On this day in 1976, the Soweto Uprising began in South Africa after the government mandated that Afrikaans be taught in school, leading to demonstrations by more than 20,000 black schoolchildren, hundreds of whom were killed by police.
The Afrikaans Medium Decree of 1974 mandated all black schools to use Afrikaans and English in equal amounts as languages of instruction. Afrikaans was strongly associated with apartheid (prominent anti-apartheid activist Desmond Tutu called it “the language of the oppressor”), and this decree was widely resented.
At first, resistance to the measure was scattered - on April 30th, the students of Orlando West Junior School went on strike, and other schools began to follow suit. Students eventually formed an Action Committee, later known as the Soweto Students’ Representative Council, which organized a mass meeting on June 13th to develop a cohesive strategy of protest.
On the morning on June 16th, 10,000-20,000 students walked out of their schools to a mass rally, carrying signs reading “Down with Afrikaans”, “Viva Azania”, and “If we must do Afrikaans, Vorster must do Zulu”.
The protest turned violent after students killed a trained dog that the police had sicced on them, causing the police to open fire. Among the first students to be murdered were the 15-year-old Hastings Ndlovu and the 12-year-old Hector Pieterson (shown, photo by Sam Nzima).
Social reformer Dr. Melville Edelstein was beaten to death by the mob, a sign around his neck proclaiming, “Beware Afrikaans is the most dangerous drug for our future”. 23 people died on the first day in Soweto, and hundreds more were killed in the following weeks.
Emergency clinics were swamped with injured and bloody children. Police requested for the hospital to provide a list of all victims with bullet wounds, however the doctors refused, recording bullet wounds as abscesses.
The violence led to widespread riots and sympathy protests throughout South Africa, including white students from the University of the Witwatersrand. In remembrance of these events, June 16th is now a public holiday in South Africa known as Youth Day.
1976 Soweto Uprising: Youth rebellion and the burning desire for freedom
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mental health rant
Started having a barrage of negative thoughts of many upsetting, fucked up things that have happened to me, and that I’ve done. It was so intense, I couldn’t stop it at all and started having pretty violent self harm thoughts because I wanted it all to stop so bad. Have had like 4 breakdowns today. Being mentally ill fucking blows, I just want to have more than 1-2 weeks where I feel normal at a time.
I do appreciate that at a point I just start to dissociate, though. I was just still staring at the wind blow through the trees while listening to Unwound, feeling like I was barely breathing or had a physical form at all. I am grateful for my ability to switch off like that once I reach emotional overload. It’s only once in a while, though.
Think I’m realizing that maybe this entire 13+ years of therapy hasn’t necessarily resulted in healing, but that I have just learned to repress everything and it’s all bubbling over now.
intrusive thoughts are such a nightmare, i feel for you cousin. i wish people who didn’t experience them understood the sudden waterfall of shame/horror that come with them.
i can’t speak to your therapy comment without knowing specifics, but i do feel like stuff that’s too exclusively CBT-focused can result in yeah, just feeling like you’re better at stuffing things & being Just OK Enough To Work for the Machine. not sure if that’s your situation but could be something to consider!
Thanks comrade. It is so intense because I got ADHD as well so I’m just always, constantly thinking about some shit. The loop yesterday was particularly severe though.
I have always been an intellectualizer since I first started therapy. I went to school for a psychology degree so that paired with my first therapist, I figured out all my cognitive distortions and how to reassure myself etc. I tell therapists all the damn time that I do NOT want CBT, and they do it anyway. I have faith in my new one, though. Hope I get to do some EMDR because a lot of what I need is learning how to feel my actual feelings instead of just crying then dissociating lol. And also just dislodging these terrible memories. I had friend break ups that took me like 5+ years to finally put to rest and not trigger an emotional episode that I would think about weekly if not daily. A person can’t live like that
mental health talk, spoiler for readability
ya we’ve talked about the anxiety/ADHD combo on my old account, something I know quite well/intimately. hoping the new therapist is helpful
just try to be kind to yourself in the process and remind yourself that progress isn’t linear.
idk if this helps you but i try to sometimes look at intrusive thoughts as external objects as a way to self-regulate in the moment - real, existent things not to be run away from, but also not some fundamental part of myself that i need to agonize over. makes it into a passing annoyance more akin to, idk, a too-loud car barrelling down the street, vs an all encompassing horror.
I really like the car analogy, I remember hearing that through a meditation app and I found it really helpful but I always forget to use it. I really think third time is the charm with my new therapist, she seems to be able to read between the lines which is what I need badly. Gotta keep on persisting
I really appreciate you and everyone that even upbears or gives a hug-emote. Everyone’s support, especially from their own experiences and ability to relate, does really help me alot.
I’m beginning to wonder if a lot of ADHD isn’t anxiety in a mask.
I think that they can definitely overlap. In my case, I struggle with C-PTSD, Bipolar II disorder, and just in the past 1-2 years I was diagnosed with ADHD/Autism, which I had never considered in my whole life. But after going down the research rabbit holes for the past couple of years, concurring thoughts on the dx with different providers and such, it sounds like it’s legit for me.
Developmental disorders like ADHD and Autism can cause comorbidities like depression and anxiety, and also often come with trauma due to social exclusion, emotional neglect/punishment, etc. due to your “personality”. There is broad overlap between symptoms of Autism/ADHD/Bipolar and OCD, and it takes a really skilled clinician to be able to suss out what’s really going on. The first psychologist to put neurodivergence on the table was working closely with me for over a year before suggesting it.
All of these diagnoses also respond to different types of treatment. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy & medication can be effective for anxiety and depression, but not so much for ADHD/Autism, or trauma. For ADHD and autism, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy can be effective. For trauma, things like experiential therapy can be more effective than CBT. For Bipolar, medication and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy are very effective. My lamotrigine for bipolar works, when lexapro, effexor and prozac never did.
I know people see neurodivergent diagnoses as “fashionable diagnoses” nowadays, but if the interventions used to target those diagnoses are what works, FINALLY, for someone who has always been let down by modalities used for anxiety/depression/etc., then it is what it is. We also need to remember that the DSM is extremely behind the times. The latest update to the DSM-V was in 2022, and the changes from the DSM IV to the DSM V are pretty substantial as well. It took 13 years to update to the DSM V from the last update of the DSM IV, so we are constantly learning new things about psychology
A word of caution: c-ptsd and autism have significant symptom overlap; so much so that my last therapist refused to let me spend the money getting tested, and I am so glad.
I’m released from therapy and doing well now, with no medications. Don’t get me wrong, there are still challenging days and more challenging days. The difference is I have tools and skills I didn’t have before, one of which is recognizing everyone has challenging and more challenging days. Another is HALT: when I’m hungry, angry, lonely, tired isn’t the best time to address bigger issues.
I’m glad you’re getting therapy and learning about yourself and your diagnoses. It’s daunting, but Iin the end, getting better is on us, even if our mental health issues stem from elsewhere. You’re doing the work. You’re going to get the goods and appreciate them so much more, for having worked for it.
Thanks, I’m glad you’ve seen improvements too and that we are able to keep movin forward
Thank you so much. For better or worse, we’re in it, together. We may as well work for the better we can achieve. ♥️ 🫂♥️
I love y’all. Also, is there a list of hex emojis? Y’all are worth it, I just don’t know where they are.
thanks comrade. I notice you often send me encouragement even though I post like this at least once a week it feels like. It means a lot that you check in and show support <3
Tbh I usually feel bad about not having more to say to help ppl on this site and a nice lil emote of a cat hug is the least I can do but yw. Been going through it too and have been having a hard time writing much of anything or communicating much but I hope you feel better
If you struggle with your mental health too, you know that it’s not necessary for everyone to have the perfect advice or encouragement or whatever. Just feeling a little visible to someone can be a great gift. Hope you feel better, we will get through it