Social media; antisocial behaviours

Its 9:30 am , an early Tuesday morning especially for those of us who are are beneficiaries of hardworking entrepreneurs who worked themselves out to employ us an 8-5 kind of a job. Unfortunately other than being non risk takers, most of us are also lazy, so we need a few hours to pick up the pace needed at the workplace especially on the early days of the week. The situation has been made worse by the July weather which has negatively influenced us to change the dress code of this high profile (blue chip) institution. 

Everyone has arrived other than the usual suspect... Sheriff is the name we fondly call him. We are not any better than him though, we are busy catching up with latest hashtag on twitter , posting long inspirational messages on facebook, reading the blogs and team mafisi are doing their usual trolls on social media feeding their eyes with assets beyond their reach . This defines our hardworking culture (if my boss hears this) . 

For those who are curious about where i work lemmi help you understand the setting.Itss a high class office in the outskirts of the capital with unlimited internet access, for research of course; i mean everything we do here has a background of research, reading things such as 10 things you didn't know about vera sidika and such like important topics in life, isn't that research? Back to the description, this place has human beings of all age groups, some old enough to be sponsors and others young enough to be sponsored, some with big bellies and others with 6 pack (by the way this where i fall). our clients are human beings from all walks of life ranging from sponsored entities, sponsoring entities, hit and run , vacated entities etc. 

So this morning, we are just doing what we  ' love' doing. suddenly, Risper screams followed by a couples of oooh noo mumbles, everyone looked at her astonished. You see, Risper is this workplace socialite who is always in 6 inch heels, she is well endowed in areas like mathematics , gossip and celebrity news . Everyone loves to hate her, she is a zero chills kinda lady who will never publicly show her emotions,everything about her is mystery. In a great understanding of her character,the bosses threw him to the communications and PR department.

Everyone looks up in shock wondering what has happened to our rather composed socialite. She is uncontrollable, no one really understands what has transpired other than sheriff who happened to be walking in at that time and carelessly asks ''kwani sponsor amepull out'' of course no one listens to him. Our HR walks to her desk to calm her down and understand the situation. 

So after like 10 minutes, since the drama broke out everyone ha gathered information which would be enough to hold a press conference. The news were not Good, Risper had learnt of her father's death on Facebook after a neighbor had posted it on his wall. 

This got me thinking, how would i feel if i got such news on social media, this doubles up the pain of losing a loved one. It is not only absolute mediocrity but also very uncultured behavior. To the breed of bastards who compliment their self esteem with gossip and idle talk, Let not your love for gossiping go beyond our socialites and politicians, before you post that message on social media, ask yourself what will be the implications, who is getting that information. Imagine we still respect you even though you are not the first to give us the news....

Social media ethics are so needed!!!!!!!

Tribe ni jina, Kenya ni sisi

On Saturday I and a group of young people set out to Nyandarua county to mentor young high school students. It's not the first time I am doing it but there is something that makes this special was that I was going to a county I have never stepped foot into and more special was the young people who accompanied me. They were all from DIFFERENT TRIBES! Norah Moraa is a kisii from Nyamira county, Patrick is a Luo , Monica is Kalenjin and our host was a Kikuyu. As we travelled, joked, posed for photos and mentoring the students, we didn't do it because we were members of our specific TRIBES. No, we did it because we believe that every child in this country deserves better, not only from the government but from the society they grow up in. This is why I love being young, because youths means global. I am a firm believer of humanity, your tribe doesn't matter, what matters is our collective love and commitment to the future and the destiny of this great country. Shun TRIBALISM, commit to the future. Rise above Hate.

I AM A LESBIAN; SO WHAT?

Part 1

“Am a lesbian” Judith said this, looking straight into my eyes. That statement rang hundreds of times in my head, I could not see or conceptualize how a girl I had a crush on since the day I met her was one of the most ‘dreaded’ people in the society. I had been trying to make advances to Judith a couple of times but she always turned me down, I couldn’t understand why since I had never seen her with a man before neither had I ever heard her ‘praise’ her sponsor as many chiqs her age would do to push away the attention of ‘small fish’ like me . Judith was a dazzling beauty; her eyes spoke of innocence, her smile was enough to make you spend your last coin, even if it means consulting our friend in risky times, Mshwari. She was a down to earth girl with manners only related to a good upbringing and strict parenthood, she was calm, friendly and quiet most of the times. She could make my ideal lifetime partner!

For a moment I wanted to ask tens of question but somehow my mouth kept shut. I was trying to answer these questions as they passed through my mind. I was dumbfounded! I know you are now thinking that I had never had of any lesbian, gay, and all those terms used to describe people who do not subscribe to our way of ‘choosing partners’- just to be polite. For your information, I know many of them, and to set the record straight I have no issue with them in particular and neither am I one of them. Judith had still held her eye contact with me, I could tell that it took a lot of courage to say these 3 words, this had taken me by surprise. Why Judith why? I couldn’t control myself but ask this question, I had ignored this urge to ask a question but emotions overtook me and as they say; emotions are like an urge to pee, once you get the urge to let it out, it doesn’t matter where you are, who you are or what you want, you just have to gratify that desire.

For a while Judith hovered her eye contact from me and looked around the not so crowded Java garden city, this is the exact place I had met her 6 months ago while on a family day out, no not exactly a family day out but a familiarization day, to get a closer experience with this gargantuan (I hope I spelt this right) mall that had taken the city by a squall. On that day I was in the company of my sister and her two sons, unfortunately or fortunately we the tables were all occupied expect for this one table that only enjoyed the company of a beautiful lady; of course my sister noticed my intentions, but who cares; I got the number at the end of it all and the rest is a story for another day. Back to Judith, she seemed to be looking for an answer probably in a hidden folder in her head, I did not interrupt. She again shifted her focus to me as if to ask ‘are you ready for this?’ I nodded my head to remind her that I was listening to her feelings. Then after a moment she let it out, “I don’t know.” At this stage I didn’t need rocket science to realize that this conversation was not healthy. It had to be ended somehow and somehow I ended it  (it sounds like a fairy tale)

As I went home I was literally counting the number of people I know who are in the category of Judith, of course I only know a handful but truth be said, and how many more are like her, many. Of course many people will tell you that these are the end time signs, ooh this generation does not fear God, oooh these are idle minds which have become devils workshop and all sort of things that armchair analysts, blind believers and their followers will say.  But as layman who understands his position in a world where: people claim to be conflict managers yet they cannot live in peace in their houses, individuals who can’t write a sentence without a mistake, call themselves bloggers, someone with meagre followers on social media call themselves social media gurus, counselling psychologists are committing suicide more than anyone else: I will stick to my role which is to think like a layman and allow the analysts to judge me on hearsay.

I don’t care if someone is gay, lesbian, Trans gender, bisexual or straight. It’s not my duty to judge them, but it’s my right to speak about them and probably speak to them. Why would someone lose interest in the opposite gender and find satisfaction in someone who is of a similar gender. Lack of morals, will be a quick answer. But let me remind you a little bit, are we the same society where we have  brought up girls telling them that:  all men are dogs, men will always cheat on you, do not submit to a man, go to school and conquer men, never allow men close to you and all kinds of theories. Boys on the other hand were canned for writing a letter to a girl on the onset of adolescence, we told them: that women will make you poor, women are selfish, women are terrible liars, a real man has a to be a lion that roars in the house, that romantic and loving to a woman is being weak and all sorts of theoretical perspectives peddled by failures in life, who have never been in a relationship but claim to be relationship experts.

Of course some of these theories just like fairy stories in the past, are important. But, my question is, who rectify the perception when these young boys and girls grow up, NOBODY. Therefore  we have built a crisis on our own , because the fact is these children will grow up one day, challenge the theory and ooops the worst happens that the first thing that life hands them is a justification that this is the reality of life, while its not. So the will seek the next second alternative, your guess is as right as mine. Let’s change the perspective about relationships and we do not risk a culture shift or else continue doing the same things, in the same way, then fast for 40 days, buy expensive anointing oil for your children etc. But I will promise you that blood pressure, diabetes and all those other diseases you dread will be your portion. Before you tell your daughter or son not to spoil your ‘reputation’ if you have any, what kind of a story have you put up for them about life, marriage and relationships? Its time to change the conversation and build our culture. We have not lost it all but I will assure you that we might not be assured of it at all if the trend continues.