I regret to say that our society has reaped what it has sown. In the Argus letters page of May 22, John Linfield asks, "how do we stop the mindless yobs?" while Paul Hubbard questions the merits of both military service and corporal punishment (Letters, May 22).

The fact that both of these "institutions" have been abolished is one of the main reasons there is so little respect among the younger generations for other people and their property.

A lack of parental control during their formative years and the fact teachers may not exercise any sort of control at school without fear of a violent reaction or legal action are two other strong contributory factors to the near-anarchical society in which we live today.

-Bruce Rawlings, Half Moon Lane, Worthing