#816: Prof. Teo You Yenn - The Problem With SG’s Education System & Why Parents Feel Helpless

Prof. Teo You Yenn’s first book "This Is What Inequality Looks Like" sold 43,000 copies, spent 80 weeks on The Straits Times' bestsellers list and drew rebuttals from THREE ministries. She is back with her “Unease," a book built on 92 cross-class interviews that argues inequality traps rich and poor alike through competition, kiasu parenting, and the loss of ethical agency.🔔 Enjoyed this one? Please 𝗦𝗨𝗕𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗕𝗘 to the channel so you don't miss our latest episodes. Every subscriber helps us grow, open doors to new guests, stories, formats or ideas!𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀Check Out Prof's Teo's books:Unease: Life in Singapore FamiliesThis Is What Inequality Looks Like𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀!We’re looking for people to join our team! Click on the links below to find out more about the roles. If you’re interested, send your CV & cover letter to contact@ministryoffunny.com!Creative ProducerFolklory Growth Hacking Internship𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴Terence: Sam Altman’s Trust Issues at OpenAI | The New Yorker Radio HourHaresh: Chicken Rush | A city-wide game of hide & seek for adultsProf Teo: Kin by Tayari Jones | GoodreadsA World Appears - Michael PollanPrincess Mononoke - Official Trailer𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 – "𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝘁” https://yahlahbut.short.gy/subscribeGet a roundup of our One Shiok Things & first dibs on our latest launches delivered straight to your inbox!(00:00) Intro(02:28) 43,000 Copies Sold — Bestseller Status(03:10) What's Occupying Her Mind These Days(04:16) Writing "Unease" vs "This Is What Inequality Looks Like"(07:10) How the Research for "Unease" Began(08:21) What "This Is What Inequality Looks Like" Is About(10:19) From Class Comparisons to Inequality as Context(13:18) Academic Writing vs Writing for the Public(18:02) What Drew Her to Public Sociology(21:58) Formative Experiences Growing Up in 1980s Singapore(24:22) A More Pointed Tone in "Unease"(27:29) The Privilege of Revisiting and Improving Past Work(30:05) Writing Through a World on Fire(34:17) Ian McEwan's "What We Can Know" & Recording Lived Realities(36:45) Readers Finding "Unease" Painful and Close to the Bone(39:34) Inequality as Context — Competition and Hierarchy in Everyday Life(41:57) Reading About Privilege — Is It Hard to Be Sympathetic?(44:17) The Collective Action Problem in Parenting and Education(47:11) Changing Mindsets vs Changing Structures(49:10) Is Singapore's Education System Really the Best?(52:39) Youth Mental Health and the Education System(55:01) Feeling Helpless as a Parent Within the System(56:38) Maintaining Optimism in Singapore(58:05) Tiger Moms vs the Fear of Falling Below Average(1:02:11) The 2025 Election Results and Political Culture(1:05:00) The Minimum Income Standard Study — Needs vs Wants(1:11:27) Bubble Tea as a Social Need(1:13:27) Is Singapore's New Political Leadership Tackling Inequality?(1:15:51) Wealth Concentration and the World Inequality Database(1:17:45) Brushes with Capital P Politics and Government Rebuttals(1:20:09) Navigating Self-Censorship and Academic Freedom(1:22:12) Public University Scholar vs State Employee(1:23:11) The Call to Action from "Unease"(1:26:03) Building the Center for the Study of Social Inequality(1:28:00) Will There Be Another Book?(1:29:19) Where to Get "Unease"(1:30:26) One Shiok Thing(1:41:56) Post-Interview Reflection𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀ᴛɪᴋᴛᴏᴋ https://www.tiktok.com/@yahlahbutɪɴꜱᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ https://www.instagram.com/yahlahbutꜰᴀᴄᴇʙᴏᴏᴋ https://www.facebook.com/yahlahbutpod𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘀ʀᴇᴅᴅɪᴛ https://ww