HATE ME, LIKE ME? ....DEAL WITH IT!!

We all seem to be concerned about what other people say about us, we seem to be put under pressure for what is being said about how we live our lives, the way we dress, our looks, how we speak, etc, but do we really have to? It really is not necessary to act this way, life is yours, why matter about what is being said about you? You are a living human, so people should talk about you.

It is time we put our lives first and show the 'haters' that we were not brought into this world by default, and start showing off the "I AM" attitude". People will always badmouth you because they know that they cannot beat you or be better than you, so the best thing to do is to keep on shining in whatever you do. Well...jealousy does exist, so them talking about you behind your back shows that you are doing something good and that they envy you, but it's really hard for them to admit it. Their only solution is to try by all means to pull you down, your solution is just to beat them in their own tricks, and show them who you really are and what you are made of.

People will pretend to like you, knowing very well that they are aiming to destroy your life. These are those people who will show you the false smile, cry with you when you are crying and drop you when you are in trouble and sneak around telling people about your problems. This happens because we all seem to have the 'heart' of trusting anyone easily. So, it is in our hands to be aware of these "snakes" and be prepared to 'kill' them with their own poison the moment they strike. People will like you because they know that there's something they want from you, and the moment they get it you'll never see nor hear from them anymore. So, do not be proud that most people like you, not all of them actually like you since for some it is just pure pretense, all you have to do is to watch out.

People will hate you for your success, looks, confidence, personality, excellency and actually for being "you"(whether you are talkative, talented, straight, homosexual, etc).So, they find all of these aspects very destructive and since they cannot handle or deal with them they turn to hate you and start belittling you, saying demeaning things, discouraging you and try hard to manipulate you by turning all the good stuff you do into bad things. That really is the result of jealousy. Through it all, just keep on killing it and they will eventually suffocate.

Just live your life, fulfil your dreams and ignore all the negativity that is being thrown towards you.   Remember; GOD BROUHGT YOU INTO THIS WORLD FOR A PURPOSE!!

By: Jackie Mantosi

PRESIDENCY IS NOT FOR WOMEN IN SOUTH AFRICA

From apartheid to democracy,South Africa never had a woman in the front(president). The first and the last woman to be appointed as the Deputy President was Mrs Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka in 2005,after the former President;Thabo Mbeki fired the current President;Jacob Zuma due to fraud allegations.

But was she succeeded to be the President?No!the very same fraudulant Mr Jacob Zuma was reinstated and he became the president.This shows that there is no equality and that the mindsets of the people believes that 'men' are powerful over women.If they believed that women can govern this country,then Mrs Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka would've been the president.

The votes that the ANC leaders care about are the votes rooted in sexism and suppression of women's voices.This is evident since the President;Jacob Zuma is still holding the seat for the second term,even in the Nkandla debacle.The ANC is still behind him.But who do we blame for this?South Africans are the one's to be blamed,since they still have that primitive mindset which says" Women cannot be leaders because they are emotional and reproductive beings".So what if they are?,that is just pure stereotype.

To show that the Souh African givernment showcase inequality,the number of female executives is still less than 50%.They hold positions as ministers and deputy ministers and most of them were fired by not doing their job well,but men do not face that kind of treatment,an example being President Jacob Zuma.

South Africans should realise that there need to be some changes,since the majority of executives are men whom most of them are corruptive.They should realise that women can bring a huge difference and change in the leadership that we are currently experiencing.

It is high time to stop perceiving women as powerless,brainless and sex objects.South Africa is meant for everyone,so the equality that was fought for shoild be put to work.Everyone Shold look at how Malawi encourage equality,since it had a woman as their president; Her excellency Joyce Banda.This is what could've happened to Mrs Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.The leadership of Jouce Banda showed that women are capable and non-corrupt,

It will be good for once,to give women a chance to see whether they will indeed fail or prove people wrong.Instead of holding on to beliefs that keeps on failing the country.

                         SUICIDE IS NOT A SOLUTION

Well..most of us think that the only way to escape from the darkness surrounding us, is simply by taking our own lives. We think that killing ourselves is the only help we could reach out to.Recently, suicide has become an escape for most people,but why is it so?To us; it seems like reaching out to people and telling them about what we are going through is just "not normal" it feels like exposing your 'dirty laundry' for everyone to see, we fear that we might be judged...so the best way is just to bottle it, let it traumatize us to an extend that the only solution we have is suicide.

Many may wonder why I'm using the phrases:'We and us', the reason being is that I experienced it, I lived it,I thought it is the only solution to kill the hurt within myself,the pain and all the horrible things that are on my way be it family issues, social issues, and others.The pains that I had have been with me for almost the whole of my childhood to my teenage years. But one thing that people must know is that, it is not easy to spot a suicidal person.The reason is that, not even a single person(Friends,family) realised what I was going through, all they saw was this wonderful,joyful person, who is full of life and laughter,mind that we are very good at hiding our feelings.But deep down inside,I was burning.

The anger that I had made it difficult for me, I started hating life,hating the things that led to my suicidal thoughts.I felt alone,felt like the world is against me, felt like even God has thrown a towel on me...life was so horrible.That is when I thought of taking my own life, I thought that if I do so the burning pain will go away. I started by overdosing pills, mostly at night thinking that I'll die in my sleep,the only thing that I got from the pills was headaches....and that made me angry.I just wanted to find peace,not realing that what I'm doing was totally crazy.I tried over and over again and always got disappointed.

When I looked at my family,it started to sink in that this thing(suicide) is not a solution because they have invested in me with all they had and that was going to break them terribly. When I also looked at my achievements I realised that God has given me a lot since I passed my matric very well and currently at tertiary.I put my pride away and seek for help, I contacted SADAG(South African Depression and Anxiety Group),for the first time I spoke about what I'm going through,I broke down into tears and that for me was a healing because I was left relieved.But still my family does not know about what I went through and all the things I did.

Although I did not disclose the driving forces towards my depression on this post,all I wanted was to encourage people to look into the good things they have achieved and do not take all the negative forces into heart...I know it is not that simple,but taking a step at a time can actually lead to living a pleasant life.Killing yourself is like killing your future.

           A BLACK CLOUD COVERING THE VILLAGE OF GA- CHUENE

What was once seen as the most peaceful and safest place has turned into the most damaged area ever where shocking things happen. The youth of this village have turned murder into their daily activity, where a human life is no longer respected and it can be taken easily.This brings to some of the murder events that took place on this very same year.

• 1 March 2015(Sunday morning) a girl by the name Girly Mpatolle was killed by her boyfriend (Kabelo Chuene),apparently it seems like the two had a conflict which led to the boy taking the matter to the extreme.According to some witnesses I came into contact with,this is what they had to say:The reason why the guy had such guts to do such act was because of the substances he had taken and initially he had a knife with him which in other words can be taken as if he had planned it all along.It was also said that the guy slithered the girl`s tummy with a knife then dragged the girl into mud as he was taking her to a certain RDP house where her body was found.

This is what I discovered when I went to see what happened:There was blood on the street, the guy had blood all over his clothes  and his hands were also covered with blood and mud. The police and the forensic team found used condoms close to the body(which can be interpreted as that there was an act of rape since the body was found naked). The clothes of the girl were torn and covered with blood to an extend that one could not recognize some of the garments.

Though the community was furious,they ended up being relieved since the guy got arrested. These such acts are becoming regular at Ga-Chuene and it traces back to the same act that happened on the 1 January 2015 where a guy got stabbed to death by his friend.

THE QUESTION THAT I ASK MYSELF IS WHAT HAPPENED TO THE YOUTH OF THIS COMMUNITY, WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO STOP SUCH IMMORAL ACTS?

NETWORK SOCIETY

INTRODUCTION Mobile technology plays a vital role in network society, one of those roles is that it connect the society and allows the process of information to be spread. This essay will focus on how mobile technology connect the network society and some of the roles it plays. The essay will discuss the main topic which is the network society and as defined by Manuel Castells on global sociology.pbwork.com "the network society is made up of networks of production , power and experience, which construct a culture of virtudity in the global flows that transcend time and space (1998:370) ●Yes, mobile and wireless technology is spreading the network society to the most remote places and deepest pores of the world. This means that the world is connected more than before. People are now able to format business partnerships across the world, it may be done by just using social networking. Everywhere information can be from companies such as Google or Facebook to keep the world connected. Reference:www.allafrica.com [accessed 4 April 2013] ●According to Myerson G (2001)"Yes, the physical and digital world will be more highly connected than ever; already today people are able to run in the park and track weight loss and even ovulation for women. Companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon are currently collecting information about each and everyone in the world:their likes, dislikes, interest and many more. Human relationships will no longer be physically dependent and people will be friends and hang out with people all over the world." ● This means that people are now dependent on mobile technology, for example:everywhere people may be found busy on their laptops, it may be for business purposes where major companies interconnect to discuss important business stuffs, despite how far they are from each other but still they are business partners e.g it may be a partnership between U.S.A and South Africa. ●People are now using cellphones or telephones to communicate despite the distance, it is possible for them to connect on daily basis e.g families may have conversations,different schools may set up a meetings via the use of mobile technology to spread information from point A to point B. ●Relationships are now easily formed and people now can have distance relationships, this is possible through the use of devices such as E-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Skype and other means. Face to Face communication is no longer that important. ★According to Rheingold H (2003)"cellphones are not the only major part of wireless communication in the society,the recent expansion of wireless Internet has spread in a whole new spectrum of conveniences and concerns. For example wireless conferences and boardroom meetings across airwaves have saved executive much trouble in travelling via airplanes or driving. A company now has the ability to make transactions and decisions with another company halfway around the world without leaving their building. The benefits of such a powerful tool are great for keeping in touch with long distance contacts but as with any other tool there are costs that accompany those benefits." ●The above statement may imply that through the use of wireless network the world has expanded. An individual may build different companies across different countries, hire stuff to work within the companies, though the owner may not be physically available in a meeting it does not mean that the meeting cannot happen instead the use of wireless network may be the solution to keep the meeting going because it allows them to connect. The owner does not have to travel. ●Since modern cellphones have access to Internet it is easier to browse news, there is no need to rely on television. They can use GPS to find locations around the world. CONCLUSION According to the essay it can be concluded that mobile and wireless technology has dominated the world. Now society can rely on them to get information quickly.

THE IMPACT THAT SOCIAL MEDIA HAS ON SOCIETAL AND INDIVIDUAL RELATIONS

Social media has reached and is still reaching the heights since it is mostly used amongst society and individuals for different purposes. This assignment tackle down some of the impacts that social media poses on people's lives, personal, social and relationships. In his book The Global of Social media (2011), Dedria Bryfonski state that" Though social media make the lives of individuals easier especially in having access and exploring some important stuff e.g news at any specific time but there are some impacts that the social media may compress on one's life, these impacts may either be positive or negative". ●Positive impacts that social media has on societal and individual:Reference:Syed Ali on www.humankinetics.com/excerpts ●Friends and Relations Social networks started as a place to connect with friends in an easy and convenient way. It provided the opportunity for individuals to connect with other people to build relationships even though they are unable to meet personally. ●Reducing communication Barriers Allows people to communicate their thoughts and perceptions over different topics with a large number of audiences and raise their voice. New New Media, Second Edition, Paul Levison" The media that allow consumers to become producers are undoubtedly social and far more interactive than older. ●Opportunities for business Social media have become a crucial part of many people. Businesses have noticed the value of social networks in lives and are using different techniques to promote their products. Negative impacts that social media has on societal and individual relations:Reference:Chapman University on Journals.chapman.edu ●Leads to addiction Studies have shown that the extensive use of social media can actually cause addiction to the users. Posting something on their pages throughout the day or checking others posts can become important part of life. ●Leads to Isolation Extreme usage of social media has reduced the level of human interaction. Because of social networks the interaction with other people has become effortless and people have isolated their lives behind their online identities. Face to Face communication has been reduced. ●Affecting productivity Mostly businesses use social media to find and communicate with clients. But it is a great distraction to employees, who may show more interest in what their friends are posting than in their work tasks. ●In his book Alone Together, Rob James discuss two points regarding impacts of social media which are: 1.Isolation "Perhaps the strongest criticism that can be made of social media networks is that they deprive people of human interaction and create virtual substitutes that still maintain emotional distance. Sherry Turkle has argued that social networks only provide illusion of companionship and the kind of interaction people experience and cannot replicate quality interactions, in this context individuals can be in the same room but still devoting others attention to online networks. The potentially damaging effect of this social media use can be tied to the fact that individuals are addicted without realising it". 2.Unity "On the other hand, however, studies are suggesting that social media users are aware of the dangers of being online too much and take a more active approach to their networks, rather than isolating themselves, they use local networks and business groups in order to socialise and develop a broader range of contacts". "This is the ability to view social media as an extension, or rather complement to being more sociable. Social media selectively and making the most of networks as a way to meet friends or learn more about opportunities in a local area can encourage a stronger sense of unity". ●Conclusion Based on the assignment, social media has some few positive and negative points but it does not mean that the social media is a good or bad thing . It stand somewhere in between. So it depends on how different societies and individuals view it, whether they think it is bad or good. The use of social media may turn bad it is over used for inappropriate stuff, so it is better for a society to realise that the good use of social media may lead to positive perspectives and make life a lot more easier. There should be time for social media and a time to socialise physically with other people, this will prevent isolation and build a balance between the two.