Xenophobia, discrimination, racism … These kinds of intolerances exists in the higher education social scene.
Despite reaching a certain level of education, local students still need to adjust these attitudes towards their international counterparts, particularly those from North Africa.
Many might say that xenophobia doesn’t exist at CPUT but others, mainly international students confirm it exists in the CPUT social scene. But on CPUT campuses South African female students target male international students, whom they call ‘ATMs’. They use them to obtain money while keeping their local boyfriends. “International students, similar to North African foreigners living in South Africa; spoil and provide local ladies with their needs and wants,” it is said.
“I am disappointed to be called an ATM because we do spoil them as a woman deserves to be spoiled by a man. This is normal where we come from; but unfortunately misunderstood by young South African ladies,” said Hugo, a 4th year student from Angola. “Calling foreign students ATM’s is indicative of these ladies’ lack of self respect,” he added.
The Association of International Students (AIS) believes in change of mentality in higher education and calls local students to co-operate with international students for cultural changes and for the improvement of CPUT, Western Cape, South Africa and the African continent by avoiding such practices.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Protests
(Laugh!) Protest against what, against whom and where, when and how to protest?
Everything in South Africa before to be solved, people tend to protest about it in order to bring the authorities forcibly to a table of discussions.
In my own conviction, I do not see the reasons why should people protest to raise their voices as such protests usually end in vandalism; it is really absurd to want something while destroying another one to get what you want so that authorities will have to spend twice by giving protesters what they want and then fixing what have been damaged by the same protesters.
People should know how, when, where... to protest about as most of the time when people protest, once approached by the media, some do not even know to express the reasons of why they protest. I believe that protests should be monitored by leaders who should be aware of the reasons and consequences of such protests.
What we see is totally the useless, people end by damaging, looting, even killing their counterparts just to get what they want and if the victims in their turn want to get back what they have lost, the country’s reserve would be just to repair, satisfy everyone’s needs and wants. We saw in countries like the United States at the time of racial segregation, people ended in sit-in but mostly in quiet way.
Protests should do be done in violence as violence does not talk but from protests with a well-established goal and vision, your voices should be heard and active solutions should be taken, I believe, because authorities come from intellectual backgrounds and they should be aware of why people should protests and therefore provide a comprehensive solution as to satisfy both parties i.e. protesters as well as authorities due to the fact that protest should be a negation, which is a win-win process.
Everything in South Africa before to be solved, people tend to protest about it in order to bring the authorities forcibly to a table of discussions.
In my own conviction, I do not see the reasons why should people protest to raise their voices as such protests usually end in vandalism; it is really absurd to want something while destroying another one to get what you want so that authorities will have to spend twice by giving protesters what they want and then fixing what have been damaged by the same protesters.
People should know how, when, where... to protest about as most of the time when people protest, once approached by the media, some do not even know to express the reasons of why they protest. I believe that protests should be monitored by leaders who should be aware of the reasons and consequences of such protests.
What we see is totally the useless, people end by damaging, looting, even killing their counterparts just to get what they want and if the victims in their turn want to get back what they have lost, the country’s reserve would be just to repair, satisfy everyone’s needs and wants. We saw in countries like the United States at the time of racial segregation, people ended in sit-in but mostly in quiet way.
Protests should do be done in violence as violence does not talk but from protests with a well-established goal and vision, your voices should be heard and active solutions should be taken, I believe, because authorities come from intellectual backgrounds and they should be aware of why people should protests and therefore provide a comprehensive solution as to satisfy both parties i.e. protesters as well as authorities due to the fact that protest should be a negation, which is a win-win process.
Every day is a good day
This statement tends to be true in the way that a day is always a good day but being a good or bad day, depends on people’s moods for such specific day. The day itself cannot say that “I am a good or bad day”; only people define the nature of the day depending on certain factors such as people’s moods, climate of the day, etc.
Someone can be of good mood when waking up and due to natural inevitable circumstances; his or her day becomes automatically a bad day. For example, one lady wakes up knowing that it’s her birthday and she already planned to make a party later in the evening but when realising that there will be raining the all day, that specific day can become automatically a bad day for her. At the other hand, a person desperate of obtaining a job, being somewhere unhappy in his or her state of mind, suddenly receives a call that he or she has been offered a permanent job in a managerial position; do you know how that day can become a lovely day for such a person?
Every day is not always a good day but every day can be defined and influenced by people’s attitudes and the day’s nature factors such as whether, etc. A day can be a good day to someone who is enjoying that specific day and can also be a bad day to someone who is facing troubles in such specific day.
Someone can be of good mood when waking up and due to natural inevitable circumstances; his or her day becomes automatically a bad day. For example, one lady wakes up knowing that it’s her birthday and she already planned to make a party later in the evening but when realising that there will be raining the all day, that specific day can become automatically a bad day for her. At the other hand, a person desperate of obtaining a job, being somewhere unhappy in his or her state of mind, suddenly receives a call that he or she has been offered a permanent job in a managerial position; do you know how that day can become a lovely day for such a person?
Every day is not always a good day but every day can be defined and influenced by people’s attitudes and the day’s nature factors such as whether, etc. A day can be a good day to someone who is enjoying that specific day and can also be a bad day to someone who is facing troubles in such specific day.
Our greatest strengths are our greatest weaknesses
This statement can be acknowledged by people depending on their beliefs on self-confidence and it is clear that some may agree with and others not. This statement can really show the pride that people have for themselves; they believe that once reached a certain level of achievement in life, no one can blame or advise them on such specific achievement.
People mostly are ignorant; they think that world is static and not dynamic; once achieved an expertise, they become confident to control the world in such expertise, sometimes even in other areas of expertise as they possess then the “I can do it”. Such people can be classified as traditional researchers because from the scientific point of view, one might recognise that he or she can be replaced by another person who can shade lights on what he or she has achieved so far.
One Democratic Republic of Congo’s Professor stated that “a Lecturer is an eternal student” and why it is difficult for others to recognise that one can never say that he or she is static and what not dynamic? Achieving certain levels in life makes people to believe that that forms their strengths and they by self-confidence, they normally find themselves in a later stage that they do not perform well or being replaced by others because of pride that is or was created from such performance. In fact, what might be your strength can only be another person’s part of strengths.
People mostly are ignorant; they think that world is static and not dynamic; once achieved an expertise, they become confident to control the world in such expertise, sometimes even in other areas of expertise as they possess then the “I can do it”. Such people can be classified as traditional researchers because from the scientific point of view, one might recognise that he or she can be replaced by another person who can shade lights on what he or she has achieved so far.
One Democratic Republic of Congo’s Professor stated that “a Lecturer is an eternal student” and why it is difficult for others to recognise that one can never say that he or she is static and what not dynamic? Achieving certain levels in life makes people to believe that that forms their strengths and they by self-confidence, they normally find themselves in a later stage that they do not perform well or being replaced by others because of pride that is or was created from such performance. In fact, what might be your strength can only be another person’s part of strengths.
Feelings follow behaviour
Feelings come from the inside and behaviour plays the role of reflecting such feelings outside; one’s feelings and behaviour can determine in what mood the person is in that specific moment and thus can also determine the reasons why one’s reaction in a specific situation. Feelings follow behaviour or vice versa i.e. behaviour also follows feelings.
Referring to the above, it is simply clear that there is a relationship between feelings and behaviour. However, people tend to misuse their feelings by behaving in bad way such as committing crimes and so on and taking that as excuses before judges in courts or even at families when trying to sort out things or conflicts friendly.
Some might argue against this statement but others would agree with such as statement as behaviour only reflects people’s feelings. It should even be said that behaviour follows feelings and one might say “I feel like doing this or that” and then later you will see such person doing what he or she felt like to do; therefore, his or her behaviour explained/reflected his or her feelings.
Others however would support such statement in the psychological aspect; there might be a relationship between feelings and behaviour due to the fact all are not physical things that one can touch but as they are from the inside and only reflected outside and they should be connected to one’s soul and spirit. Or everything connected to spirit or soul should be in relationship each other. That the reason why sometimes, one can justify him/herself that did not mean to do such a crime but did it i.e. from one’s feelings even he/she did not want that to happen but as connect to the spirit or soul, such person would behaviour according to his/her feelings.
Referring to the above, it is simply clear that there is a relationship between feelings and behaviour. However, people tend to misuse their feelings by behaving in bad way such as committing crimes and so on and taking that as excuses before judges in courts or even at families when trying to sort out things or conflicts friendly.
Some might argue against this statement but others would agree with such as statement as behaviour only reflects people’s feelings. It should even be said that behaviour follows feelings and one might say “I feel like doing this or that” and then later you will see such person doing what he or she felt like to do; therefore, his or her behaviour explained/reflected his or her feelings.
Others however would support such statement in the psychological aspect; there might be a relationship between feelings and behaviour due to the fact all are not physical things that one can touch but as they are from the inside and only reflected outside and they should be connected to one’s soul and spirit. Or everything connected to spirit or soul should be in relationship each other. That the reason why sometimes, one can justify him/herself that did not mean to do such a crime but did it i.e. from one’s feelings even he/she did not want that to happen but as connect to the spirit or soul, such person would behaviour according to his/her feelings.
It is better to practice a little than to talk a lot
This statement is obviously clear when it comes to scientific point of view as practice makes better or even perfect but talking too brings nothing at all. It is never stated somewhere that scientifically, talking too much would contribute to an achievement unless that when it comes to negotiations but still you cannot talk too much as a negotiation is a win-win process.
To some extent I would personally agree to such statement as most of time people who talk too much sometimes do also practice a lot and from their achievements, they are then proud of themselves and they feel like talking too much to praise the outcomes of their practice. If we look at someone like Tupac Shakur, he had what himself called big mouth i.e. he liked to talk too much but at the end, he was one of the best rappers at the time. He was like a prophet; everything he was singing about, later was realised or accomplished. Same applied even in his late album “Maccaveli” when he predicted his death and later he died. What was positive from him, he practiced hard and then talked too much from his well-doing.
However, scientifically, it is wise to first practice and then talking based on what you have achieved. That does not mean that one might talk a lot but should talk little to support what he or she has achieved in terms of promoting such achievements.
It is better to practice as well as to talk by respecting one’s limits or boundaries i.e. one might talk based on certain purposes such as specific achievements not by infringing others’ rights or achievements, just to avoid conflict, trouble and/or judicial consequences.
To some extent I would personally agree to such statement as most of time people who talk too much sometimes do also practice a lot and from their achievements, they are then proud of themselves and they feel like talking too much to praise the outcomes of their practice. If we look at someone like Tupac Shakur, he had what himself called big mouth i.e. he liked to talk too much but at the end, he was one of the best rappers at the time. He was like a prophet; everything he was singing about, later was realised or accomplished. Same applied even in his late album “Maccaveli” when he predicted his death and later he died. What was positive from him, he practiced hard and then talked too much from his well-doing.
However, scientifically, it is wise to first practice and then talking based on what you have achieved. That does not mean that one might talk a lot but should talk little to support what he or she has achieved in terms of promoting such achievements.
It is better to practice as well as to talk by respecting one’s limits or boundaries i.e. one might talk based on certain purposes such as specific achievements not by infringing others’ rights or achievements, just to avoid conflict, trouble and/or judicial consequences.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
