I considered using “Premier” to I could avoid using the much more provocative (not to mention connotative) term of “elite” in my title, but that would be missing the point of the post. If “elite” can become a bad word in Canada, it sure can become one in Singapore, if it hasn’t already.
“Diary of a Reformed Elitist” has been making its rounds on the internet and the comments from other Singaporeans makes for required reading, if only to appreciate the diversity of opinions held towards this particularly touchy issue. But no doubt, there is definitely a feeling of divide and the subtle differences in how one experiences and approaches life that come with being seen as “elite”.
Conversations with Cabbies
It was right after Grad Night; a group of us lived in the same area and it was close to midnight, so we shared a cab. Relieved at finally getting a cabbie who went in that direction, we were happy to humour the chatty driver. He asked us how old we were and we said Secondary 4, just celebrating our graduation. He asked us if we had just taken our O levels and we said yes but didn’t say only for Higher Mother Tongue – you don’t have to take that in a through-train system. Then he asked us which school we were from.
The brief silence that followed affirmed to me the idea that for all the incidents others might have caused, a large number of students are almost apologetic for coming from such schools. That’s because despite how much or little you may know about others outside of school, there’s this awareness that for every extra dollar that is invested in the “cream of the crop” as per meritocracy, many others don’t get that dollar.
It’s not so much the idea of “(landing) on earth from your ivory towers and (learning) some ‘life lessons’ from the poor commoners” as it is a genuine worry that for all that is said for meritocracy, it is not exactly a fair system. And that we are benefiting from that system.
Which explains the silence whenever this perennial question is asked. A friend of mine even once said “Bishan Secondary” (it doesn’t exist) to avoid the issue. Whether it be naive contrition or genuine concern, this discomfort with flaunting our school or other signs of being “premier” have been drilled into us from a lifetime of lectures on not being elitist, of “the whole other world out there” – of how grateful we should be to be so lucky. A teacher of mine once half-jokingly said that of all things her students feared the most, it was not failing the exams or losing a competition, but being seen as elitist.
In the end we told him our school, and the taxi driver rather considerately drove the conversation towards his neighbor who studied far too hard to get into a top school, but I think we felt a common understanding regarding that momentary uncomfortable silence.
Still, I prefer chatty cabbies.
“Oft Unwitting Elitism”
It’s my favourite phrase from “diary of a reformed elitist” because that’s basically the problem – as seen above, most don’t consciously choose to be elitist. They don’t set out to be haughty or nasty to others because that’s not how most people are like. It’s more about how a system that allows people to easily ensconce themselves into bubbles leads to a shocking lack of sensitivity. You know the drill: kindergarten, a “branded” primary school, Gifted Education, a “premier” secondary school, some “branded” tuition in between, through train (no O levels) and then you’re in a good university and pretty much set for the rest of your working life. Oh and throw in a scholarship for good measure.
It’s definitely not a wrong or shameful thing to choose to take the path that allows you to achieve your best. But such a smooth path makes it very easy for a person to live most of life in a bubble, well-meaning but ignorant, and thus dismissive, of others who might not have benefited from or fit into such a system. Furthermore, while it may seem to be a stereotype, only those who are better-off will be well-positioned to succeed early and thus build on that success. If you get into a kindergarten, you will do better in primary school. If you do better there, you can get into a better secondary school and so on. The opposite is also possible. An observation was made that in the past, you’d only see one or two Mercedes or BMWs among the vehicles used by the few parents who drove their kids to my school, but now the number has increased quite considerably.
Again, it is not a crime to be born into a rich family or do better in school – that would be making the same mistake as assuming poor people are poor because they don’t work hard enough. It’s only that there is a greater risk of insensitivity and ignorance of “the world out there”.
Up till most of my Primary School days, I lived in a HDB flat. It was located near a CC and a huge playground where we could play with all the other kids from the area. During the moon cake festival we would get those paper lanterns and light them with matches, and when we got bored we would get a stack of leaflets from the little troughs in front of the letterboxes and light them. Back then the playground still had sandpits, too. Before going for Gifted Education I went to a neighbourhood Primary School that had only been set up about three years before. And I walked because it was nearby. My brother would play basketball with the rest of the bigger boys from the area. I tell this not to flash my “local” credentials but because it shows how easily things could’ve turned out differently; after going Gifted, I noticed a marked change in the sort of financial background, experience and outlook I came to expect. And I realised if not for these years, I would never have understood really what it’s like. In short, I got a wider experience.
On one of my recent cycling trips, I visited the old playground. They replaced the sandpit with rubber!
Lack of experience breeds ignorance, and that creates such “oft unwitting elitism”.
Coming to Terms with being “Elite”
So if one cannot get such an experience naturally, the next best method would be actually going out to get such an experience yourself. A great channel for this would be through CIP, but as I’ve written about before, it’s shockingly easy to remain in a bubble, yet rack up hundreds of CIP hours. While the rationale and goals of CIP are very well founded, CIP hours are not as restricted in their provenance or rationale.
One particularly meaningful CIP we had in school, though, was a home refurbishment project for 1-room flats.
Recently, I met a teacher from another secondary school as part of a project. It was not even a “CIP” project, even if our goal was helping the community, because we did not get approval from our school and operated it independently. So no CIP hours.
It was the day when the O Level results were released, so (as mentioned earlier) we had just gotten our results for Higher Mother Tongue. I was not exactly satisfied by my result, but oh well. I mentioned this to the teacher as a way of conversation (“So you were busy with O level results today too, right?”) and he replied, while describing the status of the school, “not one student got an A1 today”. Many were in Normal Academic or Technical stream, students which he actually liked to teach because while they may had have to work much harder to score, they were also pleasant and eager to learn. Furthermore, some might have other problems at home – they would have to sleep in the corridor as there was not enough space in one-room flats, and there were no study rooms.
I won’t disclose any more, but needless to say we walked away very humbled and hopefully more aware. It was an important conversation because it also made me realise, despite it being only a few years since before I joined Gifted Education and the so-called “elite” track, how much less sensitive I had become to “the world out there”.
And with that the determination that while there is no shame in pursuing my goals and ambitions, all the while I have to keep searching for a way to sensitize myself – CIP hours or not.
And that’s how I’m coming to terms with being “elite” – not elite in the sense of being elitist or ignorant about others, but elite in that for better or worse I am going to aim to be the best, and that often entails being labelled an “elite”, depending on your definition of success. Because as much as I am inadvertently taken away from more grounded realities, I will have to make it back there through my own effort.
And the next time I am asked which school I am from, I definitely won’t hesitate to answer.
Do share and comment, thanks!
I Used to Play in that Playground. That 4-Storey Building Looks so Mysterious.
It was there since Primary School! Wonder if the auntie still sells ice pops there.
I really miss the sandpits; they allow for creativity and freedom in expression as well as unsurpassable tactile feedback. Rubber just doesn’t do the same, and it numbs you to the world.
Not sure if the sandpits have anything to do with your name haha but yes I loved the sandpits so much more. We’d get super dirty but it felt more real. Like running on grass instead of a track.
The school you come from is no big deal, you should not feel ashamed for it; because no matter what, you earned it; and other people cannot change that or belittle your success. When people ask, tell them as plain as day. BOASTING about the school you come from and rubbing it in people’s faces, on the other hand, reflects poorly. Being in a good school is testament to your hard work, but it does not give you license to turn your nose up at others.
Agreed Naman! The trouble is when people on both sides see things differently, but I hope it remains a minority, like the elitism cases.
CIP hours exist in an attempt to quantify the “service to community” committed by a student, much like how the GPA quantifies learning in the semester. That is, if a student’s GPA was based only on the total duration of lesson this aforementioned student attends. It is, therefore, as easy to remain in a bubble yet rack up hundreds of CIP hours, as it is to achieving a 4.0 GPA sleeping through every single class – where the only examination is attendance.
One look at the LEAPS certificate reveals the modest focus (at best) for something of colossal significance. The sad part of it all is that the seeming insignificance is almost understandable, amidst the various commitments an average student weathers in his/her school years.
Alas, I digress. Thank you for the insightful article.
With great power, comes great responsibility. Disregarding its provenance, it’s one of my favourite quotes describing meritocracy. Elitism is product of unfortunate breaches in equality of meritocracy, where the alleged elite is being discriminated against, or themselves discriminate. It is really a two-way street – parallels can be drawn to other terms with the -ism suffix.
I had always preferred to look at “elite” as a neutral term, referring to someone (anyone) with great power or potential. With great power comes great responsibility to serve, not entitlement to be, in any way, superior.
It’s also interesting to note that, with all the talk of various institutes/organisations that seemingly embody -all- of the elite, the elite, as per your definitions, do not exclusively dwell in well-known “premier” bodies. Similarly, these bodies do not exclusively constitute the elite.
This comment is a product of prolonged amnesia. Thank you for your time haha.
Thanks Yiuyin! We can only hope that the recent focus of education policy on values and character building somehow engenders improvements to the CIP system – the complaints are well-founded and widespread but it has always remained the status quo for the longest time.
I do think there was a time when “elite” was considered a good term and schools would proudly declare themselves as “elite” in order to attract future leaders and successes. And it should have remained a neutral term if not for the elitism cases and general feeling of discontent towards unfairness. Nevertheless, we should look upwards with ambition, not envy, while we shouldn’t look downwards with scorn. Most people are reasonable and would not feel so strongly if not for some real fault in the current system – where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
You hit the nail on the head. I’ve always had problems with telling others that I’m from an “elite” school- it feels as if I’m bragging when I do so, and I’m never proud of it. It also reminds us that this world also runs on a lot of unfairness, whether we like it or not, and also on misunderstandings, whether we intend them or not.
And so a lot of it has to be done with a large helping with gratitude – when we believe so strongly that any system we operate in is fair (and they never are), there’s a tendency to feel entitled to be at the top because we “won”, fair and square. As you said in fact in may have arisen from unfairness or misunderstandings, not to mention a whole lot of luck.
Well said! Hey, just out of curiosity, did you live beside the Lam Soon CC, where the mega playground is?
Yup the mega playground! Surprisingly it’s not very “mega” now..
Thanks Eugene. I would like to add one thing that I think must be mentioned, and one we must keep in mind. To whom much is given, much will be required. That’s a wonderful Biblical principle – another way to keep ourselves grounded.
Thanks Kirk! Definitely, we cannot live under the illusion of entitlement or that success is solely attributed to ourselves – any other person put in our environment and given the same opportunities would likely do just as well, if not better, so it is not ours to keep.
Dude, deep and insightful article! I have a lot of Rafflesian pride in me and while I don’t hesitate to show it, I ensure I don’t rub it in for others. Very interesting view on elitism and was a joy to read
and I’ve been to that playground loads of times when I was young haha 
Thanks Chiraag! Yup living in the West is quite a good thing as a kid
For someone so young, you have the soul and mind of a wise man. I am not from RI but another so-called elite school. My whole life I have studied in elites schools from uni to grad schools. I have worked in “elite” companies as well. The most important for us is not where we work / where we studied. I am sure you are very much proud of being from RI as much as I am proud of being a Josephian (wonder if that means anything today) or having worked in Arthur Andersen. We are proud but not arrogant. People must learn the difference being pride and arrogance.
I have had my fair share of people you talk to giving you the strange looks and comments such as “..aiyah .. “branded” school is like that la.. they sure act like damn proud ..” and I usually just ignore these people. Why? You hardly know me so please do not pass judgement on me on the basis of my school. You are actually making yourself look even worse and watever school I am from .. it doesn’t matter anymore.
Anyways, Eugene, all the best for your future undertakings and I am sure you will do well. We need more young people like you. There are too many “self-proclaimed”
elitists who did not even come from a “branded” school.. Hmmm I wonder how to deal with them.
Thank you for the comment and well wishes sir, I think as I go out to the working world (and NS) I will definitely have more bubbles burst as I leave a sheltered environment, but at the same time I have to remember to hold my own in the face of unwarranted judgement and prove these biases wrong in a good way.
For me, I’m still young but I feel experience (the kind mentioned in the post) is the best way for others to avoid elitism – its not worth it to waste too much emotions and time on dealing with them. Their own faults will eventually lead them towards negative experiences that correct such notions.. no matter how long it takes.
“And that’s how I’m coming to terms with being “elite” – not elite in the sense of being elitist or ignorant about others, but elite in that for better or worse I am going to aim to be the best.. And the next time I am asked which school I am from, I definitely won’t hesitate to answer.”
Definitely doing better than the usual understandings of “elite”. However, I’m sorry, young Rafflesian, this definition of elite is still the reason why people view “elite” and “elitism” as the dirty “e” words. What is the big deal about viewing “elitism” as the quest of improving oneself? I am sure all your schoolmates, past and present, feel the same way. They will not become less hesitant to reveal their alma mater because of that belief. They are hesitant despite that belief.
修身，齐家，治国， 平天下。Equating elite to aiming for the best is just the ugly (yes, I still think its ugly) first part of the story. It implies a selfish connotation. I care only for my own development. If you, young Rafflesian, only aspire to be at this level, I feel that you have set yourself too low a target. So why do you want to improve yourself and be the best? What is after that? Consider what roles and responsibilities you may play in society as a result of your privileged position. Understand these roles and responsibilities as part of what constitute “elite” and “elitism”. That is when you will not hesitant to tell others that you are a Rafflesian.
Thanks sir for your comment and advice. After reading the rest of the comments, I agree with you that just aiming to be the best is only the first part of the story – my success so far is also largely due to my good fortune to be born in a certain environment and given certain opportunities. Any other person put in the same position would do just as well, so this success does not belong to me but it should be my responsibility to return this to others in whatever form is best.
What are your thoughts on the pursuit of success versus giving back? The further you go, you may be in a greater position to give back to even more people. Some wait until they’re retired to focus their time on charity, while others dedicate their careers to public service. At what point do you decide to stop and focus on just giving back? Because as much as we can do both at the same time, our time and energies are definitely limited and one side may stand to lose.
You write very well; i enjoyed reading your post.
From your writing, you seem like a humble kid with good values. Keep it up!
I think we can’t really blame the “elites” for being “out of touch”.
). In that light, we are all guilty of living in our own little bubbles. We feel more comfortable hanging out with people of the same social class, same ethnicity, people who attended the same school etc. In the absence of some shared experiences, there is really no other “common topic” to talk about!
We all live in our own little bubbles.The phrase “opposites attract” is but a myth. Instead, people tend to be attracted to other people who are similar to themselves. (psychologically proven actually
On the other hand, if people from different backgrounds have some shared experience to fall back on, they can become form really deep bonds. The best example is NS which is a great equalizer of sorts. During your first few months of training you will still be with your the other JC people. However, once you get posted out to an operational unit, you really meet people from all walks of life. People who talk differently with a different outlook on life and a different set of values. I have managed to become good friends with my army mates despite our vastly different backgrounds; we meet up every year during Chinese New Year.
Get out of your comfort zone and go explore other activities outside of school! (a bit hard la given RI’s schedule
). Who cares if you people pigeonhole you as “elite” once they hear where you are from. Once they know you well enough, that stereotype will soon melt away. They will find that you are just another person; good at some areas not so good at others but humble and grounded with good values.
“Elite” is ultimately just a label; why let a label define you?
I am a JAE student and just joined Raffles Institution this year.
Before making the decision to enroll into RI, I asked my family, friends and teachers about the school atmosphere and the general behaviour of Rafflesians. Unfortunately, people usually described Rafflesians as ‘stuck-up elites’, ‘rich kids will discriminate people who are not from the raffles family/poor/ugly’ and so on.
To make matters worse, I have met and know people who met Rafflesians who do not possess the correct attitude to match their intelligence.
But I still decided to come to Raffles to see if the rumors and negative image surrounding such ‘elitist schools’ are true.
I have not regretted coming to Raffles.
People are really kind and friendly in Raffles. Even though they are academically stronger and have a better command of English then me, my classmates are always willing to help me out when I don’t understand a concept. I have made a lot of good friends who are humble, down-to-earth and generous. In fact, coming to Raffles has completely changed the way I look at Rafflesians.
Granted. There are a few so called ‘elitist’ who only strengthen the incorrect image of a academically successful student with no values.
But the great majority of students are not this way.
So what students from the ‘top’ schools should do is use their actions, not just words, to change the common misconception of the public. It will be an uphill task to get rid of the negative connotation surrounding the word ‘elitist’ but I’m sure you guys can do it.
No. I’m sure we can do it.
Cheers to that; it’s all about perception on both sides, but also how consciously we look at our own actions and how they might be perceived. I’m glad things are better than they seem in Raffles, but I guess it’s just cause in general people are reasonable and nice – fear and ignorance is what creates most conflicts.
You buddy, are alright.
It’s good that you’re thinking about the topic. Awareness is a good start. Keep an open mind to the people and life around you and you’ll do just fine.
Stay humble, but be careful about looking forward, we sometimes forget the people we leave behind.