Government provided housing has a negative connotation in the United States, but not necessarily in Singapore. The People of Action Party has been in charge of Singapore since the 1960s. They see it as their responsibility to lift the people out of poor housing and be seen as the provider of something good in the peoples' lives. The people then continue to keep that party in power because that party is taking care of them and making their life better.
The second question is about guys proposing to the girls with symbolic keys to their future house. There are benefits awarded to younger couples.
The third question is about the government promoting younger couples to get married and show them that they can start a family early. They like to advertise how much help the couple would have should they choose to have the child. They talk about the song that goes, "Baby, let's have our own fireworks." Some people get monthly payments for having kids, but that is not enough to replace the population.
Fourth question: is more public housing good? The man says that it has helped Singapore a lot, but the lessons can't be applied everywhere. The neighborhoods sometimes have a separation of wealth. Before it was divided by race, and now it is class. Now, education and transportation is at an all time high, but the divide is becoming stronger. Housing lasts a long time, and it can change a family's life which could change their thinking and political ideas.
"Today is for the youth," the man says.
There is not an active measure of assimilation in Singapore except in school where the students have to learn English. Singapore promotes all of its ethnic group, but the one with the most power can show themselves any way they want. Tamil, Malay, Chinese and Hindi are presented on all road signs and things like that.
Benedict Anderson-imagined communities. It talks about how a nation is an idea; we can be a part of something we don't really know and have a deep emotional attachment to it. Military is very important in imagined communities. A good example of an equalizer was when one man from each family was asked to join the military. Singapore has a mandatory military service for young men. Border patrol could be a part of that. The uniform of a military man washes away some of the differences and unites people into one nation. The housing is also a great equalizer. Some housing said, "No Indians." The professor says that that is very racist. Singapore has laws on how many of each ethnicity can live in a certain housing plot.
Next question is about why there are ratios of how many of each ethnic group can live in each housing plot; these are usually based on national percentages. Some ratios are based on who lived there in the past--British colonial times.
Next question is about the Green City Plan which is the intentional creation of more green spaces and eco-friendly buildings. All parks are connected by green bicycle paths. Positive impacts are more promotion of an eco-friendly society and less pollution. The professor is not sure about the negative impacts.
What aspects of Singapore culture do you find most admirable? The professor really admires his students. The students are always engaged because they are facing a lot of pressure due to the high performing education system. Mobility in Singapore is a social justice issue; people that have transportation can go to jobs, school, etc. The last thing the professor admires is Singapore's cosmopolitan quality. They are receptive to going overseas and learning from different perspectives which allows students to expand on their knowledge.
Singapore has six years of primary school, three years of middle school, a few years of high school and then you can go to junior college or complete high school. One thing that the professor doesn't like is how early your path is decided based on exam scores starting in fifth grade. They offer maths science, etc. and an ethics class. All students need to learn their mother tongue, English and a third language. The students talk about all the stress they faced growing up. A lot of schools encourage overseas volunteering.
