Korean Job Discussion Forums

[caniff]

[ThingsComeAround]

Interesting post, SR.

I feel Amy Chua is abusive. Not to the point you or I would immediately notice as detrimental to health (like a drug addict microwaving their baby) but abusive nonetheless.

My dad is a physician. Most (including Amy) would say that's an excellent thing- except my dad. He wasn't allowed to choose his profession, rather his parents chose it for him and forced him to eat-drink-sleep medicine. His dad was WAY more harsh than Amy tells us she is, but then again- what would stop parents from going to extremes while using her methods?

To some degree- I think Amy is right on some points which you yourself agree with. I would never accept quitting from my children, yet I would try to help them understand why giving up at small things will lead them to failure at life.

However I hold the opinion that she did not write this book to help people. She wrote it to make money. She only had two daughters, and she didn't overcome extreme odds to help them strive. She is not an expert in child psychology/child rearing/early education, she is a Yale professor of Law. She was already at the top and is trying to stay there.

I saw the life of my dad and promised myself I'd never be as miserable as he. For the most part, I'm not. But still, I've picked up his rage and that's going to take time to let go.

I read a really excellent article -somewhere on IBD- that stated companies "shouldn't raise the bar too high" expecting to outperform in the next quarter- so they can maintain their integrity and operate with ethical standards (Lehman Bros). I feel this applies to families as well- Rails- you said your grandfather opened a bank. What will you do? Become president of a country? Join the board on the World Bank? When does it end? Is it for everyone?

Who would have said Bernard Madoff was a failure/crook ten years ago? To me, it doesn't matter so long as my child doesn't seek to harm others, and especially not themselves. To be forgiving, honest and witty would be more important traits than making sure my child can play "The Little White Donkey".

IMO, Amy isn't doing things in her child's best interest. She is doing it for her boasting rights at parties.

Just to note:
Chua said drum playing promotes drug use.. hmm...
what would the percussion section at the NY Philharmonic have to say about that?

Dude- if you must read it, download her book before supporting such trash.

[ThingsComeAround]

[Steelrails]

[ThingsComeAround]

I've been entertaining the notion... what if she had two boys?

Or a boy and a girl?

Or a set of twins?

Or one boy?

[hondaicivic]

[Panda]

several facts


1. There are different musicians in China, besides violinists and pianists.

2. So far as I know. in western countries, the (so called) higher social class the parents are from, the more likely their kids will have less various of choices for their careers, because their parents would want their kids to do the similar good jobs as they do, it has been proved to be true. sounds similar in Asia and everywhere else?

3. There are too many lawyers in the US, but the American people still cant get rid of the law school complex... people are using the same logic to judge the instrument choice in Asia... I would say there is nothing wrong to want to get rich by wisely choosing what you learn.

[Kuros]

Colbert: Can I get you a bicycle to backpedal any faster here?

[Koreadays]

just watched Amy Chua on The Cobert Report jan25th episode

I don't know, she sounds like 95% of the Korean mothers.

she said she never let her kids have sleep overs or go on camps.
because that would interior with studying the violin.
she is back peddling now too, I think she got so much criticism in the press that she is now saying the book is a book of humor and not a parenting book
she also confessed that her kids have rebelled against her. LOL

I understand what she was trying to do, but like Korean mothers.
they don't know where to draw the line.

She will be a best seller in Korea...
Western mothers will condemn her.

In my opinion , trying to raise your kids like your immigrant parents raised you 40 years later in a new society doesn't work.
keep some core values, but don't go to the extremes.
kids can still go to Harvard with having a sleep over once and a while

[hondaicivic]

[blm]

Interesting thread.

I think all the points I would have raised have already been made in this thread.

Why no sports?

The restriction on instruments seems to have little reasoning behind it and very random...and mean spirited.

I also wonder about the Boy question.

I think there are some positives from it in that I agree kids should be pushed and not allowed to take the easy way out.

[some waygug-in]

I don't agree with her methods totally, but I do think that a lot of Western parents are not doing the best these days.

Chinese do learn other instruments by the way, they seem quite good at guitar as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftamN1PA2J4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxA4Jnw-M80&feature=related

[recessiontime]

Chinese rearing style has something to do with American decline and China's rise to superpower?

Has absolutely nothing to do with it. You honestly think America got to where it got to because of their smarts and academic discipline?

[Menino80]

Keep in mind that Chua is actually Overseas Chinese from the Phillipines, a different subset of Chinese culture. Most Huaren (OC) come from a region of China that even the Chinese consider money grubbing and status obsessed (Pearl River Delta), and they controlled something like 75% of all market capital in SE Asia as of 2005. It seems like they are suffering from a severe case of confirmation bias/Asio-Calvinist Cultural Chauvinism (ACCC, you heard it here first!!!!!)

[Menino80]