Wrote this for my CS118 Assignment... LOL

I have to think long and hard when asked to write about my prejudice. After being socially-engineered to disregard racial differences, to accept and embrace a multicultural and multi-religious society, it was difficult to pinpoint one prejudice with regards to ethnocentrism as spelt out in the course syllabus. On deeper thought, I will venture into a smaller context to discuss about my prejudice against students hailing from Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), ACS (I).

ACSians are widely perceived to be English-sprouting snobs who come from middle- to upper-class background, with a specific contempt for all things Chinese and the lesser lights. Coming from a heartland dweller family, nursing an interest in the Chinese language and culture and schooled nonetheless at The Chinese High School (now Hwa Chong Institution), the stereotypical ACSian is an exact opposite of mine.

As if the rivalry for prestige among the top boys’ schools were not intense enough, the prejudice was further accentuated with my involvement with the athletics team, which by the way are the perennial champions at the National Schools level for the past two decades.

Throughout my secondary school life, ACSians were conveniently made up as the pseudo-adversary who were not up to the mark, sporting funky hairdos, ill-disciplined brats and simply inept at their mother tongue. This stereotype was further reinforced by isolated cases of some rebellious ACSians who I got acquainted to through interschool interactions and exchanges.

I would classify this prejudice against ACSians as a result of Class and Personal identities. The perceived difference in socio-economic background between them and I led to the issue of Class identity, and with polarized degrees of appreciation for the Chinese heritage, there was a head-on clash of personal identities.

Outwardly though, this prejudice did not expose itself to any significant extent in the public domain, partly because Chinese High boys are cultivated with virtues of humility and showing respect for self and others, if not simply intelligent and very politically correct even in our early teens.

That said, I was happy to take occasional swipes at ACSians for I-cannot-remember-what reasons, and joined in hearty laughter when ACSians were made butts of jokes, which were commonplace activities when too much schoolwork bred extreme boredom. And whenever we met ACS (I) on the competitive athletics arena, there was always a quasi-tension in the air with exchanges of nonchalant and soulless stares.

On hindsight, all these manifestations of the prejudice against ACSians were not out of any ill intent. Instead, they served to create a common enemy or source of humour that would push myself to a higher level of achievement or enjoyment.

Bridging the Divide

My prejudice and inexplicable aversion of ACSians peaked during the period at my alma mater TCHS. Fortunately, I did not have to design any specific project or activity in an attempt to overcome this prejudice as I proceeded to junior college and beyond.

At National Junior College (NJC), there was a good mix of students from all kind of secondary schools from every corner of Singapore, ACS (I) included. It was not difficult getting to know more ACSians, and at a deeper level. Among them were student councilors who were vocal, and my fellow teammates in the canoeing team who were equally committed and tenacious as any other. During my national service (NS) in the army, I had three different buddies in different phases of my army life, and ubiquitously they all came from ACS (I). I am glad to say that not once did they let me down.

Truth and Myth Uncovered

But knowing more ACSians personally confirmed that there were some truths in our prejudice. Most of them did come from well-heeled families residing in districts 10 and 11, and most of them are awful with their grasp of the Chinese language. I said most, because some prominent ACSians have come good, such as JJ Lin Junjie – a household name in the Chinese pop scene.

Perhaps it is a school culture, or just simply due to their family backgrounds, ACSians are indeed, on the whole, more concerned about fashion and looking good. For me, it is pretty much vanity at work, even though this is very much tied to an individual’s personality as well. It would be treading dangerous waters to wholly refer to all ACSians as fashionable.

On a positive note, I do find most ACSians to be highly expressive, based on empirical observations. They are unafraid to speak their mind if the situation beckons, and they are fairly eloquent communicators who are able to bring across their ideas effectively. On reflection, it may be due to this outspokenness that ACSians were deemed proud and snobbish in the first place.

However, the elitist image of ACS (I) lingers. It is not unusual to find families with different generations of ACSians under one roof. The older generations of English-educated Singaporeans enjoyed a higher level of material comfort in general because they were more relevant compared to their Chinese-educated peers in the process of Singapore’s economic development. And by being physically located in a rich neighbourhood at Dover Road, it is no wonder that ACS (I) is unlikely to shed its elitist tag anytime soon.

In all fairness, the likes of Raffles Institution and Hwa Chong Institution are no less elitist than ACS (I), simply because these schools only take in the crème de la crème of every graduating primary school cohort. It is perhaps out of convenience that people continue to perpetuate ACS (I) as the flagship for English elitism.

Conclusion

From my own experience of conceiving, believing, expressing and overcoming of my prejudice against ACSians, the lessons learnt are many. It is easy to form stereotypes regarding other groups due to differences in identity – Class, Personal or otherwise. Although there may be a good degree of truth in these stereotypes, most constitute negative connotations that glorify the perpetuator of the prejudice and denigrate the target of abuse. It is only through the venture beyond the superficial aspect, to get to know and understand the prejudiced group can we affirm or reject our stereotypes. Eventually, even if we are unable to overcome the differences that give rise to the prejudice, at least we should attempt to understand their point of view.

Celebrate difference, because culture is invisible without difference!