Since its introduction in 1977, William "Billy" Joel's proposition that "Only the Good Die Young" has gained wide acceptance among scholars and critics of youth culture. Figure 1, however, illustrates a plausible alternate scenario. Following Joel's claim, the two uppermost circles represent two populations: the "Good," and those who "Die Young." The third circle, not labeled, represents a hypothetical third population whose members, despite exclusion from those who are "Good," nonetheless share potential for membership in the "Die Young" population. While the existence of such a group remains an open empirical question, examples of populations that may meet this criteria include drug traffickers and lazy trapeze artists. Thus, it seems reasonable to conclude that while some good people may die young, and some people who die young are, in fact, good, it is not only virtuous individuals who possess characteristics that may result in premature mortality.
Our esteemed colleague's work is not wholly without merit, however. The other assertion of import to be found in the same piece--that "Catholic girls start much too late"--has been the subject of much additional research, and is generally recognized in academic circles and popular culture alike.
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