Elites, Elitists and Elitism

Jayw24

8 Sep 12, 14:04

Taken from: http://www.sociologicalthoughts.com/2012/07/10/elites-elitist-and-elitism/

The fundamental definition of elitist is simply someone considered superior by society. In a society like Singapore where meritocracy is the premier ideology subscribed by everyone and accepted by most, elitism is to be expected – the belief that elites should rule the nation. There has been plenty of issues raised to challenge this system of meritocracy and I’m not in the mood for that discussion having talked so much about that during the academic year. What’s more interesting at hand is how increasingly, elitist and elitism are accumulating and acquiring negative connotations. In a brief summary, the notion of elitist is becoming more and more synonymous with snobbery. Going as far back as 2006, we have evidence of promising elites such as a certain Wee Shu Min (then, an 18-year-old scholarship recipient) who came into the limelight for criticizing older workers:

i am inclined – too much, perhaps – to dismiss such people as crackpots. stupid crackpots. the sadder class … we are a tyranny of the capable and the clever, and the only other class is the complement … if you’re not good enough, life will kick you in the balls … my future isn’t certain but i guess right now it’s a lot brighter than most people’s. derek will read this and brand me as an 18-year old elite, one of the sinners who will inherit the country and run his stock to the gutter. go ahead. the world is about winners and losers … dear derek is one of many wretched, undermotivated, overassuming leeches in our country, and in this world. one of those who would prefer to be unemployed and wax lyrical about how his myriad talents are being abandoned for the foreigner’s… please, get out of my elite uncaring face.

The new definition for Elitism
Taken from: http://intelligentsingaporean.wordpress.com/wee-shu-min/

This situation doesn’t seem to be improving and why should it? We are a society which grants unchallenged respect to educated individuals with paper qualifications; we are a society who rewards the most academically gifted scholarships and special programs which grant them a deep sense of importance; and we are a society which embraced meritocracy and have bought so deeply into this “fair and equal” system. The product is a massive group of educated young citizens who feel too full of themselves.

Meritocracy
Taken from: https://geepeeland.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/

A society of elites is perfectly fine so long as they never forget their roots and give respect where respect is due; not solely based on academic excellence; but experience, efficiency, attitude and way of life. I have come across too many incidents of young graduates being disrespectful to under-educated cleaners; young graduate managers showing no respect for older, experienced technician and manual workers under them; and even blatant outbursts of elites against a world that just isn’t good enough for them (the likes of the incident in 2006).

As far as I’m concerned, being educated means nothing if one does not live by a certain principle and moral code. Respect is earned through day-to-day attitude and behaviour and not through the scholarship that you were given or awards that you have won. It is the way you treat others that will determine the kind of person you are. Many of us fall into the trap of knowing too much information thanks to Mr. Google and Mr. Wiki and become impatient in the face of ignorant elders who lack so much of the common knowledge that is so readily available to us. All this knowledge act as a ingredients to justify talking down to others who seem to know so little. Unfortunately, it is also this knowledge that empower us to adopt a snobbish attitude.

Of course, this is not addressing the entire population. Many of us still understand the value of staying grounded and showing respect where respect is due. I’m writing here as a reminder to myself and whoever reads this of the importance of re-redefining the notion of elitism into something that ONLY means a trust-worthy group of educated elites without the connotation of snobbery and disrespect. Education has empowered us and this power can be used in any way one desires. Instead of adopting the “elitist” mentality that looks down upon all academically inferior others, why not adopt the elitist mentality that stems from sharing, respecting and appreciating all others; for what others lack in knowledge, they may well outshine you in passion, motivation, experience, ability, and so on.

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troublemaker2005

8 Sep 12, 15:16

eletie or not as long as u r human - you fart. farting loud and mellier can be train. next time you fart don;t ust fart, try to control and thrust, hold or increase intensity, in no tim e u find that whenver you hav the feelin to fart, you can prolong, shorten, hasten its coming, cntrol it like its a second nature.

Summer hill

8 Sep 12, 19:04

aiya this world is never fair.

some people born with legs. without arms. born blind.

some born deaf. some stillborn.

as for me, i not born with silver spoon lor. Only have plastic baby spoon.

Clivebenss

8 Sep 12, 19:07

jiani born with a plastic spoon?

Summer hill

8 Sep 12, 19:10

Originally posted by Clivebenss:

jiani born with a plastic spoon?

when my mother feed me, she used a plastic spoon

FireIce

8 Sep 12, 19:10

this case has been stale for bery long........

Clivebenss

8 Sep 12, 19:12

Originally posted by Summer hill:

when my mother feed me, she used a plastic spoon

Oops. I thot you have a twin call plastic spoon.

troublemaker2005

8 Sep 12, 19:48

i worse arh, i use hand to eat from the hand. then don;t know whcih hand clean arsehole after shitting 1

Uraniumfish

9 Sep 12, 03:51

Wah, fireice locked my thread, probably because it was turning racialist.

First of all, Singapore does not practice real meritocracy here. What defines 'merit' here anyway? Degrees? In that case, why are those philipinos and Indian nationals, with their bullshit degrees, getting jobs easily. Even though what they learn to get these degree is much less than what our poly graduates learn.

Also, the reason people seem to be obcessed with these academics is clearly cultural. Like how parents put their kids through 10 enrichment classes, tuition and others aside from school so that they can get higher rankings in school. They don't know that education is about learning, not grades. The kids that think this is the case, so we get people who think highly of themselves just because of their scores.

M the name

16 Sep 12, 20:16

TS is still living in the 80s where he didn't know that now even a P.hd student is driving an taxi, or an NUS graduate become an Karung guni man, there are fear that Singaporean will be elbowed by FT whether they are elite or not, not to forget "urgent" issue like HDB can be so expensive that an Queentown unit can cost $1 million plus the widen of income gap etc.