US author stirs ‘Chinese’ values debate
A book by a Chinese-American woman about her no-nonsense child-rearing has sparked an online flurry of criticism and debate over strict “Chinese” parenting methods versus more relaxed Western ways.
In “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother,” Yale University law professor Amy Chua recounts the ultra-strict regime of piano lessons and homework favoured by some Asian immigrant families in the United States as the key to future success.
Links to an excerpt published this month in the Wall Street Journal have been shared countless times on Facebook and Twitter, triggering a debate over cultural values at a time of concern in the West about falling behind China.
Chua, who says she has received death threats via email, has defended herself in subsequent media interviews, saying the excerpt did not include later passages on how she learned to strike a softer balance in her parenting.
Everyone is a critic! When I was a little girl, I had a friend who was raised to call her parents by their first names. Her father was called Mr. Slater sometimes because that was her mom’s maiden name. That confused the hell out of my father! Thus, I called them John and Mary, not knowing any better. My parents got wind of this and were not happy at all.
Rather than fight or argue, my parents basically kept me away from them. Point being, if you are offended by someone’s value system, alienate them. You do not have to fight with them.