our young people's brains to the basic pleasure of life.

When my generation was young, we got rid of our energy playing football or cricket day after day, week after week, after we finished our day's work.

There were no do-gooders telling our parents how to bring up their children. They were quite capable of doing that and they did a good job of it.

When the war came along, to teach us discipline in the forces was no problem because we had already had good training for that.

If ever another war occurred, many a sergeant major's heart would be broken in trying to discipline today's youngsters.

Heaven forbid it should happen but it seems to take a war to bind a nation together. Why should that be?

-Frank Edwards, Craven Road, Brighton