Youth Defence: Under the Influence

My earlier pieces on Youth Defence's Twitter followers didn't come in for much criticism. I showed that only a tiny minority of their followers are Irish, and of those Irish followers, many disliked them. I showed that they're funded from the States. They didn't challenge. Perhaps my case was so watertight they judged it shrewder to maintain stoic silence. More likely it escaped their attention. A pity, I'd rather hoped to have to defend my work.

One potential criticism I'd anticipated is that Youth Defence has no great choice in who follows them. There is the outside chance a rather well-orchestrated conspiracy led to hundreds of US-based followers in some scheme of Byzantine complexity. But no-one's voiced such a theory. Still, while waiting patiently by my keyboard for any sign Youth Defence would earn the second half of its title by defending its honour I chose to put in some preemptive research.

Jim Rohn once said "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." The sentiment appeals to me even though the grammar does not. His thoughts were not focused on Twitter when he spoke and we may need to revise the number five upwards to better accommodate the data available on Twitter.

So, with whom does Youth Defence choose to spend its time online? I pulled a list of all the accounts they choose to follow and ran some metrics. If you're a skim reader, please stop for a second. I'm talking about folk Youth Defence follows, not folk who follow Youth Defence. That bit's important. You may now resume skimming.


As you've probably already safely assumed the majority of accounts Youth Defence deems worthy of attention are based in the United States. At 32% Irish accounts show a higher presence than I'd initially expected, explained when I realised Youth Defence follow most politicians and news outlets. The UK reaches 4%, no other country stretching far beyond one percent.

One percenters of a different sort also pepper the report. Take @CrisisMag, its hard right Catholic bent proudly displayed on every page, as is a white skinned, blue-eyed depiction of the African Saint Augustine of Hippo. The first piece to catch my eye grappled with the notion that "...it is a distinctly moot point whether race hatred, or hatred of the rich, has been responsible for the more mass murders in the past century or so."

Moving on I discovered the word 'Homosexualist'.

The Latest Homosexualist Assault on the Catholic Church and the Need for a Counter-Offensive"...a group of its homosexual alumni objected to its catalog description for a social work course that included homosexuality on the list of “deviant behaviors” to be studied. The Cardinal Newman Society viewed this as one of the many attacks on religious liberty that are now “coming from all fronts.”

They also reassure me that "Most people living below the official poverty line also have air conditioning, color television and a microwave oven", and that "Cell phones and other electronic devices are by no means unheard of in low-income neighborhoods", before going on to say government programs will lead to dependency.

Take @AmerLifeLeague, Twitter account of the catchily named www.all.org. Their paranoid delusions include:

The cancer I’m referring to is the presence within the Church of numerous active homosexuals among the clergy at all levels, within many of the orders and among the laity in many Catholic institutions. It also includes a rebellious acceptance of homosexuality by many non-homosexual Catholics in positions of influence within the Church. This has been, and still is, a much greater problem than the vast majority of Catholics realize... It is ugly, disturbing, and not something that most people want to hear about. It involves tales of infiltration, seduction, rape and other abuses, rampant use of porn, sordid encounters, frequent blackmail, and brutal reprisals against whistle-blower seminarians and priests and intimidation of bishops.

Yup, let's blame the gays.

@Heritage takes a different tack and explains to us that poor people are effectively a myth:

" The actual living conditions of America’s poor are far different... In 2005, the typical household defined as poor by the government had a car and air conditioning. For entertainment, the household had two color televisions, cable or satellite TV, a DVD player, and a VCR. If there were children, especially boys, in the home, the family had a game system, such as an Xbox or PlayStation. In the kitchen, the household had a refrigerator, an oven and stove, and a microwave. Other household conveniences included a clothes washer, a clothes dryer, ceiling fans, a cordless phone, and a coffee maker. " 

@DivineMercy tells us of Saint Faustina, who "... experienced also many extraordinary graces such as: apparitions, ecstasies, the gift of bilocation, hidden stigmata, reading into human souls, the mystical betrothal and nuptials."
@ChristianCoach3 will help your son stop pleasuring himself. @IgnatiusInSight feels that "The widespread practice of contraception is a major force behind the rapidly growing acceptance of homosexuality", perhaps theorising an early Durex manufacturing plant in ancient Greece. @ProLifeRosary, mad as a box of hares, brings us the following missive:

Message from Jesus: " If your nation overturns legalized abortion,
I will richly bless it by my favor.
But if this sin continues with national approval,
much will be stripped away."

(Garish colours in the original.)
They further inform us that the conveniently specific recitation of one Hail Mary will prevent precisely one abortion. I imagine evidence is unavailable. Naturally, @DavQuinn features. I could go on, but if you ever spend an evening reading through the Twitter accounts and websites of folk Youth Defence feel worthy of a follow you'll understand why I choose not to.

For those hungry for more I reproduce the links harvested below:

http://www.osurtl.org
http://www.faithandfamilylive.com
http://www.shaneross.ie
http://fatherroderick.com
http://www.catholicsun.org
http://www.alliancealert.org
http://www.hh76.com
http://www.AllianceDefendingFreedom.org
http://www.brandonvogt.com
http://www.LivingHopeForLife.org
http://www.eamonn.com/
http://consilium.europa.eu/press
http://www.euractiv.com/
http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm
http://www.nessachilders.ie
http://giannajessen.com
http://wefollow.com/CatholicEditor
http://www.austincoalitionforlife.com
http://www.conversiondiary.com/
http://www.womenschoicecenter.org
http://www.amywelborn.com
http://www.ewtn.com
http://romans8v29.blogspot.com
http://generationsforlife.org/
http://nakeddc.com
http://prolifeaction.org/
http://www.catholicvote.org
http://www.abbyjohnson.org
http://www.prolifedallas.org
http://www.taylormarshall.com
http://www.foundationlife.net
http://columban.org
http://www.averagecatholicjoe.com
http://www.prolifeillinois.com
http://www.LCRTL.org
http://www.mccl.org
http://greathorizons.herbalhub.com/
http://www.OurLadysInn.org
http://unplannedpregnancy.wordpress.com
http://mikesnewsmusings.blogspot.com
http://personhoodohio.com
http://rttopics.com/life
http://www.facebook.com/pages/PA-Philanthropy/210777707554
http://gmknowles.thirdnote.net/
http://slustudentsforlife.org
http://www.readchristina.com
http://tnrtl.org
http://www.onlineforlife.org
http://www.texasrighttolife.com
http://catholicservant.com
http://www.crossroadswalk.org
http://www.stoptheabortionagenda.com
http://www.frc.org
http://frontlinesblog.com
http://nrlcomm.wordpress.com/
http://www.aul.org
http://www.thecloakroomblog.com
http://saints.sqpn.com
http://write2thepoint.blogspot.com
http://www.calledtoyouthministry.com
http://www.teensforlife.com
http://AllHeartsAfire.org
http://www.bikingforbabies.com
http://www.SilentNoMoreAwareness.org
http://www.stopabortionsavelives.com
http://www.carlowkilkenny.com
http://www.kandle.ie
http://www.geraldnash.com/
http://facebook.com/oharamick
http://newstalk.ie/therighthook
http://politico.ie
http://www.irishcatholic.ie
http://www.joehiggins.eu
http://www.tommybroughan.com/
http://www.oliviamitchell.finegael.ie
http://bryanshortall.blogspot.com
http://www.carolinesimons.ie
http://www.davidmcwilliams.ie
http://www.reilly.ie
http://www.rte.ie/primetime
http://www.cormacdevlin.ie
http://www.paulkehoe.com/
http://www.globalirish.ie
http://thejournal.ie/
http://www.choiceireland.org/
http://www.dioceseofmeath.ie
http://www.fma.ie/1
http://www.newstalk.ie
http://www.rallyforlife.net
http://www.rte.ie/news/world_index.html
http://www.seankelly.eu
http://www.spiritradio.ie
http://www.thelifeinstitute.net
http://www.todayfm.com/Shows/Weekdays/Matt-Cooper/Matt-Cooper-Blog.aspx
http://thickerthantalk.blogspot.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hPIIlzlRYU&feature=relmfu
http://www.catherinemurphy.ie
http://trusttommy.com
http://www.labour.ie/arthurspring/
http://www.jimhiggins.ie/ep/contact/contact-jim-in-brussels
http://www.sacredheartroscommon.com/
http://www.rte.ie/news/morningireland
http://www.RonanMullen.ie
http://www.marianharkin.ie
http://www.michaellowry.ie/
http://www.labour.ie/roisinshortall/
http://donum-vitae-blog.blogspot.com/
http://www.ciarancuffe.ie
http://www.michealmartin.ie
http://www.ossory.ie
http://deaconjohnspace.wordpress.com/
http://www.thomasmore.org
http://www.theradiancefoundation.org
http://www.africanamericanoutreach.org
http://www.cathedralfoundation.org/cflor3.html
http://www.grassrootsfilms.com/
http://googlinggod.com
http://www.lifesitenews.com
http://nursesforlife.org
http://www.wordonfire.org
http://cincinnaticatholicmedia.wordpress.com/
http://www.FranciscanMedia.org
http://www.heartbeatinternational.org/
http://www.prolifepropatria.com
http://www.hli.org
http://www.charlesredfern.com
http://www.osv.com
http://www.osvdailytake.com
http://krla.org
http://BlueKirk.org
http://www.studentsforlife.org
https://facebook.com/CardinalNewmanSociety
http://www.crisismagazine.com
http://www.FlintRL.com
http://www.jillstanek.com
http://www.kofc.org
http://www.njrtl.org
http://www.catholicdigest.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/
http://www.c-fam.org
http://doctorsutton.net/
http://www.patrickmadrid.com
http://www.teamprolific.com
http://www.facebook.com/prestonwinesjr
http://www.priestsforlife.org
http://franciscom.tumblr.com
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=22165894994&ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=22165894994&ref=ts
http://www.standtrue.com
http://www.silentday.org
http://www.foxnews.com
http://www.missionmoment.org
http://www.un.org
http://www.voicesforlife.net
http://www.facebook.com/prolifekortney
http://www.standtrue.com
http://www.americanpapist.com
http://www.usccb.org/
http://www.40daysforlife.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
http://americanprinciplesproject.org
http://sba-list.org
http://www.all.org
http://www.AULAction.org
http://www.barackobama.com
http://www.christiandefensecoalition.com
http://www.frc.org
http://www.heritage.org
http://www.nrlc.org
http://www.sba-list.org
http://www.whitehouse.gov
http://www.derighttolife.org
http://prepareformass.wordpress.com
http://thepassionists.org
http://www.hayalternativas.org
http://www.cssr.org.au
http://www.40daysforlife.com/honolulu
http://www.knock-shrine.ie/youthfestival
http://www.faustyna.pl/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=283&Itemid=61
http://twitter.com/HumanaeVitae
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFYyypoA0mI&feature=related
http://philosophy.eserver.org/
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/editor/index.shtml
http://www.spuc.org.uk/
http://www.loughderg.org
http://www.theprolificpen.co.uk
http://www.youthworkconference.co.uk
http://jay3gsm.blogspot.com
http://catholicvoices.org.uk
http://peterdwilliams.com/
http://MyHeritage.com/
http://mulier-fortis.blogspot.com
http://societyofourlady.net
http://www.dublindiocese.ie
http://bit.ly/AcOTY9
http://www.facebook.com/JuliSlattery
http://www.ChristianCounsel.com
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com
http://www.newadvent.org
http://www.prolifeblogs.com
http://www.LifeNews.com
http://www.gen215.org
http://www.LifeNews.com
http://www.personhoodusa.com
http://www.stem-cell-blog.com/
http://operationrescue.org/
http://abort73.com
http://www.mikefichter.com
http://www.prolificoven.com
http://LiveAction.org
http://liveaction.org
http://www.ortl.org
http://nunspeak.wordpress.com/
http://www.jimmyakin.org
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Endicott/246564780963
http://www.godspace3.com
http://www.cbc-network.org
http://www.ignatiusinsight.com
http://abortionno.org
http://survivors.la
http://www.eduardoverastegui.me
http://www.rosaryoftheunborn.eu
http://www.ohiolife.org
http://www.maafa21.com
http://www.patlayton.net
http://www.sflcmich.com
http://www.marylandindependentparty.org
http://nowealthbutlife.com
http://www.facebook.com/gwprolife
http://www.raymondarroyo.com
http://catholicfreebiesdirectory.com
http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/headlines.asp
http://www.stopplannedparenthood.com
http://www.zenit.org/english
http://rv.va
http://www.JaTillLivet.se
http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca
http://www.womenfaithculture.org
http://www.anunslife.org
http://www.labour.ie/robertdowds
http://publish.ucc.ie/researchprofiles/B007/eschon
http://www.DonegalMatters.com
http://fintanotoole.ie
http://www.ionainstitute.ie
http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/politics
http://www.redemptorists.ie
http://www.ucbirelandradio.com
http://www.ruairiquinn.ie/
http://www.alanshatter.ie
http://www.family.ie
http://www.irishcatholic.ie
http://www.rte.ie
http://www.johnjanaro.com
http://IrelandStandUp.org
http://www.heartofajesuit.ie
http://www.lgbtlifealliance.webs.com
http://www.lucindacreighton.ie
http://www.newstalk.ie/programmes/all/coleman-at-large/
http://www.kellyclinger.com
http://www.cajunrecords.com
http://www.40daysforlife.com/london/
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk
http://catholicmaynooth.wordpress.com
http://www.almighty.ie
http://johnomahony.ie
http://richardtwaghorne.wordpress.com/about-2/
http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com
http://www.philipboucher-hayes.com
http://www.labour.ie/brendanryan/
http://www.brothersofpeace.org
http://www.stpatstolono.org
http://www.tuamarchdiocese.org
http://ualbertaprolife.wordpress.com/
http://www.stephendonnelly.ie
http://180movie.com
http://secularprolife.org
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk
http://www.exposeplannedparenthood.com/
http://www.familyandlife.org
http://www.martinheydon.com