Readings 2 and 3 Response

I had only ever heard of the term "Mammoni" a  few times before, but I never realized what a pressing problem it was in Italy. The first article on the case of the parents trying to get their son out of their house was how I imagined more cases would be. However, it seems that many parents are just fine with having their 30+ children staying with them. Some enjoy it, and the job market as insecure as it is, it makes sense that children would rather stay safe at home with their parents. There's a lot of risk involved in going off on one's own and hoping to find a job secure enough to support oneself.

The smothering case was interesting and a bit frightening. What struck me, however, was how slow and ineffective the legal system seems to be. 7 years went by before the case was even addressed, and even when the mother and grandfather were charged, they most likely won't be doing any time because their sentence will be postponed. This seems ridiculous. The entire case ended up being completely useless as far as the boy and his father are concerned, and I'm sure a lot of money went into it as well.

I had no idea what Italian Universities were like before reading the next article. The Italian education system and job market is seriously in dire straights.
The drop-out rate is 55%. Young people aren't staying in school, and those that do complete a degree still find it hard to get a job out of college. Education is funded by taxes, which is in some ways beneficial. Students have less debt to pay off after college for sure, but there is still not enough money going into education to assure adequate opportunities and well-qualified professors. In some schools, however, there are multiple classes with only one student. This imbalance seems unhealthy and comes as a result of not having too many professors, but of students who stay in school for too long. There is no motivation for students to leave school, especially when they aren't paying for their education directly out of pocket, and the job market doesn't look promising.
Gelmini's plan: "raise quality while spending less" since birth rates are so low. While this might be possible, it is not a long-term solution. Certain things, like education, really do require funding, and while trying to save is admirable, saving should be done in other sectors, not on schools.

Italians are hard workers who often work long days. They aren't afraid to interact with one another, especially over meals. They don't move very often and they hold on to everything from their pasts.