Tuesday, March 06, 2007
elitism and elites
if i think about it, i'm lucky.
lucky to be born in this family.
lucky that my parents make an effort to be nice to me, and lucky that they care about me and place an emphasis on my education.
also lucky that they could afford to give me tuition and provide for me, so that i do not have to worry about any financial matters.
yes, in the newspapers, you can see stories of poor kids turning into scholars. those are the people i admire for their spirit, their determination, and drive.
but what about other kids?
let's not talk about finances alone. take into consideration family background.
what if the father is a job hopper, an alcoholic, someone who is unable to show their love for the kid in a proper way, unable to communicate with the kid, or even worse, doesn't love the kid at all?
what if the mother gambles, smokes, or is involved with another man? what if she regrets having her child and does not want her child?
i think family circumstances mean a lot and will mould a child to a large extent.
and it's just not fair that some of us have so much love and have been spoilt rotten since we were young, while others live in a problematic world.
most of the students in rgs are relatively well off. they have good family backgrounds and loving, caring home environments. but just because our society in rgs is the lucky bunch, it doesn't mean that everyone is like us and there isn't anyone suffering despite having done nothing wrong.
i think i'm really lucky.
i'm considered an elite. why?
i was born into a good family. my parents made sure i had a good education. i had a headstart as they sent me for phonics lessons. of course, that's not to say i didn't work hard.
chongfu and mrs chu really helped me and pushed me. i worked hard, and i guess you could say i excelled. i got into rgs... and there's where i am in this part of my life now.
so far in my life, through my experiences and reflections, i know what i want to be. i have goals, dreams, ambitions and i will take step by step to achieve them. every heard of the phrase "the world is my oyster"? it seems to particularly apply to those who have been to harvard, cambridge etc.
what i'm trying to say is, in singapore's context, education is Everything. perhaps there are some cases where late bloomers or lowly educated people make it big by pursuing their dreams, but society is so much more accepting and people are so much nicer/indulgent when you are "branded".
for example,
if I'm from RGS.
if I went to Harvard.
if My IQ is 150.
if I have won numerous scholarships.
this kind of thing?
and it's not fair to those who can't do as well not because they haven't tried, but because they don't have similar resources or capabilities.
i'm not saying the singapore education is stupid. i think that it is a good method of allocating resources because life is cruel. i'm just lamenting about life's cruelty.
if you've been born in the right family, you've got it made for half your life. of course the other half depends on you, whether you yourself work hard for your future, but securing a promising future is so much easier if you were born in the right family to start with ):
a few questions for me to consider:
am i an elite in rgs?
no, i can firmly say that i am not. rgs is made up of a bunch of generally abled, self motivated and highly intellegent and hardworking students and i am not an elite as i am below the average in rgs. (i'm not boasting about rgs. no, we're not robots. the majority of us slack as well. but when it comes to exam time, yeah we do pull up our socks and become the above)
do i enjoy certain privileges?
yes, i do. because rgs charges higher school fees, they have more resources to hire "better" teachers, set up a good library, and offer to us a range of highly educational activities that other schools may not be able to provide.
do i feel superior?
if i were to compare myself to a neighbourhood student, i might feel superior in the sense of grades. however superiority in this sense does not equal to arrogance. of course, i also know that the neighbourhood student might have a higher eq, or be more experience and knowledgeable in other matters of life or love.
do i look down on my "lesser" fellow singaporeans?
hell NO! everyone has a part to play in society. grades do not determine whether a person is "lesser" or not. other people whom may not be highly educated may have encountered things that make them so much wiser and more of a role model. i can respect and look up to others for matters other than studies. what everyone does in society is vital to us surviving as a whole. for that, we have to be grateful.
what responsibilities do i have?
gee, that's a tough one. i guess when you think about it, the maintanence of singapore for the next generation would fall on the shoulders of some of my peers. rgs girls, ri boys, nanyang girls, hci boys and etcetera. however, i like to think of myself as someone deviating from the mainstream, although not extreme-ly. i want to perhaps study fashion in laselle after i complete my university education, and ultimately become a fashion investigator or a buyer. i'm sorry, but my interests lie in this aspect, and you won't be able to count on me to manage the country. perhaps i can contribute in a different way by helping singapore get more noticed on the world map where fashion is concerned. hey, it just might happen ;)
can singapore exist without elites?
this prompts a resounding no from me. i'm not being elitist, but for the existance and advancement of a society we need abled individuals to manage it, but of course we should also make sure that everyone's voices are heard and we improve together.
does meritocracy make us elitist?
boy, that's a hard one. meritocracy does bring out elites, that's sure, but elitist? i guess in someway the mindset could have evolved along with the practice on meritocracy but i think it is an indirect effect of meritocracy rather than a direct one?
is the education responsibe for creating an elitist mindset?
partially responsible.
i'm just really really glad and really really lucky.
5:12 PM