An emphatic speech of anti-elitism

Probably the most recent problem that I have in the run up to the last few weeks is the grousing that I have been launching...

As this semester winds down to an end...and I am still hunting for jobs - which I have applied for several and gotten rejections so far...I am not giving up still.

But the current plight of what I have been looking for is that my inability to get what I hope to get - and I know some of my friends have got good jobs - in CAAS, and the intelligence arm of Mindef for example... does highlight again the essence of one problem - Government service and the elitism debate.

It's one thing studying it - but another experiencing it.

I never fully understood what Prof Jon Quah meant when he taught it until I fully realise it today...

But first of all, I apologise to everyone for bearing with my grouses this week...and so very thankful that I am alive and well today.

But elitism has stung me especially bad - I know I have been heavily criticised of playing the issue of '2nd upper and non 2nd upper' issue - and since I belong to the latter, the sad factof Singapore's society is that you have to scrim for whatever advantage you have.

Just disgusted when I looked at KeppelLog - their MA scheme only called for '2nd upper and above' graduates. Same for other government ministries. And this is spreading to the private sector as well - look at the banks for example.

What that means is that the majority of non-outstanding students have to fight for whatever remaining 'ok' jobs there are on the market - and they are in the minority. What happens then - the utter discontent of an intellectual population who slogged their lives to seek a good job and end up with eggs on their faces. An article that I read on the Straits Times the day before made this point - 'Kiasuism to the max' as it is. This feeling is already getting down to JC students, and even secondary school kids as well.

What does this do to the psyche to other students, and more importantly, the coming youth generation?

'Meritocracy' - a farce! Because of it, the so-called people who can study smart and do well get good jobs and soar above everyone else. They become increasingly arrogant, sheltered, self-centred. Because they will never get to know what it means to to encounter an obstacle - like having to work through your whole life and not getting anything.

Do less academically capable people like me unfit to make big decisions for companies, firms or even the nation!

I SAY NOT!

So now I am condemning a lot of people - lecturers who are elitist and group people as high calibre and low calibre people - sadly one of my lecturers who I respected in the past does that; friends who have good academic results and have good jobs being insensitive to the concerns of the rest - again, I am very sad that I have friends who feel that way; and elites who always profess that what they are doing is for the very good of the nation...'whose good' you wonder?

I should not be grousing about this because I may be working in the public sector in some capacity - but as a fellow man on the street - or 'an ant of the masses' as I will like to call myself, how will my aims and dreams be realised in what I always feel as a 'suffocating' society like Singapore? Too bad I am not that capable of going overseas although I am looking into that option and see how I can fit in.

An NUS slogan I saw said 'You are just another statistic. But you will not be when you joiN'US.' I think it is worded that way - but the point is this:

I feel sad at the way majority of us who are not doing academically well enough just make up another statistic for studying in a 'worldwide famous' university such as NUS. And that also applies for NTU and SMU.

Go figure.

Issues to mull over

Thinking over a few issues as the countdown to the end of my last semester approaches - I don't really know whether I should be happy or sad over it...

Firstly, kudos to Hock, Shawn and Daniel for initiating the PS hons break over the mid term break - although only 8 of us came, there was still a lot of joy and laughter all the same - this was one good occassion where we managed to take swipes at some of the personalities that we like and dislike - lecturers and fellow friends... But it's all in the name of fun - and seemingly so it was a good break.

Secondly, the PS honours dinner was cancelled by the department as Harris told it to me at the start of last week. I was disgusted by the department's attitude and asked him if an alternative venue was possible. It was something that most of the cohort who knew about it were ok with - in fact some of the more quiet guys were looking forward to it. Well, at the end of the day, it was resurrected - all thanks to Harris =D, but the only thing is that the venue's changed to an informal one - but I will take it all the same =)

For all who like me are PS majors, you are invited to the dinner (in case you do not know) at:

Seoul Garden, Marina Square, 1/4/2008, 7pm.

Just let me know if you cannot contact Harris - you can find him on the school's email add or look for him thru my profile in facebook haha.

Finally, as the work intensifies, I am torn between the concentration to do good research papers and the need to look for work. It's worrying on both fronts - but the best thing I can only do is to try pushing and see where I end up. Sigh...but I will look at all avenues and see what happens. And all the best to the rest of you who are handling both crazy things like I do.

Lastly, non-personal related, but hopefully Liverpool FC can keep going on its good form - Premiership and Champions League...and the LA Lakers get the top seed in the playoffs...and..hmm...England try to resurrect their rugby fortunes in the 6 nations.

And finally, I am thinking of planning for a trip - either as a grad trip or a working holiday trip in December. Will post more details on this soon as I continue my thoughts about this.

=)