Tiger Mom Stereotypes

In Amy Chua’s piece “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior”, Chua talks about the effect of tiger parenting in a more modern setting. In her article, Chua goes in depth on how she raises her own daughters. Under her parenting, Chua’s daughters are not allowed to “watch TV or play computer games, attend a sleepover, play any instrument other than the piano or violin, and not play the piano or violin” (Chua). Not only is her parenting style excessive, but she also makes it a point to say that her way is the standard Chinese way. According to a 2015 research produced by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, modern Chinese parents are more concerned about their child’s well-being rather than solely their academic standing (Kang). In all of my years of attending a

Several years ago, Amy Chua’s book: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother has triggered a lively debate about the strict parenting style. In the book, it is mentioned that Chua sets rules and restrictions, such as no sleepovers, practising music instruments every day, etc. As a result, her daughters achieve excellent grades in schools (Goodin ¶2-3). Chua’s parenting style is categorized as authoritarian. In Hong Kong, Chua’s style is popular. Parents put a lot of pressure on their children. Starting from primary level, children are asked to attend extra tutorials. From the parents’ eyes, “Practice makes perfect”. Hence, children will become more competitive. However, westerners oppose her methods. Some believe that giving no freedom to children is not conducive to one’s academic performance.

In his essay “Paper Tigers,” Wesley Yang discusses his own experiences as an Asian American, tying them into the larger picture of Asians functioning in American society today. Yang’s argument is that even though Asian Americans are one of the most successful ethnicities in the country, stereotypes that Asian Americans are exposed to affect the way other Americans view them. Because of personal bias and racism, human society fails to see other people for who they are and put too much emphasis on what they are supposed to or not supposed to be in America today. Stereotypes cloud people’s vision and judgment and keep some from achieving their goals because others have a pre-created

Individuals in this world tend to be judgmental, and judge people in groups instead of the personality. Yet, in the article, “Asian American and Stereotypes”, Denise Wong Peck claims, “As Asian American, we are too often judged not by our individual characters, but by stereotypes” (Peck). Peck explains that as Asian Americans; people do not see Asians as individuals but rather as copies; since Americans assume Asians are all good at the same thing. For example, some people assume that all African Americans are good athletes. This is a common stereotype to explain the reason

Lastly, these stereotypes have been around for awhile and they are still around for one reason and one reason only. Stereotypes have truth in them. For example, statistically 50.5% asians all have a bachelor’s degree or higher.This means that not all asians are smart, but a large portion of them are smart, so in conclusion, stereotypes can be good and bad. It all depends on how you handle them when they come your

Even though this stereotype sounds positive it can also have a negative effect. Research displays that other minority groups tend to have more years of education to just make the same amount of money as whites who may have not as much of an education. Asian Americans are underrepresented in political leadership positions. Many more assumptions have come to develop from the stereotype but just because some Asian Americans have “made it” does not mean that all Asian Americans pertain to this.

Asians are often stereotyped to be “extremely intelligent.” (Cultural Stereotypes). Today in society, Asians are who we call the “nerds.” When you think about Asians, you think about them coming from a very high class family, making straight A’s and if they didn’t bring home an A, they would have to leave their home in addition, not return because it would be a disgrace to the family. But in all actuality, not all Asians are like that. In some Asian households, they can be very warm-loving and not harsh at all. With parents, I can understand why they would want us to succeed but harsh punishments aren't the answer. Discipling isn't always the answer. Motivation and assurance is key. Mexicans are very criticized and often judged by their way of living. Mexicans are said to be workaholics. Also in the Hollywood movies, they’re always doing yard work, being maids, housekeepers, nanny’s etc.. The movie a haunted house starring Marlon Wayans, his character Malcolm lived next door to a Latino who often did yard work and had a low rider. Not all Mexicans do or have those things. Mexicans are not that bad. Asians are not that bad. African Americans are not that

To some people this is not be viewed as a stereotype due to the fact it is not instantly perceived as “negative”; for those readers who delve in deeper, this stereotype outlines the educational daily hidden pressure of people from Chinese descent whom do not fit this “positive” stereotype. Every day, especially in American society, classmates look to their Asian counterparts to provide the answers to questions they do not know in every subject they take. Nonetheless, this ridiculous assumption hurts the Asian students that do not feel comfortable with their intellectual abilities. Placing Asian students as the “model student” excludes the students who actually have problems and need help that other classmates are reluctant to give the students simply because their classmates do not view helping their struggling Asian classmates as an actual necessity. By “poking” fun and bringing into light both Asian stereotypes, Yang enforces view that stereotypes are in use today.

As you mentioned, I also think the stereotype of Asian Americans being perfect stem from the Asian culture itself that values on hard work and academic success. Because of this cultural value, Asian American parents expect their children to be a ‘straight As’ student and enter an elite college. In the past, as a minority in the U.S., the Asian Americans had to work harder than anyone in order to fully exert their power in the society. Having a better education and high-paid job have been the best way to get recognition from others, therefore, they have been focusing on academic accomplishment for better life. The stereotype of Asian Americans being geeky or nerdy shown in American films can be the portrayal of this American Asian cultural value.

I am not Chinese, Korean, or Japanese. I do not eat dogs or cats. Both of my parents speak near perfect English. I do not want to be a doctor. I can see perfectly fine. Stereotypes hold us back and label us as something we may not want to be. Despite the fact that I do not fit into most Asian stereotypes, I do enjoy my fair share of rice, think anime is amazing, and get relatively good grades.

The stereotype that Chinese parents raise the most successful children is universal. The question is, how do they accomplish this? In her novel, A Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Amy Chua illustrates how she raises her two children to be stereotypically successful Chinese kids. “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior,” is an excerpt of this novel, which appeared in the Wall Street Journal. The editors of the Wall Street Journal presumably chose this title to draw attention and promote controversy. Throughout the excerpt, Chua’s attempts to respect her audience are overpowered with her heavy criticism of the “Western parents”, referring to typical American parents. She also fails to convey the multitude of problems this style can cause. Chua is biased toward the “Chinese Mother” parenting style because of her personal experiences, thus her arrogance makes her ignorant to the detrimental effects of this style and is unappealing to her audience.

The model minority stereotype is actually a relatively contemporary model, a strong contrast to some of the original portrayal of Asians. During the 1800s, Asians, particularly Chinese, were portrayed to be alien and insidious, these stereotypes strengthened by to fear of economic competition. However, the trait of being hard working was present as far back as building of the transcontinental railroad. By World War II, these stereotypes did not vanish and were only reinforced due to Japanese involvement in the war, particularly those of being alien and other negative attributes.

There is many questions on how to parent a child in order to help them be successful in life. Although parenting style various greatly, most all parents put into practice what regulations in which they think will help their child succeed in life. Some parents, known as Chinese parents are extremely strict, and on the other end of the spectrum there is western parents, who do not expect as much from their child. In Amy Chua’s “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom,” Chua explains what it is like to have Chinese parenting techniques. She attempts to justify the struggles, beliefs, and methods of Chinese parents, as compared to western parents, and how they both have the end goal - to prepare their child to succeed in life.

The over involvement of parents can make the child develop psychological issues. They are shown to have a higher risk of depression, anxiety, lack self-confidence, and have low self-esteem (“Helicopter Parents” Stir Up Anxiety, Depression). It is shown that no matter what parenting technique is being used, every parents goal is to build their child’s self-esteem (Rutherford). Sadly, helicopter parenting does the exact opposite. Equally important, the persons lack of self- confidence comes from the over involvement of their parents in his/her childhood activities and academics. They never experienced failure or loss because the parents were always there to step in, so they never achieved anything to build their confidence (“Helicopter Parents” Stir Up Anxiety, Depression). It is common for a child with helicopter parents to develop depression when moving from their home to

For the views of Chinese-style parents when it comes to the mental and emotional care of their child, it can be best summarized by this quote from the book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua (306). “I’ve noticed that Western parents are extremely anxious about their children’s self-esteem. They worry about how their children will feel if they fail at something, and they constantly try to reassure their children about how good they are notwithstanding a mediocre performance on a test or at a recital. In