In his article, Ignatius Low talks about a serious societal issue in Singapore. Though he manages to dodge bullets and paint the picture in a light-hearted- humorous even- manner, the underlying sentiment is evident – do we have an overdose of elitism in Singapore?
Low describes how a Facebook quiz had labeled him as an RGS (Raffles Girls' School) girl at heart. The quiz, posted on the wildly popular social networking site, is titled, ‘Which Singapore Elite School Do You Belong To?’ Topical bias aside, the quiz itself is an attestation to the widespread elite mentality among Singaporeans.
Curious, I logged onto my Facebook account to attempt the quiz. After going through the ten very carefully constructed questions, I was told that I belong to Raffles Institution. I was relieved that it was a boys’ school, especially after the writer of the article got told he was an RGS girl at heart! That aside, I experienced an inexplicable sense of unease, after being told the results. Was it because the all boys’ school was known for producing smarty pants, students who stuck their noses up at everyone else? Could it be due to my natural allegiance to Hwa Chong Institution and the assumed ‘rivalry’ between the two schools? Or perhaps I have never thought of myself as a ‘Rafflesian’. All the questions pointed to an obvious truth – like many, I have my stereotypes.
ACS boys are rich, RI boys are proud and Hwa Chong boys are gentlemanly. Okay, admittedly my last classification might be due to a little bias. But the issue here is, is it healthy to have such stereotypes? I think not. Low brings up that ‘in Singapore, academic achievement is such a key component of a person’s success.’ I feel that this is true because since young, my parents have been reinforcing the fact that studies come first. Naturally, my view on education is that I have to excel and take the brightest path before me – the ‘elite’ path?
While I do not think there is anything gravely wrong about wanting to be in an elite school or even being an ‘over-achiever’, I believe we cannot apply stereotypes to people who are not in similar institutions. A healthy dose of elitism will produce bright sparks while polishing the hidden gems. So as long as we help to keep the complex in check, we will not have to deal with the emergence of extreme and detrimental stereotypes.
