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by ksl » Fri, 19 Dec 2008 1:52 pm
Well I can only say, that most Countries that have had a colonial mother, and system, will find themselves segregated for many years to come.
The British have their supposedly superior blood lines, not many Countries are so liberal to recognise full equality and i have seen the hate and jealousy of some lower working class people in my own Country, which tells me, the problems of this nature are world wide.
It's true to say, that those that are fortunate to earn higher incomes, have worked hard, and studied hard to achieve their targets.
There are no reasons why Singaporeans should be any different to other humans, I believe jealousy or envy can work in positive ways too.
There will always be those, that feel superior to others, in one way or another, and if it is documented family heritage, it may be enough to, trigger the ego, into blast mode.
My own experience is to humour these people, and take it light heartedly, many of them are raised by their parents and molded into the framework, again it's all about respect being earned and the ability to lead by example.
To actually drop so low, to callous back chat serves no positive purpose in life, so I have always found it better to remain quite and learn from others, although i am a very proud and respectful person, and would expect those superior adults, to recognise that fact.
My arrogance for example in the military was more about the tone of voice used towards me and lucky for me, I had held back many times and followed the code of the Military, and that is to say, no senior NCO may touch me, without my prior permission, So when the prodding finger strikes the shoulder, the natural reflex is to strike back, hence no promotion, although I stood my ground and followed the game, in one ear and out of the other.
It never ever interfered with my soldiering, I would never become a slave of my peers, unless the respect was mutual, I had a good time, but was well aware, that superiority of the British is a tradition, that they hope to hang on too and the lower working class trash is just that. My mate that i joined the military with, made it to Major but was never totally excepted by the other officers, because like they say, it's handed down in the blood line, yet over the years, he has also changed so much, that he segregates himself from his roots, like many of us do.
It's not that we are better, than the working class, it's more that we do not wish to turn the clock back, it would be a negative thing to do, and none productive, locals have the same opportunities, but it takes motivation and self confidence to change ones life.
Although I do see in the work place, that locals are not treated well by some employers, and again this is a fear of local social behaviour patterns, that if you give them an inch, they will take a mile in many cases, and will still hold resentment against a superior.
Although my experience is that some employers do not show respect through example, but just like to shout orders and insults and pay very low incomes, but one must be aware through experience, that working on the shop floor, will enlighten the middle management to a cliche or group lead by the leader, the instigator that others generally fear, workers that don't follow the leader maybe forced to leave or are cast out.
I find the social organisation in the work place quite educational, and having been just a worker on construction sites, factories and generally a slave, it wasn't long before I was aware of peer pressure, to resent those like the foreman, who had educated himself into that position.
The workers are more like wolves, scavengers, waiting to pounce on the weak and vulnerable, its a dog eat dog place of work, that breeds segregation, to move up, one must study and improve, the sooner that is excepted, the sooner one can look back and think how lucky one was, not to be held back, by peer pressure, although it does take funds and effort.
If one looks at graduates today, they never ever get the work experience of the shop floor worker, because they have studied and missed out on the experience and understanding of social attitudes in the work place, and the hierarchy which is unofficially formed by peer pressure. To be a leader is no easy task, and those that have the ability to lead, do it to their best ability, although their is a great deal of understanding and learning to do and i don't only mean academically.
Graduates will tend to expect promotion because of their study and not their work ability, I know people that take master degrees before even having a job, and expect the heavens to open, it doesn't work like that at all, in the real world, and I think the sooner one learns the survival techniques the better, it is a very competitive market place, but if one is productive, it will show, by that i mean earning more for the company than what you are taking out of the company in income.
The first people to be sacked are the borderline cases in a recession and not the cream of the force, and to be the cream, you have to show the spirit and bring in the goodies, no job is really safe, if the company is not managed in a finely tuned way, which is almost impossible to do continuosly
Generally it's the same the world over in my opinion. one needs to stand firm, give respect and expect respect in return, no matter what race or religion, very hard i know, because i used to stick up for some black guy's and others with British passports in the military, which also backfired on myself, although i didn't join up for a career, i joined up to escape the shit hole i was in, and enjoyed the job for 12 years, I was more qualified than my superiors, because i thrive on knowledge and learning, and I am well aware that i can influence my own destiny by being my own master.
WORD!
I have often wondered what Singaporeans might be saying about expats in the privacy of their own homes.
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