All Societies have elites, but some become elitist.

All Societies have elites, but some become elitist. The Straits Times, 19th May 2007

Referring to this article that was published in The Straits Times, I fully agree with the writer’s concept. In any society, one will always be able to find elites among them. However, the elites are not considered elitists until they seek to promote and support themselves, to be this exclusive group of privileged people, while looking down on those who are not as well to do as them.

I feel that this article is particularly relevant to me, as being from a student from Raffles Institution, I am always given second glances whenever I walk past a coffee shop, library or even at a bus stop. I am regarded as a snobbish and rich student who looks down on people from other schools, or in other words, an elitist. Already just by looking at my badge everyone automatically classifies me as an elitist, without even letting me show them I am certainly not one.

This article’s purpose from my point of view is that it is trying to change the longstanding stereotype that all students from top schools are elitist. Indeed, I was shocked to find out that those from elite schools were affected much more by elitism as compared to those from non elite schools. I was shocked was because that I initially felt that elitism was supposed to affect non elite schools more, such as feeling inferior as they were not in top schools. However, after reading the passage and reflecting on it, I realize that being from an elite school, the mindset of one becoming an elite mindset is already planted in you the moment you step into the school compound.

To me in any case, being elite is one who has the most amounts of money and having best grades. When one doesn’t achieve those targets, even when he has given it his all, he naturally feels much more inferior as compared to those he lost out to. In contrast, those from non elite schools do not have this mindset of “I must become the best”, with emphasis on must, and thus they just do their best at everything they do and are generally not affected by the outcome, as they know they have tried.

Nowadays, it is not only about getting good grades that matters for one to get into a desired job, it is about one’s emotional quotient, how one can relate with other people and to interact with them well. I feel that elitism has not affected Singapore much on the whole, but it is just the fact that the few who are elitist have been discussed about so much that people are starting to feel the presence of elitism. In order to prevent elitism from happening in Singapore, top schools in Singapore should be open and accessible to all, and not based on who the father is or how much money he posseses.