Discrimination Between Neighbourhood and Elite Singapore School Students

She's from a top school. He's not.

Should they be dating?

Great, says some, but others disagree

Issue sparks furious debate on the internet.

Last year, Ð''Big boy' posted on an internet forum, claiming that he knew of somebody from a neighbourhood school dating a girl from top school Raffles Girls' School (RGS).

Four months and 500 postings later, it is clear that the responses to this issue can be classified into positive and negative sides. For example, Ð''kennys8' supports this relationship, saying that Ð''love has no barrier'. However, there are people such as Ð''Cynic' and Ð''RJCdude' were adamant that the relationship would be doomed. RJCdude even posted, "Quit trying desperately to climb the social ladder. The higher you go, the more you will feel your inferiority."

RJCdude may have a right to express his feelings, but it is obvious that he is discriminating against students from neighbourhood schools. He is most probably from the top school Raffles Junior College. RJCdude is judging this neighbourhood schoolboy by his results, in which he (RJCdude) has an upper hand. Is it correct to label him (and other neighbourhood school students) as being at the bottom of the social ladder just because of their academic results? Is it possible that all neighbourhood school students are just like this boy? Is it fair to point fingers at the neighbourhood schoolboy for this supposed "sin" that he has "committed"? RJCdude is prejudiced against these neighbourhood school students. He is making generalizations and marginalizing these neighbourhood school students. Come to think of it, RJCdude is embarrassing himself by saying that he is at the top of the social ladder just because he is in a top school (is there even such a ladder?).

The pride that comes with the status of being academically elite is quite common in many top-school students, who think nothing of neighbourhood school students and dismiss them as stupid and lazy. They are proud of the fact that they are smart enough to enter top schools with excellent facilities, and that they will most likely lead the country in the future (many current leaders are from top schools like Raffles Institution). Such