#and it’s taught/led by two of my current profs who i love

[girlsisyphus]

got into this research program i applied for !!!!

[animefan299110]

LHAW Chapter 4: Training and a Movie

RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late, great Monty Oum.

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Jaune whistled to himself as he moved the spatula through the eggs in the frying pan. It had been a few days since he and Tai had their talk and Jaune felt as though a small portion of the burden that was on his shoulders had been lifted. Granted he still had the occasional nightmares of that night, but it was nice to know that he was slowly starting on the path to recovery. He just wish that Yang was as well.

"Jaune?"

Jaune stilled slightly at the voice behind him. He turned to see said person with her disheveled pajamas and greasy blonde hair. "Oh, hey Yang." Jaune said with a smile. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No; just got up." Yang said, her eyes looking at the sizzling eggs in the pan.

Jaune followed said gaze and was tempted to chuckle a bit. But decided against it since he figured it wouldn't be appropriate to do so. Instead he only asked, "You hungry? I could make you breakfast if you want."

"Huh?" Yang asked in confusion as the smell of the eggs wafted through the air. She snapped out of her stupor and blinked at Jaune. "Oh yeah, sure." Jaune only smiled as he resumed his work. As Yang took a seat at the kitchen table, she turned to him and asked, "By the way, what were you whistling when I came down?"

"Oh that," Jaune said while continuing his craftsmanship in cooking, "that was actually "Prof. Love" by SMOOCH."

"SMOOCH?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow. "Haven't heard them in ages."

Hearing this, Jaune looked back in surprise and asked, "You used to listen to them?"

"My dad and Summer did." Yang said while shrugging her shoulders. "They used to be big fans of them. I remember whenever one of their songs came on the radio, the two of them would just dance like a pair of knuckleheads and sing the song. Sometimes my dad would have Ruby in a baby carrier and she would move her arms and legs thinking they were playing some game." She smiled a little at the memory of the two adults dancing and singing badly while little Ruby was gurgling and giggling in a baby carrier. Her smile soon turned to a frown as the memory reminded her of a time when everything felt right in the world and not messed up.

Jaune noticed and said nothing as he set a plate with eggs, bacon, and toast in front of Yang. He then sat across from her and began eating as well. There was a moment of silence between the two of them before he finally broke it. "Yeah, my parents were big fans of SMOOCH as well." He said. "It's actually how they met each other."

"Really?" Yang asked.

"Yep." Jaune said simply. "My dad was just going there to have a good time and my mom was a groupie traveling with her friends. She had a little too much to drink that night and my dad brought her back to her hotel room. He left her with a glass of water and a note with his number on the nightstand. She called him the next day and well...the rest is history." Yang nodded; it now made sense where Jaune's gentleman-like persona came from.

Jaune paused a bit to eat his food before he continued. "When I was fifteen, my mom, my dad, my sisters and I went to one of their concerts. My sisters weren't keen on going, but they changed their minds when they found out that the opening act was The Lunatic Jester Brigade."

"So your sisters are into crappy music, huh?" Yang asked with a smirk.

"Yep." Jaune said as he mirrored Yang's smirk before continuing. "Anyway, when SMOOCH came out onto the stage, I was in awe by their music. I remember how I wanted to be cool like them."

"So you wanted to wear makeup in your 50s and sing in front of thousands of old-timers like you?" Yang asked as she gave another smirk.

"You know what I mean." Jaune said, giving Yang a sarcastic glare. "I wanted that confidence that they had to do what they do best. It's a trait I'm lacking." He added sheepishly. Yang nodded in acknowledgement; Jaune certainly had some self-confidence issues, especially when it came to training and knowing girls.

"Who knows?" Yang said with a shrug. "Maybe one day, you'll find something or someone to help you with that."

"What; like a wingman?" Jaune asked incredulously.

"Exactly." Yang answered simply. Jaune only rolled his eyes; he didn't have a lot of male friends and the only one closest to being a wingman was currently traveling to Mistral with a bombastic red-head and a crimson reaper. He frowned slightly at the thought of his teammates and friend and how much he missed them.

The rest of the meal was met with silence between the two blondes. After they had completed their meals, Jaune took the plates and silverware and brought them to the kitchen sink to wash them. Yang, meanwhile, rose from her chair and made her way towards the stairs. But not before turning back to Jaune and saying, "Thanks for breakfast; it was…good."

"No problem, Yang." Jaune said with a smile. "I'm just glad you were willing to join me." Yang returned a small smile and made her way up the stairs. 'At least she's talking and smiling a little.' He thought to himself as he washed the dishes.

When he had placed them on the drying rack, Jaune made his way upstairs and into his room, where he retrieved Crocea Mors and pocketed his Scroll. He then headed downstairs onto the first floor quietly so as to not alert Yang. He walked into the kitchen and opened a side door that led down into the basement. Jaune then locked the door behind him so as to get some privacy.

The Xiao Long house had an interesting basement; not only did it house the heater and electrical box, but it was also set up as a training room for the winter months. Tai had shown it to Jaune before the axe incident and told him that he could use it for training whenever he wanted. The training room had several manikins, benches to relax on, a few Mu ren Zhuang wooden dummies, and a man-made training circle. Jaune couldn't help but notice a few broken pieces of mankins and wooden dummies lying in a heap in a corner. No doubt they were the unfortunate victims of Yang and Ruby's training sessions. 'Mental note,' Jaune thought, 'try not to destroy too much training equipment.'

After setting Crocea Mors down on a bench, he proceeded to move the manikins and wooden dummies out of the training circle. As soon as he made sure the equipment was kept at a safe distance, he pulled out his Scroll and opened the folder that contained the video of Pyrrha. He then propped it up on the bench and pressed "play" before picking up his sword and shield.

As Pyrrha continued to talk, Jaune did not move or follow the intructions at first. He just stood there, wanting to just hear her sweet and caring voice again. It had only been a few months since the fall of Beacon, but he was still haunted by her memory and what had happened between them that day. But despite that day and what he felt he had failed to do, he knew that he couldn't give up on making himself stronger. Not just for her memory, but for all of his friends and teammates.

The video immediately rewound itself to the beginning. ""Alright Jaune, just like we practiced." Pyrrha said. At this, Jaune lifted his sword and shield, waiting for her to continue. "Follow these instructions: shield up. Keep your grip tight. Don't forget to keep your front foot forward." Jaune did as he was told: he lifted his shield slightly higher, tightened the grip on his sword, and placed his left foot forward with his right at a 90⁰ angle.

"Ready?" Pyrrha asked before saying "Go."

"AAAH!" Jaune cried as he thrust the sword forward.

                                            -----------------------

For two hours, he followed Pyrrha's instructions, trusting and swiping the air just as she had taught him. He breathed deeply and slowly as he collapsed down onto the floor. He tried to stand up by using his sword to boost himself up. He then placed his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He wanted to continue training, but he was too worn out. He gritted his teeth in anger at the thought that despite all of his training, he still felt like he wasn't getting anywhere.

After a few minutes, Jaune decided to call it a day and placed everything back to where it originally was. He then left the basement and went upstairs to take a shower. As he step into the stall, he let the warm water wash over him while trying to calm down. The past was the past; he couldn't change it even if he desperately wanted to. Yet it didn't make him feel any better as he fought the urge to punch the tile wall in frustration.

After he got out of the shower and dried himself off, he felt the dampness of his hoodie and sighed knowing that he would no doubt have to wash it. "I swear I wear that hoodie so much I wonder if people think I don't wear anything else." He said to himself before putting on a white t-shirt. He then went downstairs, put his hoodie in the washer, and sat down to watch some TV. Upon turning it on, a news station immediately popped up with an anchor reporting news about Beacon and Vale. Almost on instinct, Jaune picked up the remote and changed the channel, only to come across another news network reporting the same old information.

"Despite countless searching and questioning, Professor Ozpin, the once great leader and headmaster of Beacon Academy, is still being reported missing."

*CLICK*

"Leo Caspian, an advocate for faunus equality rights, was found dead in his home last night along with his wife and two sons. Originally thought to be the work of human supremacists, experts now confirm that the murders were committed by the White Fang. It has been noted that Mr. Caspian strongly opposed the organization's extremist ways throughout his career."

*CLICK*

"Atlas officials continue to impose a ban on trade and have cut off all communication to the outside world."

*CLICK*

Jaune shook his head as he kept flipping through the channels, each covering a story more sad and depressing than the last. It felt like the entire world was going to hell and it was getting worse every day. He clenched his fist at the fact that the culprits responsible were right in front of him and his friends the whole time and they were all too blind to notice. He remembered how satisfied he was when he had found out that Roman Torchwick met his end at the hands, or rather mouth, of a Griffon Grimm. 'Poetic justice at its finest.' He remembered thinking when he heard the news.

His channel surfing came to an end when he came across the RMC movie channel that showed actor Spruce Willis walking through an airship terminal. As the baggage claim station came into view, the words "Try Hard" zoomed into view. 'Try Hard it is, then.' Jaune thought before setting the remote and leaning back into the couch.

Five minutes into the movie, Jaune noticed some movement to his right. He turned and was surprised to see Yang walking down the stairs. "Oh, hey Yang." He said.

"Don't mind me," she said with a wave of her hand. "I just came down to get a snack. I'll be out of your hair so-" She stopped, however, when she saw what was playing on the TV. "Are you watching 'Try Hard'?" She asked curiously.

"Y-Yeah." Jaune said in surprise. "S-Sorry if the volume is too loud; I can turn down if I'm disturbing you."

"No; it's fine." Yang said as she sat on the opposite end of the couch. "I actually like this movie. Did I miss much?"

"Not really," Jaune said as he shrugged, "Spruce Willis' Shawn McCain found out that his wife is registered under her maiden name. No action yet."

They sat in silence for a bit, watching the terrorists find Tony's dead body on the stairs with the words "Now I have a gun" written on his shirt. "You know," Jaune said, finally breaking the silence, "I'm sad Alan Bickman is dead; he was a great actor and this movie helped cement his name into the movie business."

"Hmm." Yang hummed in acknowledgement.

They soon came across the signature moment when Spruce talked into the radio and said "Yippee ki yay, mother******". "Oh right; I forgot." Jaune said in disappointment. "RMC censors that phrase."

"It's stupid, really." Yang added. "I mean it's one of my favorite quotes and they have to ruin it.

"I know, right?" Jaune said in agreement. "It's one of the most iconic action movie quotes and they tarnish it by censoring it."

"Exactly." Yang replied.

Sometime later, the screen showed Spruce crawling through the air ducts muttering to himself.

"You know," Jaune said, "this scene always irks me. He's crawling through a metal air duct and he's talking to himself. First, metal isn't exactly silent when you crawl on it. Second, the echoes are going to reverberate off the walls and out the vents. At some point, one of the terrorists is going to hear him."

"Huh." Yang muttered with a raised eyebrow. "Never really thought of that until now." They decided to watch the rest of the movie in silence, just so they wouldn't be talking over an important scene.

It was during a slow scene that Yang's gaze fell on Jaune. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something different about him. It wasn't his hair since he never changed it up. The dilemma wracked her brain until her eyes fell upon a piece of clothing he was wearing. It made so much sense now: he wasn't wearing his signature hoodie and armor.

It was a bit surprising for Yang considering the only time Jaune didn't have his hoodie and armor on was during non-combative classes. In those, they were required to wear their school uniforms and nothing else.

Gazing at Jaune without his signature equipment, she noticed that he had gotten slightly bigger over the year, not in body fat, but in muscle build. He may not be as bulky as the guys she was into, but he was a far cry from the noodle he was when he first came to Beacon. She then glanced at his arms, which had developed some muscle as well and seemed to hug the sleeve of his shirt. 'Wow,' Yang thought as her cheeks turned slightly pink, 'guess Pyrrha's training really paid off.'

"Y-Yang?"

"Huh?" Jaune's question suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts. She blinked a few times before noticing that Jaune was looking at her with concern. "Oh…sorry Jaune." She said. "What's up?"

"Nothing much." Jaune said. "It's just that you were staring at me for a while now. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." Yang said with a wave of her hand. "I just noticing that you didn't have your hoodie and armor on."

Jaune glanced down and smiled as calmness washed over him. He looked back at her and said "Oh this? I was training downstairs in the basement and my hoodie got damp. I put it in the washer and my armor is upstairs."

"Oh," Yang said once the truth was revealed, "sorry, it's just….I've never seen you wear anything other than your hoodie and school uniform."

Jaune paused for a bit as he contemplated that bit of information. It was true that while at Beacon, he had only worn his hoodie and school uniform. But then again, Beacon had a pretty strict dress code, second only to Atlas. "Well," Jaune began as he scratched his head, "I guess I never really needed to use this shirt. I mostly kept it around in case of an emergency."

"Hmm" Yang said, turning her attention back to the TV. After a few minutes, however, she said "You know, you should wear it more often. It looks good on you."

"Oh." Jaune said, a bit surprised that Yang made that comment. "Um…d-duly noted. Thanks for the advice." Yang only nodded before turning her attention back to the movie.

It's wasn't long before McCain and his wife left with Fargyle and the credits began to roll. Jaune then turned the TV off and began to stretch while Yang rose from her spot and made to leave for her room. Jaune suddenly got an idea and when Yang was at the foot of the stairs, he said "Wait, Yang." The girl stopped and looked at him. "I was just wondering," he began while scratching his head, "maybe we could do this again sometime. You and me, watching a movie, just…hanging out." He took notice of her impassive expression and quickly added, "I-I mean, that's if you want to. I don't want to put any pressure on you. I-I just thought it would be a nice way to hang out. A-As friends, of course."

Yang continued to say nothing as she made her way up the stairs, resulting in Jaune's face to shatter in disappointment. Halfway up though, she paused and looked down at him. After a minute of silence, she said, "Sure."

"W-What?" Jaune asked in surprise by Yang's answer.

"Your idea of hanging out and watching movies…I'm willing to do it." She said. She then pointed her finger at Jaune and said, "But no romantic comedies; they're cheesy as hell. So no Nottingham Hill or 30 First Dates."

Jaune only smiled as he chuckled and said, "Sure thing Yang." Yang returned a small smile as she continued upstairs. Jaune sighed contently and turned the TV back on. 'At least she agreed.' Jaune thought to himself, 'that's a start.'

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And thus concludes another chapter for Love Heals All Wounds. Well guys, I have an announcement. After I publish the next chapter for my My Hero Academia story, I will be taking a break from writing from May 21st to June 17th. Even writers need vacations.

But that doesn't necessarily mean I am abandoning my current stories. I just need to "recharge my batteries" so to speak...and now I'm reminded of Penny. Excuse me...

*Twenty minutes of crying later...*

Anyway, don't forget to favorite, review, and follow for more updates. And of course, kudos to Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov for beta reading this chapter. Next time on Love Heals All Wounds...there will be some angst, though not as much as the second chapter.

Until next time, this is AnimeFan299110 encouraging you all to go out with a Yang...I'm not even going to say it anymore.

[canaryatlaw]

Alright, well today was overall pretty good. I woke up around 11:24 I think, I had my late alarm set for 1pm but figured I’d wake up before then. I had a weird craving for chocolate chip pancakes, which is kinda odd because I’ve literally never made them before in my life, but I had a hershey bar and some m&ms I could use, so I was like hey, let’s do this. So I chopped up the hershey bar and started making them, then moved to the m&ms when I ran out of the chopped chocolate. my pancakes haven’t always been cooperating with me lately, but I was trying to do smaller ones today and I think that worked a lot better, so that’s good to know. And they were really freaking good. So after I finished eating I knew I should get to work, so I pulled up the two things I had for the legal drafting assignment and started doing my final edits before turning it in tonight. I knew it wasn’t perfect, but honestly at this point I just don’t give a fuck anymore, I don’t care if I get one fucking C in my last damn semester, it can’t affect my GPA that much, and who the fuck cares anyway??? I just don’t anymore. but I made some edits and changed a few things around. The thing is I know my arguments are really solid, really damn good arguments, but I know that’s not gonna be what matters because with this prof it’s all about procedure and format and bullshit that doesn’t even matter in the real world. Like legit when I was talking with her last week looking over my past assignment she was like “oh you’re doing this like they taught you at the courthouse, but we’re doing it like this” and I was like ???? these hypothetical projects are *literally* supposed to be from the damn courthouse I worked at, like literally working for the cook county public guardian’s office, and you’re telling me what I learned actually being there was wrong??? I’m just so fucking done, this class should’ve been a breeze for me but it became a massive pain in the ass instead. And I really don't give a fuck if she doesn’t like my writing, the people I’ve actually worked under in the real world have always loved it, my one supervisor still gushes about the motion I wrote from the child death case as one of the best he’s ever seen, and I really, really don’t give a fuck about this goddamn class anymore. I’m ranting, I know. But anyway. I made my edits and printed it out, ended up having to print two copies of each because something didn’t turn out right in the first version of each, stupid staples (they’ll literally dock you points if your stapling doesn’t look good) and temporarily forget to use page numbers. But I got all that done and headed out to school a little early, there was supposed to be a PAD transition team meeting at 5:30 so I thought I’d come for a bit before class, except nobody actually doing the meeting showed up on time, and I had class at 5:50, so I left at 5:40, and I apparently didn’t miss much. We turned in our assignment, and then had class for about half an hour, talking mostly about factors regarding appeals and what you should take into consideration when deciding if you’re going to appeal or not. Good stuff I guess. But we ended around 6:20, and the PAD event we had for tonight didn’t start till 7 and it was right across the street so I chilled in the PAD office for a bit before going over. The event is supposed to be an official introduction to the new executive board, with alumni coming and networking and all that good shit, it’s called “Story Time” because we’re “Story Chapter” (all of the chapters are named after Supreme Court justices, since our chapter was founded in the 1890s it was after a very old justice, Joseph Story). So I headed over there and mingled for a bit, pretty good food, they had chicken tenders that were like, really damn good chicken tenders lol and they had grilled cheese, which is like, perfect, so I was pleased with that. I spent a while chatting with one of the older alums about work and life and all that good stuff. He’s looking for a law clerk, but since I’m a 3L he said I need to focus on studying for the bar, and worry about jobs later, which is valid, lol. After that I just went to where my friends are and hung out with them for a bit more, just having fun. The event ended around 9, and since we were the ones throwing it we ended up being the last people there, and they had a buffet style food set up and the staff put out to go boxes and were like “hey if you want to take any of this home go for it because it’s just gonna get thrown out” so I may have gone to town on the chicken tenders and shoved 20 of them into a to go box (I counted) which I expect will go to good use over the next couple of weeks (weeks because I’ll probably freeze some of them at some point, chicken tenders aren’t really a food that’s like, cooked one time, because most of them come pre-cooked, and they were warmed up today, but I can just warm them up again and they’ll be the same lol so that’s useful. I’m sure Jess will be having some this weekend because she hasn't eaten shit all week (sigh). But yeah, I went home, dropped my stuff and decided to watch Arrow. It was......odd. Not really an episode they’ve ever done before, mostly just because there was almost no Oliver in it. And I felt like the whole time they were trying to get us to like Diaz and like, I just don’t??? I don’t find him to be a very compelling character and the whole time I was just like Dinah honey why are you hanging out with this asshole?? I don’t get it. I will say though I did like the plot between Oliver and Felicity and the moment they had at the end of the episode, so that was good. After that the only other show I had left to watch was Riverdale, which I put on because we decided we’re going to “Riverdale Con” (god that sounds so absurd) next weekend because it’s in Chicago and we can, and plus we’re already going two weekends without a con, we definitely couldn’t go three. Riverdale was the musical episode of course, and I had fairly mixed feelings about it. I wasn’t familiar with the music of Carrie, I knew the plot obviously but hadn’t heard any of the songs before. Most of my feelings were that the majority of the cast really cannot sing and were very, very autotuned, and like the only one who could actually sing was the actor who plays Kevin, and they only let him sing like two fucking lines??? I mean wtf was that about, bad choice there. But yeah, I guess the episode itself was fine, and I did walk away with Veronica’s song stuck in my head. I also ended up looking up the plot on wiki because I wanted to see how the songs fit in, which was an interested read at least....lot of death. It was funny though because I know Christy Altomare and Derek Klena had played Sue and Tommy opposite each other in the 2012 production, and then of course they’re currently playing Anastasia and Dimitri in Anastasia right now. And yeah, I finished watching that then basically started getting ready for bed. Other things that have been on my mind though, I read an article talking about how Christians are becoming disillusioned with the term Evangelical because it’s come to be associated with the Trump idiots and everything that comes with that. And like, it’s so interesting for me to see this because I was thinking through all of this back in 2014 when I decided that I was no longer identifying with that term. Because what does it even mean?? Nothing, really. There’s no set definition that would make one an “evangelical.” I broke with the movement way before everyone else did though, over the “World Vision Incident” that left me so incredibly incensed at everyone who caused that horrific event to happen- basically, World Vision announced that as a non-denominational Christian organization they would be hiring Christian employees in same sex relationships since some denominations are now affirming. One of World Vision’s main programs is about sponsoring a child, send like $30 a month to go to the life of this specific child you’re matched up with. And when this happened, a lot of evangelical leaders protested which led to a huge number of people cancelling their child sponsorships, to the point where World Vision was forced to capitulate or they would suffer such a horrific loss in the work they are doing. Overall, the entire event resulted in 10,000 people dropping their sponsorships, and many did not renew them when they changed positions (incidentally, I immediately called up and started a sponsorship right after this happened). And like, for me that was such a clear line in the sand that was drawn. When you’re fighting your culture wars using the lives of children living in poverty as bargaining chips to force a company not to hire people you disapprove of, that keeping these people out of your organizations is more important to you than the literal lives of children, when that is what you believe in, I’m sorry but you and I do not believe in the same God. I believe in the God who said let the little children come on to me, and admonished the adults to be more like the children. The Jesus who never uttered a word about the culture issues evangelicals are obsessed with pressing. The God who said it was better that you throw a millstone around your neck and jump into the water than to lead a child astray, to hurt a child like that. That’s my God, I don’t know what bastardized version of a god (small g) that you believe in, but he’s certainly not the one I know. The one who gave me such a drive to change the world for children, to help the most vulnerable of the most vulnerable, those shoved into horrible situations and desperately need love and assurance from those around them. The God that created me to have steel in my veins when it comes to dealing with the child abuse I willingly engage with, the God that made me for this purpose, so much that I can feel it in my bones, this is what I was meant to do with my life, nothing else could ever feel right. The God who won’t let me stop until I make a difference, until I’m saving the lives of children in the system every day, no matter how difficult and traumatic that might be. The God who never turned his back on me when I doubted he was there, when I couldn't see him then, but looking back I can see he never left me, he was there the whole time, carrying me through the hard times while I was kicking and screaming and was furious with him for putting me through all I had to deal with. The God who used all of that to create a deep passion in me to save children, so they never have to go through that. This is my purpose in life, and that’s the God I believe in, I don’t know the one you’re praising who cares more about making gay people outcasts than the literal lives of children.

okay, that turned into a massive rant that went a little off the wheels, but I hope I got my point across. My faith is so, so important to me, and it hurts me so much to see the name of Christ being dragged through the mud by those claiming his name and acting as if they’ve never opened a bible. But anyway. That’s about it for my day. No official plans for tomorrow, I might do a short grocery run to stock up on a few things, and maybe small group at night, we’ll see. I mean, I should probably start studying at some point, but my first final isn’t until May 2nd, which is still a week and a half away, and it’s the easiest one, so I’ll have time. Alright, I’m done now. That was a massive rant about my many frustrations that I will hopefully feel better about now. It’s past 1:30 am so I’m going to get to bed now. Goodnight my dearies. If you made it all the way through this post, bless you for caring about my life enough to do that. ❤️

[ntandosindanesays]

On the Occasion of Unisa’s Decoloniality Summer School

The November 2015 – August 2016 Experience. Our brutal fight against the Outsourcing of Unisa’s vulnerable and exploited black workers.

The calling of student reflections in forums such as these ones is almost an anomaly in our collective reality of post-colonial pedagogies. We have all become accustomed to, or gotten used to, what other writers know as banking education. This is, the grouping of academics, meeting over a period of two weeks, presenting their papers to a group of students, who then receive these presentations and internalize them without question or giving an input. The method of banking education places the teacher at the centre of education. The teacher researches, puts information together and delivers it as it is, to the student. The student, is a mere receiver of information. What he/she receives, can be strongly likened to the gospel of Jesus Christ of Nazareth; “Then Jesus answered; I am the way, the truth and life.” (John 14:6). Who, among his followers were able to stand and dispute this statement? In the same fashion; the learner is unable to dispute any of the teachings by the teacher.  

To be given this 2-hour slot therefore; breaks this “Jesus and discipleship” method of banking education. I am certain, that I speak for all students who are here, both on the panel and as well as the audience, when I say that we are thankful that Unisa’s Summer School is not in the habit of perpetuating a Jesus type of pedagogy. 

I have written on this topic quite extensively over the past few months, and every time I am given an opportunity to speak about it, I relish the chance to reflect on a struggle that has decisively defined my student activism over the past two years or so. From this alone, one has grown, both in my personal life and as well as my public role as a student leader and an agent of social justice. There are so many lessons that I wish to share. All of these lessons are a product of a lived experience. They are not theories from books nor are they random musings of elitist imaginations on what the struggle is and what it isn’t.

At this Summer school, Professor Sphamandla Zondi, whom I hardly ever agree with, makes a very neat argument that captures my attention. He argues that the sequence of things as they are, the setting of time, alphabets, numbers and the rest is deliberately put in place to achieve the objective or desires of those who designed the system in the first place. At a similar platform almost two years ago, the good Prof made a similar observation. In the latter, he taught the audience that the elevation of literature to a higher status than Orature, was done with the intent to deliberately undermine and relegate indigenous knowledge systems. On these two teachings alone, I agree fully with the good prof. This brings me to the first lesson that is to be drawn from the insourcing struggle. 

The fact that some people are poor and that some people are rich is the basis of my activism. Regardless of our collective ideological inclination or political persuasion, it was inherent and instinctive from all cadres that the distinction between the poor and the rich was a problem. To move further, it was our conviction that this was not an accident of history nor was it in any way natural. Towards the end of the year 2015, shortly after the hype of #FeesMustFall protest at the Union building in Pretoria, my comrades and I met a Martha Ndala(and this is her real name) at Unisa’s main campus. In one light-hearted conversation, we learned that she had been a cleaner at the university for more than 29 years. We further learned that she was earning a salary of R3500. She says to us that when she arrived in this university, the current Vice-Chancellor was still a junior lecturer. She tells a story of how she has watched the Vice-Chancellor develop from being a committed young academic in the college of human sciences, right up to the first office in the university. 

See, using Prof Zondi’s analogy of orders, sequences and systems, we can boldly say that both Mama Martha Ndala and as well as Professor Makhanya contributed equally, for the past 3 decades or so, into building this university to what it currently is. However, this is bizarre. The state of coloniality, its oppressive pedagogies and hegemonic orders teach us that because Mama Martha does not have a matric certificate, because Mama Martha comes from an impoverished family and because she is black, she is not worthy of getting a salary proportional to that of Professor Mandla Makhanya.

The orders, sequences and the like, have us to believe that the job of keeping the university clean is lowly and not worth of any serious recognition, let alone a decent salary. Colonial superstructures like universities are designed to entrench and extensively perpetuate the anomaly of the rich and the poor. With this realization, we were in the mood to prove a point. The point that the price of bread does not discriminate between Mama Martha and Prof Makhanya. We wanted to prove a point that the accumulated value of both their labour was equal and that their salaries should be proportional to each other. We were itching to prove that both their competencies were crucial to the smooth running of this institution and as well as its development. Of course, we engaged management calmly and wanted to reach a negotiated settlement, but the tremendous desire to prove this point led us to the streets. We figured that this could only be proven by asking Mama Martha and all her colleagues to withdraw their labour indefinitely. We went further went to persuade Security workers, Garden workers, Cafeteria workers and all other outsourced employees to also withdraw their labour. Within a week, Unisa was in a state of Chaos. Its premises, including Professor Makhanya’s office, were messy. The assets of the university were vulnerable to theft. The Garden and landscaping was disorderly. And so on and so forth. 

The university responded the only way it has been designed to respond. By that time of the year we were already subjected to interdicts, suspensions and numerous arrests. By this, we knew that we had succeeded in proving our point.

A liberational pedagogy, as a contradiction to these colonized spaces, dictates that we need to move beyond just the epistemic question when speaking unto decolonizing, intersectionality and the like. Epistemic disobedience, is the practical enactment of what we have conceived to be true and just. This brings me to the next lesson.   

The discourse is littered with the scum of the worst type of academic exercises. We had to grapple with, and eventually negotiate into understanding, the glaring theory-praxis dissonance in the discourse. This is, from all sides.

On the one hand, you had one massive in-house trade union, with a very proud history of advancing labour and working-class struggles without fear or favour. Naturally, you would expect this large trade union to automatically identify with the struggle against outsourcing. These expectations do not only stem from their proud history but also the equally gigantic intellectual work done by some of its prominent leaders of the yester years. You know, the Marxist-Leninist writings. I am talking about those verbose teachings on the labour theory of value, the class struggle, the dictatorship of the proletariat, the conception of the state as an instrument of class oppression and the subsequent need for this state to be smashed, and so on and so forth. You know those things? Yes. When the union leaders produce volumes of work preaching about these things, one will be convinced that their hearts are at the right place and that instinctively, theirs would be align the union to any struggle that seeks to advance a genuine worker’s course. THEY DID NOT. Instead, they wrote communique after communique to their members, and love letters to the entire university community, claiming that students were; “out of order for wanting to advance a struggle that is not theirs, this nothing but a ploy to grandstand and score cheap political points.” We are not really gutted by this gutter type of pettiness, we are rather appalled by the disconnect between theory and praxis. We preach this wonderful gospel and a type of Marxism that would ordinarily inspire masses into action but this theory does nothing to us. We remain static and reject anything that speaks unto action. In so far as this presentation is concerned, I should not be construed as one who is advocating for Marxism or whatever ideology. That is a discussion for another Summer School. The space here is; Marxism inspired various revolutions around the world. In the context of its resident theorists in the context of the Insourcing struggle it did completely nothing. 

On the other hand, you had Unisa academics. For sure, they are not too big on Marxism. Most of them are into a newer brand theorising. They know it better than I do. I cannot exactly put a finger on it and hence do not have a name for it. I hope one will not be blamed for this type of ignorance. Of course they articulate their position quite eloquently, we see them on TV, we see them mainly on Facebook too. They are a powerful bunch. The only two things I know about this theorising is that it is black-people centred and that is calls for the ending of the world as we know it. Go figure. I also happen to know that round about this time of the year last year, when we were getting beaten by bouncers on campus and thrown into the park (outside Unisa premises) this group of academics was attending a certain summer school and doing more theorising. Am I upset by this? Of course I am not. I am rather baffled by this endless theorising that does not light the spark for meaningful action. Because we are students, we continue, to this day, to probe some of them on this theory-praxis dissonance. To our dismay, to these academics the so-called epistemic war is in itself worthy to be classified as action. 

This lesson was an eye-opener. Theory does not always lead to action. Theory without action remains useless. It certainly did very little to ensure that Unisa’s exploited black workers are insourced. Except of course, for showing some salty solidarity on Facebook. It may seem like they have a case to answer but I do not think they do. Especially where consciousness is concerned, everything done is done deliberately. 

During the course of this Summer school, we also studied Amilca Cabral’s Weapon of Theory. Of course, we focused on the predicament facing Africa. I wish to touch on one observation made by comrade Cabral.

“We do not think we will shock this assembly by stating that the only effective way of definitively fulfilling the aspirations of the peoples, that is to say of attaining national liberation, is by armed struggle. This is the great lesson which the contemporary history of liberation struggle teaches all those who are truly committed to the effort of liberating their peoples.”

This brings me to the third, and final lesson, for purposes of this presentation. One of the reasons why we were arrested and suspended on so many occasions as individuals and as a group was that our tactics had the tendency to invite violence and mayhem to the campus. Although no responsibility was taken by either the leadership or the workers themselves, on the 3rd of March 2016, buildings were vandalized, cars were burnt and badly damaged, people were physically assaulted and many other similar atrocities were committed. This happens against the backdrop of a Unisa management that had reneged on its part of the signed agreement with the workers. Those of us who were there on that day will never forget it till we go to the grave. 

After the 3rd of March, we began receiving messages of condemnation from even our closest friends and allies. Acts of violence were condemned in the strongest sense of the word. My own parents weighed in quite heavily on this matter. This entices a discussion unto the question of violence. Fellow Communists continue to claim to have a healthy discourse on violence but an epistemic community around this subject needs to be broadened.

The entire war against outsourcing might not constitute a comprehensive move towards a decolonized university but definitely succeeds to move an inch in displacing the colonial understanding of roles in a university, (Cleaner vs Vice Chancellor).

Now, when there’s a protracted move to completely rid the university of its colonial face and schematic composition, will this be a peaceful and mosque process?

Is it not a given that those who are serious about decolonizing need to be at peace, at least, with the fact that we must destroy in order to rebuild?

Isn’t it that those who reform, transform, reshape and reshift the structure, do this so behalf of the original builders of the structure?

What does the condemnation of violence say about our readiness to engage in a revolution? That is; if our understanding of a revolution as a complete overthrow of the oppressive anti-black and Global Capital system. Unless of course, if decolonizing and the revolution is a mere academic exercise.

ENDS. [18-01-2017]

[its-lifestyle]

In her first few months of service, Subang Jaya assemblywoman Michelle Ng found herself attending the funerals of people who had committed suicide.

“One big thing I noticed was suicides happening in clusters within my constituency, and that they tended to involve those in their teenage to college years, so that got me really concerned,” Ng shared, when we met for an interview.

So she did her research, spoke to family members, and realised that most of the victims were suffering from some form of mental health problem.

“One response I usually got was how the families often felt helpless and didn’t know what to do. So then the question was, Is knowledge about mental health something that can be learnt?”

After speaking to medical professionals and Health Ministry officials, Ng realised that there are steps we can take to help someone who’s going through mental health issues.

That’s how her idea of the SJ Care Warriors programme came about. Officially launched on Mar 31, 2019, it focuses on empowering a community to self-help as well as help others.

World Mental Health Day falls on Oct 10 annually. The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2015 conducted by the Health Ministry found that the prevalence of mental health problems among Malaysians aged 16 and above stood at 29.2%. This means 1-in-3 Malaysians experience issues related to mental health.

A similar study conducted in 2017, targeting youth health issues, showed that anxiety (39.7%), depression (18.3%) and stress (9.6%) were among the main problems plaguing adolescents.

The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2017 showed that anxiety, depression and stress were the main mental health issues among adolescents. Photo: Filepic

The SJ Care Warriors programmes adopt a two-pronged approach – a gatekeeper training led by a team of clinical psychologists and psychiatrists for community leaders, on how to identify warning signs of suicide and where to get help (Suicide Prevention); and secondly, a wellness-oriented approach to building resilience among youths (Building Resilience).

With resilience, youths are empowered to better manage their mental state of wellbeing, and are able to impart the wisdom of mindfulness, build resources, and spread loving as well as kindness.

Currently, mental health issues are addressed mainly in hospitals and at the primary care level. But complementary community-based mental health initiatives and advocacy need to be much more integrated into the mental health service ecosystem, said Dr Amer Siddiq Amer Nordin, Assoc Prof with the Department of Psychological Medicine in Universiti Malaya.

“The SJ Care programme gives permission for people to talk about mental health in a more open, non-judgemental platform,” said Dr Amer, a member of the SJ Care Warriors Advisory Council.

“In the past, the issue of mental health might be present but there was a lot of taboo attached to it. But now, with the programme in Subang Jaya, the community is able to talk about it freely, with reduced stigma at least.”

Ng added that collectively, we all have the responsibility to cultivate an environment that helps a person going through a mental health problem. “One thing that feeds into the stigma is the labelling of mental health issues as something unnatural as opposed to other health problems,” she said.

“When you view it as something unnatural, it’s unlikely that a person wants to fall in that category, which means not telling anyone you have a problem or to seek help for it.”

She added, “In Asian culture, traditionally we’re taught to be tough and not bring up our problems. So there’s a lack of emphasis on vulnerability, which is not exhibited. When that happens, you don’t know how to deal with it, so it compounds itself until it becomes a problem.

“We want to show that mental health doesn’t need to reach the stage when it becomes a problem. There’s the earlier part whereby we learn how to deal with stress before it compounds into a problem. When we’re able to look at it as an entire spectrum, it normalises and naturalises mental health issues.”

Dr Amer, a consultant psychiatrist at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, explained that prior to an individual having a mental health illness, there’s often a stage where change can be made.

“You have a mental health issue at that point, but it’s not a mental health illness yet. However, these people are struggling and it could be due to genetic factors. But there’s another group of people whom when given the right ingredients to become depressed can become depressed.

“You put them in an environment that’s very negative, give them more stress sources, one after the other, and that eventually causes individuals to be clinically depressed. So those who are more vulnerable tend to get it earlier, while those who are resilient, once they lose their coping mechanisms, will also get it.

“We don’t want this to happen because once you’re at the illness stage, function is lost. When function is lost, particularly among young people, countrywide we’re going to have a problem,” he said.

To date, the Suicide Prevention programme has reached 69 community leaders. By the end of 2019, it hopes to reach 80 leaders. The Building Resilience programme, piloted in July with 14 student leaders from Sunway University, was also held on Oct 5 in another college. By the end of the year, they hope to roll out the programme to the first batch of 200 students.

“Our vision is, once the two programmes stabilise, if another community wants it, they can implement it,” said Ng. “The question is, How to get communities interested and how do we have that kind of support system of resources and professionals to facilitate the programmes? That’s the long-term vision.”

Building young warriors

Jayashan Chinatamy (standing) hopes to help his peers develop the skills to care for their mental health through the Building Resilience programme. Photo: SJ Care Warriors

Many of college student Jayashan Chinatamy’s friends have consistently revealed that they feel depressed, and several of them have been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives.

“Among my peers, there are many who have experienced suicidal ideation in the past, and a few currently experiencing periodical bouts of ideation,” said Jayashan, 21. “As friends, we do our best to support them during these times and always encourage them to seek professional help.”

The first year Bachelor of Science in Psychology student at Sunway University was among 13 students involved in the pilot Build Resilience programme.

“Many students find that transitioning into young adults can be daunting and overwhelming. As such, I believe the skills taught in this programme can be beneficial when applied in one’s personal life,” he said.

He added that the programme is helpful to youths, especially schoolgoers, as it tries to cultivate fundamental aspects of emotional and mental wellbeing.

“I believe that many students are essentially unequipped to cope with the struggles they undergo, as well as the lack of knowledge on how to care for their mental health and wellbeing,” he said.

“Additionally, it’s the feeling of being misunderstood and not having anyone there for you, be it moral or emotional support, or just a listening ear, that leads youths to doubt the validity of their beliefs and choices, leading to an undesirable mental state,” he added.

He also underlined the importance of psychological competencies, such as inner strength and resilience, in coping with life’s struggles and obstacles.

“Aspects such as empathy and appreciation are important in developing quality relationships, maintaining self-compassion and being more positive overall,” Jayashan said, adding that the first step to reducing suicide among youths is to lessen the stigma that surrounds it.

The International Mental Health Short Film Festival 2019 will be launched together with #LetstalkMY on Oct 10, 2019. For details, visit their Facebook page or email june.liang@frost.com.

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