Wynpress, Term 2 2016

WYNPRESS TERM 2 2016

JUST BE Public Speaking Topic Rebekah Nathan When I was three years old, I was completely bald.

Now, this may be slightly hard to believe based on the fact that this takes about an hour long struggle with a straightener and has broken many a hairbrush. But it is true: my hair simply had not started growing yet.

Because of this, my mother endured many a comment such as “ What a cute little boy” AND “How old is he?” and “Is he sick?”

When I was ten years old, and, perhaps, because I took some of those comments to heart, I refused to wear any girls’ clothing. I got all my clothes from the boys’ section of Woolworths. I never wore shoes and I did not brush my hair, which led to many dreaded de-dreadlocking sessions.

As a young teenager I went through a Goth phase, a surfer phase, a girly stage, a preppy stage and, yes, as specific as it may be, an Ariana Grande phase. I have re-organized my cupboard countless times and dyed my hair almost as many.

The definition of identity is: being who or what a person is. I come from a family history of people running away from their identities. My oupa is coloured and he left his family at 22 to marry the young white nurse with whom he had fallen in love.

Because of apartheid my mother missed out on knowing that whole side of her family and my oupa felt he had to hide his identity to keep his new family, his new life.

My great grandmother on my father’s side fled Lithuania at 10 years old because her identity as a Jew meant that she would be persecuted. She arrived on the shores of South Africa without her parents and speaking only Russian.

Fortunately I have grown up in a society where whatever I choose to identify as, for the most part, will be accepted. And I’m guessing that most of you sitting in this room are privileged enough to be in the same situation. However, we seem to be a generation in an identity crisis. Perhaps it’s because we have an overflow of

information where other people’s identities have never been so easy to observe and copy or, perhaps, it’s because new trends can spread in under a minute to over a million people. I feel as if we are a generation that is often expected to be a stereotype whether that’s being a Goth, or a jock or gay or vegan. We find it easier to fit the stereotype of an element of our identity because that way the complexities have been pre-determined for us.

However, all is not lost… the definition of identity is: being who or what a person is.

This means that just by being, just by existing, you have an identity. I know that might not seem to help the issue when you can’t seem to decide who you are but what I am trying to say is that you need to stop trying to decide and just be. Trust your gut about what you want to wear and whom you want to hang out with. Identity is not about being a stereotype. It’s about collecting all the experiences in your life, your family history and the unique way your brain has formed to make decisions and putting that together to form something unique.

I promise that all those people whose identities you might want to copy, and trust me I am equally guilty of “instagram stalking” pretty girls and wishing I could be them or be like them, I promise that they are battling some kind of insecurity and wanting to be like someone else. It’s okay to be inspired by others, but there’s no point in trying to copy everything they do.

It’s a waste of time and will not make you happy.

Your identity is constantly shifting as you grow and experience new things. Embrace these changes and remember that you can change things that you don’t like about yourself while still remaining true to yourself. Never lose your identity or change it for someone else and stop being afraid to just be as you are.

! ! ! ! ! !

Identity Many people have assured me that 'identity' is something with which you are born. It is, so to speak, a trademark and a number of factors that go into producing this rare, unique licence plate of a human being: your culture, your family, your history and even your environment. However, I have seen first-hand how your identity is not guaranteed at birth, but rather that it is handed to you throughout your life.

You may think that your identity is set in stone,but many influences may shape and distort the identity you once originally saw for yourself.

In my understanding, your identity is not only influenced by your background, but also how you see yourself. Unfortunately, it is common for other humans, mere strangers, to influence this important factor.

We encounter these mere strangers every day, but, particularly, in school.

High school is not an easy time for anyone, especially when it is said to be the time for us, young teenagers, to discover ourselves, engage in where we seek passion and ultimately develop our identities. However, it is not only the clubs, rewards and societies that shape us, but rather the people associated with them.

Humans are complex creatures who will seek to simplify the most threatening and engaging forces.

Therefore, instead of trying to understand the unknown, they simplify it by labelling it and throwing it into the nearest box and throwing away the key. Unfortunately for you, this box is their understanding of you as a human being, a simplified, reduction of your identity, or what they understand of it.

To me, this is ridiculous. How can a stranger influence the way you see –

Juliette Stromin

yourself? Quite simply, because everyone is engaging with this practice and with everyone doing it. Eventually you start to believe it yourself. This is extremely detrimental as these labels or interpretations of your identity can range from 'weird', 'teacher's pet' and 'wannabe' to 'ugly', 'loser' and 'stupid'.

We'd all hate to admit it, but these words affect us in ways we don't even realize. Subconsciously, they worm their way into our brains and bury themselves there, occasionally holding us back from what our potential is begging us to pursue.

This is obviously not a true reflection of your personality at all, but with our young minds being so impressionable, we cannot help, but take notice of how others perceive us- something our society has recently developed because of fast-growing media.

I would like to think that our identity is one that is unique and, like a fingerprint, it is set in stone from birth, thus adding a beautiful addition to the artwork of the earth, but it is not.

Throughout life, our image is distorted as we rely more and more on what others think of us. Soon, we find ourselves aspiring to something a stranger envisions for ourselves in their own mind or we find ourselves reducing ourselves to levels that are not worthy of leadership or power because we "don't look like a leader."

All these subjects which should be viewed as arbitrary actually become our identity.It is, therefore, time we starting creating our own. Our lives exist in incredible, incomprehensible space filled with family, friendship and love and certainly not inside a foursided cardboard box.

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Identity: learning more about the eight-letter word

By Mu’minah Salie Identity: the eight-letter word meaning the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.

Finding ourselves is often one of the biggest journeys we take in life. It could be the journey where we might be asking the most questions.

Am I creative? Am I smart? Funny? Tall?

Short? These questions could go on forever.

Finding ourselves is probably extremely difficult because we are so complex in habits, likes, dislikes, ambitions, and emotions. We can tell the basics, of course, like I like peanut butter sandwiches, or sad movies make me sad, or I want to be an astronaut, but the rest...

And then there is the scary question that seems to pop up all the time is “So, *insert name here*, what do you want to be when you are older?”

This is great for some because they have discovered a piece of their identity –and their passion –so they can happily tick the box labelled “ambitions” in their “Identity List”.

Yet, it’s definitely not a bad thing if you don’t tick that box at this very moment. Maybe you have more than one goal, and you just need to pick, or you have not discovered your talent yet, or you’d rather live in the moment, or you’ve just been occupied with too many things to think that far ahead. Don’t stress. We all travel using different roads on our journey.

Good, then there are our likes, dislikes, and our habits. Most of this depends on your taste.

Do you like this song? Do you normally bite your nails when you are stressed? How about this chicken burger? Some could be influenced by experience, or extra researches put in on a topic that you are interested in, or even the people surrounding you. For example, if you probably do things that way too, or if your closest friends don’t like something, you’ll be careful not to bring it up again. Your culture,

religion (or not), and community affect it.

Habits are built, and likes and dislikes too.

Just try to be yourself when it comes to what you like, don’t (please don’t go off and start an argument because I told you to be honest. Keep on being polite), and how you showcase your habits.

Last block: emotions. Let’s just blame it on puberty.

Actually, no. No shortcuts. While we can blame feeling mixed emotions at the moment on puberty, we can’t do that forever. We need to control ourselves. I doubt I need to explain that we should be nicer, more positive, more inspired, as well as more inspiring.

These processes, although extremely basic, might take a while. We might just get a grip on our emotions at 18, or we suddenly hate peanut butter. This is called change. C-H-A-N-G-E. When things (or people) become different.

You change; the world changes, people change, the supplier of the tuck-shop’s samoosas. Everything. Change is inevitable.

And while you might have felt as if you knew half the things in this article already, it’s good to have some reassurance that everyone travels at different speeds. You might have discovered yourself already, or you are on your way to doing so. Just keep going. I’m pretty sure that you will discover that you are an amazing person, and that the world is full of amazing people. Just stay focused on your ambitions, daydreams, and ideas, and change the world.

! !

The coloured question In the midst of worldwide discussion and exposure of societal issues across the globe, the matter of race has recently generated extraordinary movements in South Africa, which have proven to reveal and slowly infringe upon the "Rainbow Nation" notion with which we have been comforted. In light of the recent 'ferocity' with which race has been dealt, I felt it suitable to address the specific question as to where we, as "coloured" people, stand in a South Africa that seems aloof and disregarding of our racial marginalization.

A question really should also be: Why do I, as a Coloured woman, wait for a feverish time in South Africa to voice my feelings for my people, instead of saying something at the time when I feel so? The reason for this is simple: Coloured people are accustomed to allowing the race disputes to primarily remain between white and black and we are not looking to draw attention from the real issue - an issue which seems more important than our trivial complaints - because after all, who are we in this country?

Someone said, "Rape babies?"

It is true that Coloured people are just as much a product of European colonialism as the Whites who live here today. However, this does not make us a simple homogenous group formed by black or KhoiSan and white. The coloured community is so diverse that some of its descendants have been traced not only back to the indigenous people of South Africa, but also of East Asia. When the Apartheid regime came along, coloured people were torn between whites - from whom we could reap benefits and with whom the Afrikaans language had by then become common - and blacks - those who understood we would never be deemed good enough by the oppressors.

In social terms, even today, there are coloured people who choose to pass off as White, and look down on those who embrace the Cape Coloured stereotype (derogatorily known as 'gham, gold-toothed and aggressive') while the 'Gham' often resent the seemingly higher-class coloured people who either choose to let their hair stay "kroes" or appear to act better than them. So, now, not only do coloured people receive bashing from some whites who don't see them as white-enough and some blacks who consider them traitors of the struggle, but . .

also,and worst of all, judgment from one another.

A friend once said, "We are all [Coloured and Black people] collectively black because coloured people are non-white. So we all fall under the same category of being black, essentially." While this is somewhat reassuring, in political terms, I sometimes wonder, am I allowed to give my opinion on certain issues of race as a coloured individual who â&#x20AC;&#x201C; based on history, although many debate this â&#x20AC;&#x201C;has a certain privilege above blacks? It always seems though, that during political debates, there is either the opinion of the whites or the blacks, and anything in between is unmentioned, meaning my spoken opinions are from the black perspective. Does this make us black?

Chief Albert J. Luthuli said during Apartheid, "The coloured people as a whole â&#x20AC;Ś are divided in their attitude to white supremacy.

Some of them reject it because it is an immoral creed, but many of them resent it because they are not included in it. They seek identification with the Whites and find only rejection. At the same time they avoid identification with Africans."

As someone who visits family in the Cape Flats regularly, I can honestly say that the reproachful Apartheid disposition many coloured people have concerning blacks is still heavily practised and passed down.

While these are not specific to our race, attitudes towards and between coloured people vary from being seen as well spoken (in English) and consequently "educated" to ghetto and, consequently, "uneducated" or wannabe high-and-mighty. The idea that we are a homogenous group amongst South African society is what causes the whole tornbetween-the-two problem. Perhaps, if people acknowledged this, the coloured populace, as small as it is in comparison to the black (and white, which is only a few percentages higher than coloured people), would not be marginalized and ignored.

Again, where do we stand? Still in the middle and still bordering both sides of the racial spectrum.

- Tamia Morgan

Create yourself $ Identity is a broad term. Unfortunately, no, I am not talking about the clothing store. Everyone has her own definition of identity. I,however, found one I think we can all agree on. Identity is all the things that make you who you are.

It’s what makes you different from others and it’s what makes you unique.

Your qualities, values, responses, opinions, reactions, thought processes, likes, dislikes, emotions, strengths, weaknesses, flaws, perfections, intelligence, skills, talents, the way you handle situations and, of course, your physical appearance.

It’s amazing to think that out of seven billion people, no one has the same combinations of these aspects as you.

There is no one who is exactly the same as you; you are completely and utterly unique. Your identity is something no one can ever take away from you, because you are irreplaceable. You matter to someone; you mean the world to someone who can appreciate you for who you are.

People who criticize and insult you aren’t worth your time. Ignore them; they put down people to make themselves feel better. I personally hate people like this, but they are people too and usually have a good reason for doing it.

I read a quote on social media a while ago which read ‘Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.’

I could not agree with this quote more.

Unfortunately, the author was

!

unknown. Basically the quote is saying how who we are going to be and who we are now is not already defined

when we are born, we have to create our own identity.

School always says how we are still trying to ‘find ourselves’ as teenagers, but we aren’t. We are trying to figure out the kind of person we want to be.

Your parents, your school, your religion do not define your identity. They can influence it, but not define. Don’t let them limit who you can be, pretend it’s Sims and create your own person. Go wild.

Willow Noffke

Some Respect, Kanala?

By Zara Wichman Recently I attended a performance of David Kramer’s District Six – Kanala.

For those who have not heard of it, or seen it, Kanala is a musical based on the lives led by the inhabitants of District Six, Cape Town. It was a truly moving piece, and it’s one that opened my eyes rather significantly.

As a Coloured child growing up, you become aware of certain things, certain stereotypes that some parents attempt to force out of you. You realize that things are not quite as simple as they seem. As you age, growing past the innocent years where you don’t recognize exactly what is wrong with the way people treat you, you notice how shop workers watch you as you walk around certain stores. You see women grip their bags closer to their bodies as you walk past, especially when you’re out with your friends. You hear other kids mock the “stereotypical” Coloured accent, and it stings. It hurts to know that who you are is looked down upon, that the person your parents raised with such pride is considered less-than to so many people.

One of the things I hear very soon after people my age meet me for the first time is, “But you don’t sound

Coloured!” Several times I’ve even heard, “You don’t really look Coloured.” However, the one that gets to me most is the teeth-grinding, “You’re not really that Coloured, you’re whiter than me!” Now, the reason that this irritates me so much, the reason that it gives me the rather powerful urge to snap at people, is this: who is anyone else to try and label my existence?

Kramer’s District Six – Kanala has changed something in me. It has fired up the absolute pride I have for being who I am. My accent does not define me. My appearance does not define me. The way I appear to you does not define me. To me, the only one able to decide who I truly am, what defines me, is my birth. The fact that I was born into such a rich culture, a vibrant, diverse culture that cannot be defined by those not a part of it. People around me, for as long as I can remember, have often said, “Coloured” as if it were a dirty word. And I will no longer accept that as part of my life. What makes us different to you? What makes you better? We are all humans, to use a cliché.

It’s the small things that allow you to understand exactly who you are. And for me, it was watching District Six – Kanala that helped me see exactly who I am. I am more than what people label me as. I am more than the slight snubs, the unsubtle glances, the back-handed compliments. I am my history, I am every person of my birth: those who fought; those who suffered, those who survived. And I am my future. I am a person who will not just accept the way I am treated.

So have some respect, kanala?

A guide for the good and the bad

by Zayyaan Esau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Dying to fit in One of the things about high school is everyone seems to have her clique.

Everyone has her place in which to fit and her view of herself. We all know the stereotypes-they can be pretty funny- but media and peer pressure and all those LO terms come into play and suddenly fitting in is a nightmare. (The short summary below has been shortened.) ! ! ! ! ! !

The sporty crowd: take Phys. Ed. very seriously.

The cool kids: have perfect Instagram accounts.

The musical ones: can sing happy birthday in tune.

The library squad: Don't judge Harry Potter in front of them.

The smart people: have loads of badges.

The kind ones: always bring sandwiches on Thursdays, always have tissues in their pocket and are always ready with a smile and a hug.

While it feels great to fit in, trying to change who you are to do that is never going to work. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to be part of the crowd to find your crowd. Be yourself.

You are bound to find people who not only love the same things as you, but who love you for you.

Jewel Ormond

Gender

Identity

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These days, it can sometimes be difficult to understand the nuances between the several terms to describe gender identity that have evolved over the last decade or so.

While the distinctions can often be subtle and therefore confusing, it is important that we make an effort to understand these various definitions, so that those who identify as them may be made to feel accepted. Take a look at the following graphics so that you can get a better idea of what gender identity entails.

Which me can I really be?

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