She’s actually older, in her late 60s. I would have thought that apathy gets worse the younger a person is in the current Maltese context, especially as the current student generation, typically the ones to become active in all kinds of causes including politics and civil rights when the situation calls for it, were born and raised during good times and therefore have no real cause to fight for, at least not for the moment – the situation is likely to change within 5 years.

My generation (I’m 35) was brought up over a transition period when Malta shifted from bad times (when, among other ills, church schools were closed and lessons had to be held clandestinely – albeit for a short while – and life in quasi-communism was not so good) to pretty good times under a progressive pro-economy and relatively-free market government.

Having experienced a bit of both types I gather my generation at least and perhaps my mother’s maintain an interest in politics.

Given the way the situation seems to be evolving in Malta and the world the pendulum is likely to shift back soon although, hopefully, this time it will not be that bad because the Maltese economy has been built on relatively solid foundations (our relative risk-aversion in the banking sector is paying off) compared to other Mediterranean countries which are currently beginning to go through pretty bad times, though it will be somewhat worse than where we are today.

The younger generations might pick up such an interest and eventually become active in socio-economic movements as they start to feel the pinch.

It could also be that if we had to comment about the drivel that a lot of men talk about women, we’d waste most of our lives giving them the attention they so desire when they pass these stupid and insulting comments.

Frankly, I find I have better things to do with my life than try to correct or argue with idiots.

Same experience really. His lessons are full of references to Oxford (qisu qatt ma siefer) and how he was discriminated against in the UK and his academic brilliance. There’s no chance in hell he’d let you disagree with him on anything.

I don’t think that’s the case. My mum for one is an avid reader and has me look up the latest on your blog when I haven’t already beaten her to it.

Perhaps its more likely that, and here I’ll risk a generalisation, most women prefer to keep their thoughts within a friend-and-family context rather than display them through comments on a blog.

[Daphne – No, Gordon, honestly, believe me. Most women my age don’t read or take an interest in current affairs. I would know this, through direct experience as I’m speaking about my contemporaries here. If your mother is my age, and she probably is, then she is an exception. The older the generation, the worse it gets. Apparently, it’s pretty bad among younger generations too, but there, or so I hear, lack of interest in current topics actually spans the gender divide.]

– always agree with his strictly red interpretation of modern Maltese history,

– commiserate with him and go along with his interminable sob stories about how he is discriminated against at University (miskin kemm bata), and

– pretend to be impressed whenever he tells you (at least once every lecture) about his University of Oxford days.

He also happens to be Prof Joe Pirotta’s brother, whose lectures incidentally were far more interesting and tinged with humour.

Pity the shop went out of business. It had a great smoking-room giving on to the Palace Square.

[Daphne – Yes, I have quite a nice drawing of it, with turbanned members of an Indian regiment and women in faldettas standing outside. Well, you know what I said about the preponderance of girls. My great-grandfather had three daughters and two sons. He died when they were toddlers and infants, and the sons died in infancy. My great-grandmother then became more or less dependent on her father, Raphael Caruana Dingli, and that was that. Which is just as well, really, given how well I think of smoking.]

He gives credit number CLS 1205 entitled Gender and Political Science. I quote from the university website.

‘OBJECTIVES : This unit is intended to help participants to grasp the evolving importance of gender in modern society . . . It is hoped that students would . . be in a better position to integrate gender perspectives at their place of work.

THEMES COVERED: Gender and media images.’

This man is clearly not fit to occupy the position he holds and to lecture in this subject. He is the country’s top academic arbiter on Gender and media images. Sweet holy Jesus.

In an ironic twist this runt has appointed his Labour buddy Helena Dalli as a visiting lecturer in his department.

Now Helena Dalli is shadow minister of Gender Equality.

I am not holding my breath to see Helena commenting on the unacceptable rantings of her boss in her weekly column.

Pirotta should be dealt with by the university. Immediately.

And Marich was a Slav named Maric.

[Daphne – I know. My maternal grandmother was Nelly Rizzo Marich. The original Marich/Maric had no children, and he left his business to his employee, Rizzo, on condition that he append his name to his own. Unfortunately for him, batches of daughters seem to be rule throughout the family, even those branches which do not have the surname, so that didn’t work out too well.]

Maaaa!! Maaaaa!!! A university lecturer????

Ma tistax taghti minn dak li ma ghandekx!!!

[Daphne – Calm down, Philip. I sympathise, but let’s not get too excited.]