

Not So Superior Chinese Mothers - skmurphy
http://chicagoboyz.net/archives/18962.html

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skmurphy
Interesting critique of Amy Chua's recent WSJ piece on suggesting the
superiority of an autocratic parenting style that stresses individual
accomplishment. Shannon Love points out the need for "teamwork" and suggest
that it is a uniquely American strength. Open paragraphs:

Noticeably excluded from her children’s activities is any kind of team
activities. The secret of American’s collective success as a people is our
ability to self-organize ourselves on both the small and large scale into
highly effective teams The relative inability to self-organize into teams is
why China and some other cultures have lagged behind in the modern world.
Americans have long relied on activities like sports, theater, marching band
etc to teach that one critical American cultural skill. By excluding such
activities from her children’s life, Chua is depriving them of one of the most
crucial skills an American must have.

American culture is based on the seeming contradiction of extreme
individualism combined with a near instant willingness and ability to join a
team to accomplish any particular task. The way New Yorkers spontaneously
organized to evacuate Manhatten on 9/11 represented a large scale and dramatic
example of the type of self-organization that Americans reflexively engage in
on a daily bases.

