Singapore, creation of a deviant class: The Rich and Successful

Tonight, I post the latest project I submitted which is for my Sociology of Deviance module. Enjoy, my friends.

Abstract

Most in Singapore subscribe to what it means to be rich and successful in society and hence aspire to join the class of the elites’. With the majority of the Singapore community aspiring towards this local cultural goal by way of the institution of the school, many do not doubt their inability to attain that status. The argument of this paper is that it takes a certain level of deviance to enter the elite class and this deviance is due to the structural conditions present in the society, coupled with the economic opportunities present in the Singapore economy. This unique class of deviants, ie the rich and successful, is thus created. Recognized literature on Sociology of Deviance is used to substantiate the above argument.

Introduction

Who wants to be a millionaire? Most in Singapore want to be. Leaving aside survivability issues such as rising costs of living, terms that beckons Singaporeans to work hard for the purposes of status and prestige are rife. An infamous example is the phrase "5Cs" which stands for Cash, Condominium, Car, Country Club and Credit Card. It is representative of the class-consciousness and materialist culture of the Singapore people. It is not only about getting there, it is about getting there quick, when one is young in his twenties and thirties. In fact, industries such as Multi-Level Marketing (MLM), Financial Advisory, teen-oriented push-cart stalls were all the craze be it at some points in time in the past, or at present. The most recent is the rise in online blog shops, also known as spree shops, and these are examples that suggest and support the presence of a very strong culture of aspiration towards success. Further, the implications of these economic opportunities do not end here because they represent alternative routes to success and they essentially challenge the institution of schools in the country.

In a country where paper qualifications are of paramount importance, most families will ultimately want to send their children to the University, the highest level of the institution of schools. In the process, it is a growing trend to send children to private pre-schools such as Eton House and from the late pre-teen to the teen years, to the independent and elite schools such as Raffles, Anglo-Chinese and the list continues. In the event of inability to enter any of the local schools or Universities, education in foreign schools are a must have alternative, as long as parents possess the resources to afford it.

We compare between the entire schooling system in Singapore and direct modes of wealth accumulation such as businesses in this paper and it is evident that there is a realization, whether obvious or not to those who embark on these businesses, that one has to be deviant from the norm in order to attain the success that most can only dream of.

Literature Review and Research Method

The basis for the observation as stated in the abstract and introduction comes from covert qualitative conversations geared in the direction towards the subject matter of career and materialism. These conversations are mostly with undergraduates and post-graduates of the National University of Singapore. Elites of the society such as CEOs and senior management are spoken to as well, albeit extremely limited. To make up for the shortfall, materials such as autobiographies and written materials on world reknowned elites such as Robert T. Kiyosaki and Ralph Roberts as well as locals such as Ngiam Tong Dow are examined. Self-improvement books such as those by John. C. Maxwell are examined as well.

Further, major literature on Deviance is reviewed and observations made through the qualitative conversations are assessed within these Deviance literature frameworks.

Durkheim: Functionalism, Deviance and Control

The functions of Crime and Deviance are to maintain social solidarity and collective conscience as well as to produce social change and progress through innovation.

Robert K. Merton: Strain theory

The root causes of deviance lies in the structure of society and not in the individuals engaging in the acts of deviance. Merton compares two elements of social and cultural structures of immediate importance, the first being the culturally defined goals and the second being the acceptable modes of reaching out for these goals. The gap between these two elements provides the strain to deviance.

Sutherland and Cressey: Differential Association

Sutherland and Cressey argues that crime is a learned behavior not unlike any ordinary behavior. It is learned through communication from intimate associates.

Albert K. Cohen: A general theory of Subcultures

Lower-working class experiences pressure in conforming to middle class values in its institution. This results in status problems. The negotiation of this problem and the seeking of solutions to win power back to themselves result in subcultures.

Characteristics of the Rich and Successful

"If you want to be rich, do what the rich does". There are many books written on how to become rich and successful, and they include autobiographies, self-improvement books and collections of success stories. These books are revealing as they share with the world the traits, characteristics, personalities and lifestyle of the elite class and some of the most commonly named attributes are hard work, persistence, determination, humility, communication, leadership qualities and so on. Everyone knows that these are the qualities they need to possess. In fact, they do, however many do not doubt the possibility that they will never attain the wealth and success they aspire towards.

Institution of school in Singapore

The schooling system in Singapore is among the most influential institution in Singapore having been internalized as a necessity by the Singapore community to the extent that there is an overemphasis on paper qualifications. Its various levels and academic scope are catered for the various strata of society, by age, gender, wealth, intellectual and academic capacities and other variables. For example, the Institute of Technological Education (ITE) is associated with the lower-working class and to a certain extent the ethnic minorities. The negative connotation associated with it is to the extent that ITE has come to mean "It's the End". On the other hand, the three main local Universities are for a privileged group of students who have proven themselves in the education system.

With the presence of both local and foreign schooling institutions such as United World College, it is not surprising that the bulk of the Singapore community has an opportunity in the schooling system, to keep pace with the local cultural goal of success.

Creation of a deviant class: the Rich and Successful

It is important to note at this point that while the Singapore schooling system absorbs most of the Singapore community into the system, it is inevitable that deviants will be produced. Most conform to the local cultural goal and remain in school, and this is an indicator of the belief that the institution of the school is the mode to that cultural goal. However, on the other hand there are some who do not or are unable to, resulting in delinquency or in my paper's argument, becoming part of the elites, the Rich and Successful. This non-conformity by the elite class is split into two categories. The first is non-conformity as a result of realization that the schooling system is insufficient to meet the cultural goal, and the second is a drop out from school as a result of being unable to keep up with the demands of the school.

There have been many research into deviance in the direction of crime and lower-working class deviance as a result of structural conditions present. However, this paper provides an alternative. Instead of looking downwards at the delinquents, the paper looks upwards at the elite class. The process of creating these elites is not unlike the process of the creating the lower-class deviants.

Becoming Rich and Successful: schooling system determined to be inadequate

First of all, many University undergraduates are found not to be engaging solely in school work, but are holding jobs and businesses concurrently. These include private tuition, week-end part-time jobs, and for the more adventurous and ambitious, they engage in business models such as MLM, financial advisory and blog shops as mentioned earlier. When conversing with these undergraduates, there is a certain fear among them that the school system does not guarantee their success and future. They face a strain. There is a realization that the schooling system may after all be a false promise. This is a significant finding as if University graduates are unable to attain the cultural goal, there is no one else in the society who are able to do so since University graduates are socially considered to be part of the elites of the society.

Following, in engaging in these business models, some of which are stigmatizing such as the insurance and the MLM industry, they experiment, explore in the hope of associating with "like-minded people". Further, through these associations, they form communities where they learn the tricks of the trade in order to become successful.

However, there is an undeniably high attrition rate for these inspired youths. For those who do not make the mark, they fall back into their safety net, ie their degrees and paper qualifications. However, for those who do succeed, of which the clearest indicator is the amount of profits made and wealth accumulated, they continue to associate upwards. Therefore, a function of this deviance is to prevent too many from entering the elite class.

Becoming Rich and Successful: Inability to keep up with demands of the school

Inability to keep up with demands of the school occurs at all levels of the schooling system. University undergraduates do face stress and pressures in daily school life and some even drop out of school. However, it is clear that it does not necessarily spell the end for them. In fact, due to forced circumstances, many have to abandon the institutionalized means of success, and in this paper the school. They are forced to innovate. Comes neatly is the economic opportunities that the Singapore economy present to them, which are already mentioned. It is not unlike the Chinese Secret Societies who absorb the delinquents to keep them off the streets. The difference is that the former is legitimate and the latter, illegitimate.

Lastly, whether these deviants eventually move upwards or downwards on the social ladder generally depends on the cultural and social capital they are in contact with, possess or acquire when in school. This explains why parents send their children to elite schools at all costs, to acquire these important capitals, whether they consciously realize or not.

Conclusion

Caught in a cultural and structural situation that most in the Singapore society are unable to divorce themselves from, many subscribe to the Singaporean cultural goal of being rich and successful. Yet many are unable to attain it despite identifying and possessing many attributes of the successful.

Firstly, University students who are part of the elites in the Singapore society have proven that the institution of the school is insufficient to attain the desired status. Secondly, inability to cope with the school system is inevitable at all levels. Therefore, it is in these that the structural conditions produce the deviants who dare to venture into opportunities located within the Singapore economy which, important to note, is legitimate. The deviant class of the Rich and Successful is thus created as a legitimate and privileged subculture.

In conclusion, while deviance is required to ensure there’s a renewal of elites who will spear head the economy and lead the country politically, it is a delicate choice between having low levels of deviance to prevent too many falling into the lower-class deviance, and having high levels of deviance yet ensuring that majority of these deviants have mobility in the social ladder. Therefore, public policy may be drawn to assist the less privileged class in acquiring the relevant capitals that will at least allow them social mobility into legitimate opportunities structure present, whether inside or outside of the school and paper qualifications system, in the Singapore economy.