Social+Class



SOCIAL CLASS
PARADIGMS OF SOCIAL CLASS WITHIN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS media type="youtube" key="DfnOabfovuA&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425"

This video has been done by Kho Yong Xiang, Gordon Goh, Seow Yong Zhi, Derrick Tan and Edwin Chew from 3H1.

The three main characters of this video are Richard Alva Moors 吝啬 (the Upper class), Andrew Ng 恩刘 (the middle class) and Joseph Tan 药衡 (the lower class). The film attempts to portray 3 different classes of people from 3 different backgrounds studying together in a class.

In the first case, Joseph Tan 药衡 is from a lower social background. He smokes, he plays football and is not interested in his studies. He often compares with his friends from other classes in a degatory manner. Joesph is portrayed as a slacker, uninterested in school work and has no friends. His comment, "so meng for what, no need to study" shows that he does not value the education he has and feels that it is not important studying. Joesph is seen with no friends, and fights with a parent while on the way home. Joesph starts hurling vulgarities when he bumped into others.

In the second case, Andrew Ng 恩刘 feels that homework and schoolwork is more important than others. He despises Joesph as a slacker whereas Richard being too affluent. He feels that learning is only one directional. He exclaims, "Pia Pia Pia, no other choice lah, really". Shows that he feels that there is only one route to success and that is through hard work. The use of Singlish also shows that he is not coming from a very educated background. Andrew is seen with a group of friends, and goes home with a toyota car. Andrew is apologetic when he bumps into others.

In the thrid case, Richard Alva Moors 吝啬 feels that learning is important but he also begins to critique the English standards he learnt in school. Apart from that, he is rich and he relies on his personal attendant, from Philippines, to teach him English. Being extremely critical about the English standards in school, he goes around complaining about the history essays and language. He is spoilt for choice, this can be seen from him, being unable to decide which highlighter to choose. Richard on the other hand, is seen with a group of students, and goes home with a mercedes car. Richard just complains about those that bumps into him.

media type="youtube" key="fnpu8img96g&hl=en" height="355" width="425" This video has been done by Lim Tze Hao (18) 3H2 and is a photomontage which goes by the coordinate of social class. The photomontage comprises of several photos of places and objects which signify different social classes. Photos like those of the buses, shopping malls, HDB flats and hawker centers represent the lower and working classes. Other pictures like the hotels, landed property and high-end shopping complexes represent the higher class. These two categories of photos represent different classes. Together, they both signify the presence of a huge gap between the higher class and the other classes.

Also, it too signifies that someone from a particular class, for example the working class, can never ascend to a class above the working class. A person is classified into each class through his upbringing. As such, no matter how one tries to change or adhere to a class which is higher than his rightful class, he will still remain in that class. As such, the photomontage represents the fact that social classes are like the caste system and cannot be altered. One might try to seem like a class that he is not. However, the fact that he belongs to that class cannot be changed.

Thus, the video shows the huge gap between the higher class and the other classes – a gap that cannot be crossed. Therefore, one should not hanker after the achievement of a class higher than his class. The huge gap between the higher and other classes, represented by the huge difference in the photos, reinforces this.

=Caught In Between=

media type="youtube" key="Xl6e6-Uimnc&hl=en&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" height="344" width="425"

This video reflects the dilemma of the Chinese immigrant when deciding their life paths. Should they stay in their hometown, or migrate to more Westernized countries such as Singapore? Migration holds the promise of a better life, but also posed the challenge of a blend-in. This video attempts to illustrate simply the difficulties of immigrants in their assimilation to a totally new culture.

In the first scene, the Chinese immigrant was reading Chinese materials with an air of ease. This symbolized him staying in the comfort zone of his hometown. However, due to the attraction, be it economic, cultural or otherwise, of the Western world, represented by the football for its place as a distinctive cultural icon in the West, they are often pulled towards them, thus become the impetus for their immigration. After the move, the Chinese immigrant picked up English magazines.

Naturally, he came across many unfamiliar words, for which there was no one to turn to for explanation. He then approaches the local, who reluctantly and rudely hurled an English dictionary. This is allegory to the situation faced by immigrants who have trouble blending in to the new environment. First of all, they have trouble adapting to the disorientation of this whole new world they have almost been thrust upon. They are on their own, unless they have the courage to turn to help.

Back to the case in the video, the immigrant attempted to seek assistance of the local to help him understand his new life better. Yet, this plea was met with degrading looks, and perfunctory help was unwillingly given simply for the sake of getting the irritation off his back. Thus, the immigrant is forced by circumstances into the pitiful state of helpless independence. It is here that our protagonist in the video turned wistfully to the direction of his home country with a telescope in his hands. This action is an expression of his homesickness and missing of a place where, though he borders on dire straits in economic terms, there is at the very least basic respect granted to every human being.

There are two objects in the video that serve as useful metaphors. They are the model airplane and the divide between the walls. When the protagonist approaches the local, he crossed the model plane. Yet, not once in the film did he transverse the divide along the wall. They symbolized the geographical and cultural boundaries between different communities respectively. The immigrant has crossed the geographical boundary, but is trying in vain to pass the cultural one. Therefore, he is merely there physically, but spiritually and culturally-wise, true assimilation has never occurred.