Quora Answer: Are Singaporeans Class Conscious?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Are Singaporeans getting class-conscious?”

Singaporeans have always been class-conscious.  It may not be so apparent, but that is the reality.  Our society is shaped such that there is competition to do well at school, at work and even in National Service, for some of us.  We have special schools for the gifted students, and we have streaming from primary school.  The concept of a class society is ingrained within us.  Within all that, how we carry ourselves, the standard of English and other languages we speak, the circles we move around in, even our occupation, it all matters.  And that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Class-consciousness is a virtue when there is a possibility of movement from one socioeconomic strata to another.  This creates dynamism and competition.  Competition and stress is good.  It weans the weak from the strong, the deficient from the accomplished, the content from the ambitious.  People are not equal, and the idea of an absolutely equal society is illogical.  It breeds complacency and heralds the death of progress.

We need competition.  We need stress.  We need to push people to excel.  And for those who are not good enough, not strong enough, not willing to push, there is a place for them in the hierarchy, because we need people at every level of the pyramid for society to function, but only the very best should be at the top.