What Do They Call a Tiger Mom in China?
Amy Chua's bestselling, controversial book, The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, unleashed a big conversation about parents, discipline, the self-esteem movement, and how not to coddle your child.
It was, people said, a perfect example of the difference between the Chinese (well, East Asian specifically) child-rearing philosophy -- relentlessly high standards, unbending demands -- and the American child rearing philosophy -- Barney cartoons, praise, mollycoddling nonsense.
The book was such a bestseller, it's been sold in multiple countries. Including China. From Foreign Policy:
The book garnered a fierce backlash, with many accusing her of inflicting permanent psychological damage on her children. (Many critics ignored the book's ending, in which Chua realizes she needs to lighten up a bit.) Chua's contention that soft American parents are being outdone by hard-charging Asian Tiger Moms also tapped into a growing fear that the United States is becoming complacent in the face of a rising China -- where, ironically, the book was sold under the title Being an American Mom.
An American mom. I guess it really does matter which end of the telescope you look through.
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Nov '10
Re: What Do They Call a Tiger Mom in China?
Amy Chua's husband is some lefty professor at Yale law school, and he's not even Asian! I don't think that kid's childhood will be traumatic, exactly.
Re: What Do They Call a Tiger Mom in China?
This is awesome.
May '10
Re: What Do They Call a Tiger Mom in China?
My China connection offers a couple of corrections to the Foreign Policy translation:
The Chinese name of the book is better translated as: "Being a Mother in America" - with a subtitle that explains it's the parenting [corrected from "education"] practices of a Yale professor. The cover also describes the contents of the book as being about, "When it comes to education,eastern parents are more successful than western parents."
The book cover can be seen here at Amazon-China.
(Edit was to correct one errant word in the subtitle translation)
Edited on Dec 14, 2011 at 9:18amMay '10
Re: What Do They Call a Tiger Mom in China?
Duane Oyen: My China connection offers a couple of corrections to the Foreign Policy translation:
The Chinese name of the book is better translated as: "Being a Mother in America" - with a subtitle that explains it's the education practices of a Yale professor. The cover also describes the contents of the book as being about, "When it comes to education, eastern parents are more successful than western parents."
The book cover can be seen here at Amazon-China. · Dec 14 at 8:52am
Awfully cheap at only 18 remimbi......
Mar '11
Re: What Do They Call a Tiger Mom in China?
Perhaps she was simply seen as too soft-hearted to be considered a Chinese parent :
It does not appear that his own book is available for English speakers yet, Beat Them Into Peking University.
Feb '11
Re: What Do They Call a Tiger Mom in China?
Roberto
Perhaps she was simply seen as too soft-hearted to be considered a Chinese parent :
NPR carried this story this morning, as well as a book by two Chinese 10 year olds on how to get away with anything with your Mom, advice from the book, tackle your Mother and hug her when she's upset, she'll cave from all the physical affection.
Apr '11
Re: What Do They Call a Tiger Mom in China?
Buying lunch sometimes I enter McDonald's where I observe several young Americans (never Asian) struggling mightily, but not always successfully, to provide a burger, fires and a drink to customers. Other times I go to a Chinese take out where three people, two cooks and a cashier, provide a endless stream of Chinese meals, all cooked with fresh ingredients, including soups, appetizers and a huge menu. They provide these meals rapidly and error free.
David Goldman (Spengler) observes:
"Quantitative faculties at top (American) universities would shut down if Chinese and Indian students stayed at home."
"A physics professor at MIT told me the other day that the Chinese students at MIT now have a better chance of obtaining a six-figure salary on graduation if they go home to China than if they stay in the United States."
http://pjmedia.com/spengler/2011/12/14/dictatorship-the-duc-de-saint-simon-and-kim-kardashian/?singlepage=true
Edited on Dec 15, 2011 at 4:35am