I am not writing any more stuff on Social Mobility. They are a little too morbid. Perhaps that’s too strong a term. I’ll say that these posts appear terrible on a blog that belong to a person like Vib. I have decided to write a research paper on it instead. And I need all you guy’s help. Mib can provide me with the information on USA’s meritocracy, Terry can give me an overview of how scholars are selected in Malaysia and also information on their form of selective meritocracy. Leonard can provide any insightful perspective of the ‘other’ side of GEP and Mainstream Education. When I mean the ‘other side’, I mean the non media intervention kind.
As a biased person, I will need some really neutral views. And Bok can help me with that. He can give me an idea of how the system really works, in his perception and how the ‘rich’ stands to gain (or not). Even Jin, if you are reading, might like to tell me all you know about meritocracy in Singapore and how the societal trends are changing your perception of education and its role. If you think this is too chim, or you need me to translate to Singlish, I can do that in the comments box, perhaps when you ask. I am proficient in Chinese or Mandarin too, no problem if you need it in Chinese.
See, so many people can help. Not forgetting Wilson, who is, to a large extent, a powerful critic with too much of caustic-ity in his comments or rather criticism. But that’s good, Singapore needs this kind of people – the only bad part is that he don’t say it out loud to the people involved in the ‘big thing’. And also Jeremy, you can give me tonnes of your chimly worded insights. But make sure you go read up on Social Mobility first. I wonder if I have enough ‘experts’ on this field, considering the fact that I am being biased by getting only my friends. There are still many people out there waiting to say something about this. I hope to interview other people, from the recently changed name school called Hwa Chong Institute or something, and also the famous Raffles Institution. All these very cool school students can give good comments.
Everyone, shall contribute, and I shall be writing it. I have set the starting time of the research to be the end of my ‘O’ Levels. And I hope I can present it as a component of my research on Society when I get into Sociology or some related studies. Of course, people say there’s still National Service and all the nonsense. It doesn’t matter. Our country do have some resistance to change. That’s good, because that’s what makes old research papers valid till today, even if it is from a ‘historical perspective’.
Meritocracy? What meritocracy?
Die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika ist nicht ein Meritokratie! Heil Hitler!
Seriously, America is a plutocracy.
Okay, how about the Singapore which you have seen so far? Litocracy? (Note the pronounciation of this word)
Singapore sucks. It’s statist. Even though taxes are low.
Anything
Well, statist simple refers to the government’s activities in the economy, there is no real and direct relation to the idea of meritocracy. Even if there is, a link, the question would be whether these people are making big bucks…
It appears that they are indeed earning big bucks, and then we can say there is element of plutocracy in it.
Seriously this is one hell of topic I m dying to avoid.
Meritocracy? Here you mean?
What I see is more like who have you in back up n who you have on your side.
Everything seems like a hula-hula paper chase, education appears to be everything; but even if you guduate from the best Veristy, having the best result, but chose to stand on the wrong end, you are dead meat, your future is seal n you are condamn.
Politics is a nasty dirty game, it is not how good you are, but which side you are on.
Rich get richer n poor get poorer, the wealthy ride on freebies while the poor slog for life.
My perception of education is the same, I study for myself, I learn because I wanted to.
But somehow, I feel that something is wrong with our education or is it our new breed of values? People tends to be more arrogant, much more self-centered, more materialised. They have forgotten something call basic respect, self respect. Many tear down bridges after the cross the river, they bite the hand that fed them.
New breed of children think only of themselves. They don’t want to take care of their old age parents n dont see the need to contribute to the family. They blame their parents for not giving them more. There is no longer family values, bonds n what-ever-so.
They don’t even give up seats to some heavily pregnant women, they don’t feel any guilt or shame when the shove their ways through doors. They have forgotten simple magic word like ‘please’ n ‘thank you’, aint such values taught in school?
Respect the elder, help the needy? Where did all these gone to? Everytime It is all about me, me n myself. Period.
Study is no longer fun. It is as if in some silly war zone, as in who’s on top n who’s below. They don’t study for themselves (anymore), but study to outwit each other in term of results, in term of material.
The society has become too material. Even kindergarden children start to compare on what they have, what they dont have. Who is more wealthy n who is better. People judge on your appearance, on what you have, on who you mix with, on who you know n who know you.
If you are some freshee knowing nobody, to be successfully well-known is like 0.1%. N that 0.1% comes hard after many bangs on closed door, simply because you don’t know any so-n-so. There are no room for mistakes, one need the stimina to go on banging n banging till perhaps see the light at the end of a very long tunnel.
To break it, luck alone is not going to bring you far, so start minggling with the right people. Somehow in the upper up class, everyone know everyone, it is a hush hush knitted group, everyone ‘support’ each other. Somehow they are being invited to the same party, golf, dinner, n somehow they are ‘related’.
If one is in this group, they are given some invisible untouchable seal embossed. Not really untouched-untouchable, but is nobody dares to touch. You are ‘protected’ n invicible in some way. Even mistakes are being covered up, unless it is beyond their abilities to do so.
If you have some ability n talent, but without a good ticket to enter, you still get somewhere but not shamelessly up there.
That come to the defination part on ‘success’. It all depends on how you see it. You could be considered very successful owing a few Mercs, jagurs, staying in big house; at the same time, you could be very successful just being contented with what you have.
Even if you are very wealthy being some Char Kway Tao hawker, people still look down upon you, because you are a hawker, which people think are a banch of uneducated bore. N you don’t actually get invited to upper up gathering, because you smell lard, don’t have time to golf, dont speak their language.
But still you are rich, you visit night club order the most expensive drink, companied by the most bitchy club gal who can give you the best bj in the world. But how long you stand behind that hot burning stove n work on your arm muscles? You are still somebody in their eyes, since you fall under the same class n made it on your own. But outside this class, on the higher side, you are just a nobody. Interestingly, you still pay the same amount of income tax every year (as the upper up class) just that you dont get any deductions or freebies.
This is a dog chase dog, dog eat dog world. It is full of shit n highly tinted with illunions. (read : success is everywhere, venture out, we need people like you, you are the best, don’t read : red tapes, many tiny winy fine print that are invisible, do only what we like, stand united with us or your ass would get busted.)
Having said that, let me return to the comfort of my very ah soh world, of which I dont care who is who n dont bother much about anything; swear n curse in hokkien; speak Singlish. Not forgetting to add : you touch me you still die ‘theory’ 😛
Agreed. You really covered a lot of points, which I haven’t thought about, I gotta go add a few more extra branches to my concept map liao.