If you want to take the Red Pill and wake up, this is a good place to start. teo focuses on how race is a social construct: she argues that when we speak of racism, we have a tendency to essentialise race as a self-evident determinant in classism, as opposed to analysing the larger problem which is structural inequality. classism is not exempt from this. This book speaks to me on so many levels - as a woman (unmarried, and at an age that I probably should); a Sociology graduate; an average income earner; a worker in the social space. This is What Inequality Looks Like--Step 1: Disrupt the Narrative Youyenn Teo surprising revelation.When I speak with people who are not from Singapore, one of the things that comes up is how small it … In the issue of inequality, it truly stands to benefit us and our next generations, to care about how. “Inequality, in fact, is a logical outcome of meritocracy. nothing of how classism in singapore is tied to racist policies and attitudes. From a foreigner's perspectives, Singapore is blessed with world class leadership and with good leadership, poverty and inequality are likely to be mitigated to a large extent. This is a book about inequality in Singapore, based on 3 years' worth of ethnographic research by Teo. What is inequality? Be the first to ask a question about This Is What Inequality Looks Like. to even call it a memo, as if racism is a mere footnote in our country is already tantamount to trivialising the issue. It is a book for people who love Singapore, who are aware that we’re not perfect but still want to make this island a better place for all. As someone working in the social service, this has been both real as well as enlightening. ), but I think This Is What Inequality Looks Like is a piece that brings together these scattered conversations. she crudely admits that she only included "a memo on race" at the request of her publishers. It is actually tremendously uncomfortable. This book is entitled ‘This is what Inequality looks like’ by Teo Yeo Yenn. I've always loved looking for the dirt underneath the glam, this book does just that and I even learnt things about my own country. It brings much needed focus on Singapore's inequality issues to a non academic audience. As I continued reading, I found myself gaining less and less from each additional page that I read, and ultimately stopped about halfway through. The thing about this book is: it is easy to see why it is hated, generally taken down constantly by critics and government agencies, social workers giving it flack for a narrative they feel is unfairly representative of their kind. The way we frame our questions shapes the way we see solutions. While the government has introduced policy changes, community groups… CNA's wonderful series "Don't Call Us Poor"; numerous articles, speeches on meritocracy and its discontents by various people from all walks of life - Donald Low, Bilahari Kausikan, etc etc. Formed by a series of essays, they are written to be read individually, but have been arranged to be read as a totality and in sequence. In doing so, You Yenn Teo also showcases the multidimensional effects that poverty has on real people. Teo’s style of writing is personal, clean, succinct, and easy to understand, allowing anyone to look at inequality and poverty from a sociological lens without having to wade through academic writing. I've always loved looking for the dirt underneath the glam, this book does just that and I even learnt things about my own country. This is what inequality looks like is a masterfully crafted text. And it is about how once we see, we cannot, must not, unsee. THIS IS WHAT INEQUALITY LOOKS LIKE by Teo You Yenn/ published by Ethos Books * This book — an ethnography of inequality — addresses these questions. The book does not tell us what we don’t already know, but rather m. Teo points out a lot of uncomfortable truths in our society. Just because I am a product of the Singapore system and have succeeded, it doesn't entitle me to anything. This New Edition of This Is What Inequality Looks Like by Teo You Yenn features a new Afterword by the author, and a Foreword by Kwok Kian Woon, Professor of Sociology at the Nanyang Technological University, … Throughout the book, while discussing the reality of her respondents, Teo … Refresh and try again. dr teo gives a scathing critique of how the state's narrative of meritocracy legitimises and determines who deserves care, and who will be irrevocably excluded from said care. In lucid and often beautiful prose, Teo shines a light on low income people in Singapore. Yes the low income people have dignity as well, just like people from the middle and upper classes. This collection of essays by Teo You Yenn about inequality in Singapore is brilliant. Each aims to accomplish two things: first, to introduce a key aspect of the experience of being low-income in contemporary Singapore. And it is about how once we see, we cannot, must not, unsee. The book makes for … An article in The Straits Times mentioned that it is one of the best-selling local books, with 20,000 copies sold so far. It is compelling. A HDB rental block. CUE ANGST AND RAGE @ SELF. Book review: This is What Inequality Looks Like, No one should have to be super in order to be human. To declare that one has read this book, in the words of another reviewer, is to acknowledge that one can no longer turn a blind eye to the shortcomings of our longstanding narratives. Thus Teo You Yenn traces the arc of her intellectual journey in writing “an ethnography of inequality rather than a catalog of poverty” in This Is What Inequality Looks Like—a journey which she invites us to make with her, on our own, and with others. Public intellectuals have acknowledged it the 2018 “Book of the Year”, and it has ranked among the top non-fiction best sellers in local Singaporean bookstores (Singapore Unbound 2018). I love how Prof Teo is able to unpack and show the real side of Singapore. but we are unequal precisely because of racism. Youyenn Teo. It is daunting. however, due to timetabling reasons, i ended up clearing an equivalent of it on exchange last semester. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. but, you can't publish a book explicitly on inequality in singapore and barely mention race. In Teo You Yenn’s This is What Inequality Looks Like, the dominant way of understanding social inequality, as well as the many myths usually shored up in such a discussion, are tackled with empathy and astute analysis. From a foreigner's perspectives, Singapore is blessed with world class leadership and with good leadership, poverty and inequality are likely to be mitigated to a large extent. I enjoyed this book a lot, it was very beneficial to a lot of self-reflection that I have been doing this year. Yes but not entirely true. I was a little hesitant to add this book to my "read" album here, because it would almost be a declaration of the responsibility i now have for the paradigm-shifting knowledge detailed in the book. Associate Professor Teo You Yenn's book This Is What Inequality Looks Like – one of the best-selling local books in 2018 – has helped propel inequality to the forefront of political discussions. In particular, she brilliantly points out the contradiction between the state-sponsored narrative and the unpleasant reality of living in a post-industrial capitalist hellscape: Never has a non-fiction book been such a pleasure to read. Australian/Harvard Citation. I love how Prof Teo is able to unpack and show the real side of Singapore. I sincerely believe that This is What Inequality Looks Like is a seminal work(as my GP AQ can attest to), and perhaps even a turning point in our conversation on poverty and inequality in Singapore. It is about how acknowledging poverty and inequality leads to uncomfortable revelations about our society and ourselves. Formed by a series of essays, they are written to be read individually, but have been arranged to be read as a totality and in sequence. Consciously avoiding academic frames, Teo You Yenn’s ethically and politically grounded narrative unfolds through vignettes of lived experiences that stand in sharp, stark contrast to the dominant imaginings of Singaporeans as mobile, cosmopolitan, free, agentic, affluent global citizens. If you want to take the Red Pill and wake up, this is a good place to sta, Poor people really do exist in Singapore. This book is entitled ‘This is what Inequality looks like’ by Teo Yeo Yenn. In particular, Teo You Yenn’s This is What Inequality Looks Like, which I’m currently making my way through, has been mind-blowingly eye-opening. I never noticed the differences until now. It is about how acknowledging poverty and inequality leads to uncomfortable revelations about our society and ourselves. What the education system does when it selects, sorts, and hierarchizes, and when it gives its stamp of approval to those 'at the top,' is that it renders those who succeed through the system as legitimately deserving. This is especially jarring for those in a position of privilege who hold the greatest instrument for change, will we be brave enough to make choices that places us at a ‘disadvantage’ for the pursuit of equality? What the education system does when it selects, sorts, and hierarchizes, and when it gives its stamp of approval to those 'at the top,' is that it renders those who succeed through the system as legitimately deserving. This book—an ethnography of inequality—addresses these questions. A new, second edition of This Is What Inequality Looks Like hit bookstores in May 2019. This book is about poverty and inequality in Singapore. While I don’t agree with all her ideas, it was interesting to read how subtle differences in infrastructure and, of course, policy further enhances the divide. I insert myself because as I get deeper and deeper into this research, I see that this is key to shifting our lenses for viewing inequality and poverty more fully”. And I changed my mind. race as a social construct is designed to have racist material consequences that the book is afraid to address. … This Is What Inequality Looks Like A NATIONAL BESTSELLER “A vivid ethnography of the lives, dreams and disappointments of low-income Singaporeans… the mental ideologies, social structures and bureaucratic institutions that both bind and separate us.” Immediately caught my attention and I thought I had to read it. January 2018 A nuanced look at income inequality and the struggle of the poor in Singapore. It is about how acknowledging poverty and inequality leads to uncomfortable revelations about our society and ourselves. Never has a non-fiction book been such a pleasure to read. May also saw the launch of “ What older people need in Singapore: A households budgets study ”, a Minimum Income Standard research project I undertook with collaborators, Ng Kok Hoe, Neo Yu Wei, and Ad Maulod. And it is about how once we see, we cannot, must not, unsee. In the home of Crazy Rich Asians , statistics that indicate growing numbers of millionaires every year conceal the lived realities of those who fall through the cracks and are barely acknowledged. On the Record. This is especially jarring for those in a position of privilege who hold the greatest instrument for change, will we be brave enough to make choices that places us at a ‘disadvantage’ for the pursuit of equality? It has little to do with my inherent right to respect as a human being and member of this society.”, https://www.ethosbooks.com.sg/products/this-is-what-inequality-looks-like, Popsugar 2021 #15 - A Book with a black and white cover, YA Debut Is an Ojibwe Murder Mystery Ten Years in the Making. I myself, a Singaporean whom come from a low-income family fully empathize with the sentiments mentioned in the book. But not doing so would be maintaining a blind eye to an issue that we collectively have the power to alleviate. How are they connected? ), but I think This Is What Inequality Looks Like is a piece that brings together these scattered conversations, grounds them in empirical, ethnographic experience and presented in writing that's meant for the general public and not just academics. once again, because racism is too strong a word. It dawned on me after a few seconds that the author Prof Teo You Yenn was trying to convey a message to the readers that one has to uncover to find inequality in Singapore. Second, to illustrate how people’s exp. 285 reviews. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. In it, Teo seeks to force deeper reflection about the narratives we tell ourselves about inequality and poverty in Singapore - that the story of Singapore is unequivocally one of progress from Third World to First; that while there is poverty (there is poverty everywhere after all), the poor here have it better than their counterparts elsewhere, with roofs over their heads, plenty of government. It is a book for people who love Singapore, who are aware that we’re not perfect but still want to make this island a better place for all. As I was planning to write my thoughts about Ocean Vuong's. It is also necessary. some have lauded her for excluding race from her analysis, but i can't help but wonder how anybody could exclude race from any class-based analysis -- especially in a country like ours. Teo points out a lot of uncomfortable truths in our society. Singapore has always been packaged as glitzy and glamourous, I mean we are that but we also do have those who fall through the cracks. Welcome back. Teo You Yenn is the author of "This Is What Inequality Looks Like" and an Associate Professor and Head of Sociology at Nanyang Technological University. Synopsis: This Is What Inequality Looks Like by Teo You Yenn Book Launch & Conversation with Alfian Sa'at Seating is limited and will be on a first-come-first-serve basis. It is about how acknowledging poverty and inequality leads to uncomfortable revelations about our society and ourselves. And any Singaporean who still has a stake in this land, cannot and should not be blind. Read it! First up, thank you, thank you, thank you. The top translucent cover has the words in black 'This is What Looks Like' Only when one flips this translucent cover, can one see the word 'Inequality' in grey. This book dives deep into those forces: assessing subconscious assumptions, revealing the flaws of national narratives, and questioning the very principles of the meritocratic system. To see what your friends thought of this book, I was a little hesitant to add this book to my "read" album here, because it would almost be a declaration of the responsibility i now have for the paradigm-shifting knowledge detailed in the book. And it is about how once we see, we cannot, must not, unsee. They too, need to feel like they are members of the society and not just the group of people who are reliant on the government. This is not typical practice in academic writing. “Acknowledging poverty and inequality leads to uncomfortable revelations about our society and ourselves.” In a brilliant piece of cover design, the word “inequality” is obscured, visually reinforcing Teo’s message: inequality may be right under our … Hopefully this book will be a call to to look our attitudes towards tackling poverty and inequality in Singapore. I never noticed the differences until now. And any Singaporean who still has a stake in this land, cannot and should not be blind. This book—an ethnography of inequality—addresses these questions. I myself, a Singaporean whom come from a low-income family fully. Left implicit is that those at the bottom have failed to be deserving.”, “The respect I am accorded are conditional on my participation in society as an economically productive and relatively wealthy person. It reinforces the advocacy spirit that all social workers in Singapore should have. 2018, This is what inequality looks like / essays by Teo You Yenn Ethos Books Singapore. Best book I’ve read so far on Singapore - for someone interested in public policy and concerned about what we need to do to bring about greater human flourishing here. This is What Inequality Looks Like--Preface. dr teo gives a scathing critique of how the state's narrative of meritocracy legitimises and determines who deserves care, and who will be irrevocably excluded from said care. “Why am I inserting myself so much in what I write? How are they reproduced? And it is about how once we see, we cannot, must not, unsee. In the issue of inequality, it truly stands to benefit us and our next generations, to care about how the game is inherently stacked against those who are on the lower rungs of the social-economic ladder. Teo’s style of writing is personal, clean, succinct, and easy to understand, allowing anyone to look at inequality and poverty from a sociological lens without having to wade through academic writing. Teo is a sociologist and Associate Professor with Nanyang Technological University. Angeline Boulley set out over a decade ago to write the story she wanted to read as a young Ojibwe teenager. This is what inequality looks like / essays by Teo You Yenn. This is a book about how seeing poverty entails confronting inequality. Teo, Youyenn. Poverty can only be fully understood in the context of the structural forces that perpetuate it. she prefers talking about "elementary forms of racial domination" as opposed to "racism". Teo You Yenn Paperback, 2019 Edition 9789811437496 What is poverty? The author addresses a real and important issue that many Singaporeans don't think or talk about, but in truth, the book could have been summarised to about 20 pages or so. A must-read. “Inequality, in fact, is a logical outcome of meritocracy. A coruscating examination of inequality in Singapore and the attitudes which perpetuate it. The thing about this book is: it is easy to see why it is hated, generally taken down constantly by critics and government agencies, social workers giving it flack for a narrative they feel is unfairly representative of their kind. She is also the author of This is What Inequality Looks Like. It cannot tell you about the lived reality of those who live with the constant anxiety of precarity, or what it’s like to bear constant indignities. This book—an ethnography of inequality—addresses these questions. Please see Wikipedia's template documentation for further citation fields that may be required. Teo You Yenn’s This is What Inequality Looks Likeis a long-awaited response to the taboo culture surrounding the severe inequality present in our society as well as the many problematics in the Singapore system which serve to perpetuate it. This book does what appears to be a no-brainer task, but one that is missing and important: it asks readers to pose questions in different ways, to shift the vantage point from which they view ‘common sense,’ and in so doing, to see themselves as part of problems and potential solutions. Poor people really do exist in Singapore. For foreigners not living in Singapore might not be able to visualise a global cosmopolitan state having people from the lower working class struggling with their daily lives. Why should we try? Teo You Yenn on what the people she studied have taught her and why universal welfare need not be seen as a "slippery slope". This is a book about how seeing poverty entails confronting inequality. In This is What Inequality Looks Like, Teo You Yenn writes a moving collection of essays that shine the light on a reality long swept under the carpets of gleaming, green and glamourous Singapore. This New Edition of This Is What Inequality Looks Like by Teo You Yenn features a new Afterword by the author, and a Foreword by Kwok Kian Woon, Professor of Sociology at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. i was prompted to read this by an NUS friend who had been assigned a chapter from here as a reading for one of his general education mods. “Stories about poverty and inequality create a lot of discomfort,” writes Teo You Yenn in her startling non-fiction debut, This is What Inequality Looks Like. in this regard, the book is a sharp and insightful look at how singapore's neo-liberalist policies work to absolve the state from any complicity in reproducing classism in the country. “This is What Inequality Looks Like” (2018) by Teo You Yenn galvanised a national conversation on inequality and poverty, yet almost two years later – of no fault of the author – the extent to which the rhetoric has translated into sustainable action is less clear. but, you can't publish a book explicitly on inequality in singapore and barely mention race. Author of This Is What Inequality Looks Like, Teo You Yenn. How are they reproduced? Each aims to accomplish two things: first, to introduce a key aspect of the experience of being low-income in contemporary Singapore. The book does not tell us what we don’t already know, but rather makes us painfully aware of what we have chosen to be complicit to as a society. What is poverty? How are they connected? A beautiful book that knows solutions are hard to find, but wants to disrupt the narrative and spark discussion anyway. This is what inequality looks like / essays by Teo You Yenn Ethos Books Singapore 2018. For far too long, the poor have been criticised as lazy and having poor attitudes without enough scrutiny of the systems we have in place that disadvantage and humiliate them. How might they be overcome? by Ethos Books. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published Inequality has been flying off the bookshelves and for good reason too. The book This is What Inequality Looks Like (henceforth referred to as “TIWILL”), written by the sociologist Teo You Yenn, has gained widespread acclaim. I really wanted to like this book. This was a great title for a book. naturally, i assumed that the author, who is a local university professor, was an NUS prof. seemingly unrelated backstory is that there's this sociology module called hs2008 social class and inequality which i'm eligible for and have been wanting to take for my second major and which was also recommended to me in year 1 by a ppga senior who said it was the be, i was prompted to read this by an NUS friend who had been assigned a chapter from here as a reading for one of his general education mods. TL;DR Sociologist paints vivid picture of what it means to be low-income in Singapore. Yes but not entirely true. Teo's essay is reproduced in full here: CNA's wonderful series "Don't Call Us Poor"; numerous articles, speeches on meritocracy and its discontents by various people from all walks of life - Donald Low, Bilahari Kausikan, etc etc. one hundred pages in and race is barely mentioned: nothing of the eugenicist and racist policies which continue to reproduce classism in singapore. In it, Teo seeks to force deeper reflection about the narratives we tell ourselves about inequality and poverty in Singapore - that the story of Singapore is unequivocally one of progress from Third World to First; that while there is poverty (there is poverty everywhere after all), the poor here have it better than their counterparts elsewhere, with roofs over their heads, plenty of government assistance, and opportunities for advancement; that the winners and losers in Singapore are the natural outcome of meritocracy at work - and if you are one of the losers, you must lack merit in some way. “A vivid ethnography of the lives, dreams and disappointments of low-income Singaporeans… the mental ideologies, social structures and bureaucratic institutions that both bind and separate us.” – Linda Lim, University of Michigan, “Masterfully crafted… lived experiences that stand in sharp, stark contrast to the dominant imaginings of Singaporeans.” – Vineeta Sinha, National University of Singapore, “Makes the invisible visible… disrupts widely-held national mythologies… Sociology at its best!” – Michael Burawoy, UC Berkeley. naturally, i assumed that the author, who is a local university professor, was an NUS prof. seemingly unrelated backstory is that there's this sociology module called hs2008 social class and inequality which i'm eligible for and have been wanting to take for my second major and which was also recommended to me in year 1 by a ppga senior who said it was the best module she had ever taken in ntu (heads up to any ntu student who might ever come across this – you've been warned). There is so much more than just providing financial aid to the needy people. I thank the author for this thoughtful piece of work as it had put me on a journey of deep reflection, questioning, and meaningful reconnection with the Sociological perspective. What is inequality? We owe Teo You Yenn a huge thank you: there's been a fair bit of good writing, good producing and good discussion relating to inequality in Singapore (i.e. There is something to be said about opening this debate and grounding it in a form of a book: I think (and hope) that the materiality of a physical book can lend permanence to this debate, and, if its sales in Kinokuniya are anything to go by, I hope this book becomes a permanent fixture on the bookshelf of many, many upper and middle-income families that serves as a constant reminder, that This Is What Inequality Looks Like: the privilege of owning a book that sits on a bookshelf; the privilege of having such a book be the closest that many of us will ever encounter to the real, lived, embodied experience of precarity. This book—an ethnography of inequality—addresses these questions. We’d love your help. "This is what inequality looks like is a masterfully crafted text. Start by marking “This Is What Inequality Looks Like” as Want to Read: Error rating book. This Is What Inequality Looks Like by You Yenn Teo … An important book. This is What Inequality Looks Like is an anthology of essays related to inequality in Singapore written by associate professor of sociology at the Nanyang Technological University, Teo You Yenn, drawing on interviews and experiences with low-income Singaporeans over the period of three years. Through each chapter, she cogently and empathetically presents their plight to readers who are the least likely to ever hear of it first hand, or ever care to hear of it. Find in NLB Library Author: Teo, Youyenn, Length: 285 pages :, Identifier: 9789811158049. THIS IS WHAT INEQUALITY LOOKS LIKE By Teo You Yenn Ethos Books, 2018 The book retails at $25 (including GST) at leading bookstores and online at …
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