Note from Connie: This article was brought to our attention by Tom Shachtman, who will be discussing the subject of immigrant businesses in our April 23 class.
Please take a look and weigh in re. what you think of the author’s argument. Do you agree? Disagree? And why. Even a short comment will be helpful.
We need more Asian American kids growing up to be artists, not doctors by Jennifer Lee, Guardian Cif, March 16, 2014.
Consider the article in association with the following famous quote, which I view as the first American statement of the real American immigrant dream, a three-generational one that is not wholly focused on material acquisition. It is from a John Adams letter to his wife Abigail in 1780:
I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.
I thought this article was very interesting. I had always thought of the reason for children of Asian immigrant families to be more likely to doctors or lawyers was simply because it was a norm within that culture. I always thought that it was within the culture to value education above much else. This article brought up a new idea to me that I find very interesting and very likely. Asians are still discriminated against very much and by becoming experts in a scientific or mathematic field, it is harder to be discriminated against. No one can argue with a degree from Harvard, but they can argue that an Asian person is not qualified for a job as, say, a photographer or an actor, because that is much more subjective. The article states: “careers in medicine, engineering, law or pharmacy require higher credentials and advanced degrees, which protects their children from the usual types of discrimination.”
I have noticed a enormous lack of Asians represented in pop culture. Only one Asian woman has won the Academy Award for acting, for example, in 1957.
I agree, Natalie–this is something I found very interesting about the article as well. I also wanted to throw in something I’ve learned from my Asian Studies classes, about education in Chinese culture: Traditionally, China was a nation with a very high degree of social mobility, and the main avenue of social mobility was through the rigorous civil service examinations. A strong Confucian education was essential to doing well on these exams, and so education was the key to moving up in society. This connection between success and education is very deeply rooted in Chinese culture (thousands of years!), and must be partly responsible for the definitions of “success” we see from Chinese immigrants today.
I found this article to be rather stereotypical and offensive. Whatever happened to happiness, passion, and love? This article tossed that aside and focused on a materialistic definition of ‘success.’ Asian-Americans were depicted as machines, rather than human beings.
Professionals often lose their identity and humanity, as they succumb to statistics. People tend to focus on their income, professional status, and the number of homes they have rather than regard them as living, breathing human beings.
I particularly disliked this statement:
“Immigrant parents have raised smarter, richer children in the US with high standards of professional success.”
What is the basis for the acclaim that these children are “smarter.” Is it based on test scores? GPA? Employment status?
I beg to differ! We’ve all heard the cliche, “money doesn’t buy you happiness,” so why don’t people believe in it? Rich values trump financial wealth.
Rather than asking,”Why do Chinese and other Asian immigrant parents frame success so narrowly?” how about asking why most people (Asian, African, American….) view success in such a materialistic manner.
Although the author notes at the end, “There is no one-size-fits-all definition of success,” I’m not quite convinced that she believes in it. It almost feels forced. I did not feel she was genuine in that statement because her degrading attitude throughout the article contradicts it.
While I agree that Asian Americans should be encouraged to pursue education and careers outside of STEM fields, I don’t think that the article addressed the primary reason for this. I think that a society full of doctors and engineers will lack ingenuity. I agree with Sasha that straightforward, mechanized thinking is deeply embedded in Chinese culture and I remember hearing somewhere that the Chinese government has realized the negative implications of this and is currently taking active measures to change the education system. Although alienation from Asian-American culture for people who break the stereotype is a concern, too, I think the stagnation of ideas is a much bigger problem.
Firstly, I think that the primary ethnic group in focus in this article is Chinese-Americans. The author should not make the generalization that all Asian-Americans maintain the same strict, academic standards that Chinese-Americans do because from my observations at least, not all Asian-Americans are subjected to the same cultural values. This brings me to another point, one that Sasha brought up. That this elevation of academic success over everything else is specific to Chinese Culture and I believe that in a generation or two, Chinese-Americans will broaden their vision of success to include more abstract professions, primarily ones in the arts. This article makes a good point, Chinese-Americans should be allowed to pursue whatever profession they would like, however, the argument is being made in vain, only time will amend this situation.
First off, I think this is such a profound essay. It was interesting for me to read because I am able to relate. I come from a south Asian family whose emphasis on academics was prioritized above all else. When I look at the major differences of both cultures I see Indians driven by desperation while Americans are motivated by passion. Majority of Indians live in poverty. They study and work hard so they can run away from their destitute lives. On the other hand, American kids are encouraged to achieve success by doing what they love. And I think that is the most beautiful quality this country has.
On another note, this article proves the value that stereotypes actually have. Some have mentioned that Asians benefit from the positive influence of the label “brainiacs.” However, Asians have not conformed to societal beliefs and have branched out for their own passions. I hope this sets an example for others who actually believe in racial stereotypes.