Double Lives in America

Reading Gina Masequesmay's article "Emergence of Queen Vietnamese America" was a huge eye opener towards the LGBTQ situation in the Asian community. Heteronormativity is the idea that our society favors opposite sex relationships and everything else is considered "not normal". The idea of heteronormativity combined with many Asian American's parents to "carry on the family name" aka have grandchildren that will have the same last name. Masequesmay talks about the difficulty of many Viet-Americans having to live double lives. With their family, they must hide their true identity to avoid being shunned by the family. However, when away from family, their true identity comes out. I understand how difficult it is to live double lives. Like Masequesmay said in the article, immigrant lives are heterosexualized and traditionally gendered. When an immigrant comes out, they are often shunned by those in their native community as well as their American community. It angers me to see this happen, and I am hopeful that changes in the idea of heteronormativity in our society will be eliminated, but only time will tell. Will LGBTQ immigrants be able to, one day, come out without the fear of being shunned by their community and families?

Austin Yu

Section A01

Emergence of Gay & Lesbian in America

Sarak Ouch
Week 10

The article “Emergence of Queer Vietnamese America” was a very interesting article that covered the gay an lesbian community of Vietnamese Americans. I thought that Michelle brought up a great point that she was so caught up in building a successful feature that it never occurred to her that she may have been gay. She was focused on a higher education and was trying to pursue her masters degree. She mentioned that growing up poor made her look to education as a way out of poverty. While doing this, she neglected and suppressed her sexual preference. It was not until she was older that she was able to have stability in her life and explore her sexuality. I believe that she may have waited this long until she found success in herself because she had the freedom to do whatever she please in life when she hit a certain age. I think that in life when we hit a certain point in our life , we then become open in our choices and soon we don’t care about what people have to say about us. Being gay and a minority has many obstacles to overcome because today we are still fighting for the right for equal marriage and as well as equal treatment for minorities.

Reading Reflections #10: LGBQT the New Black?

In response to “Emergence of Queer Vietnamese America” by Masequesmay

            As a strong supporter of LGBQT rights, this article made me a little mad but, also very hopeful. The fact that Vietnamese people who identify as LGBQT are starting to come out and that they have a place to go to for support is great. They don’t have to hide their sexual desires for family obligations or conform to social expectations.

            But in the meantime, there are still too many obstacles. For one, people, Asians especially, just don’t talk about sex. Sex is taboo or it’s just for the bedroom. Well, I think that’s really dumb. Sex is arguably the most natural thing we do. After all, the main goal for any animal is to survive and reproduce. Everybody knows about it. Most people enjoy it. So, why is it so taboo?

Another obstacle is stupid filial piety and family obligations. For all my life my parents have made it very obvious to myself and my brothers that we are to get married and have children. I can’t imagine this being very different for any other Asian person. With all these expectations and pressure, how could an obedient child be gay or lesbian? That’s like stabbing your parents in the heart and expecting them to forgive you.

There’s also the social stigma and hardships that comes with being LGBQT. Why are members of this community constantly denied basic human rights? In a lot of ways they’re kind of replacing US’s problem of racial diversity. America’s already discriminated against every single non-white race, so why not turn on the LGBQT community? You can’t get married or adopt children. You can’t visit your significant other if he/she is lying in the hospital moments away from death. All just because some powerful white men say you can’t. I’d continue but that’s a rant for another time.

Anyway, I’m really glad that these women have finally gotten a chance to be their true selves. Hopefully, in the years to come, more people will find the courage to come out to their families and communities. And maybe they won't be treated as lesser humans. After all people in the LGBQT community are just amazing. This woman included.

Do you think the LGBQT “problem” is replacing US’s problem with racial diversity? Have members of the LGBQT become the new “black”?

What other obstacles are there keeping Asians from coming out as LGBQT?

Aren’t you glad we are done with blog posts?

Linda Wei

Section A01

discrimination happens everywhere

Ka Pou Sin

Blog Entry for Week 10 

The different scenarios in the article “Secret Asian Man” by Tak Toyoshima, show the different thoughts about discrimination towards Asians in American Society. We are not truly accepted, we are not included and we are not mentioned. We are not seen on the screen, we are seen as nerdy and geeky people and we are categorized as an Asian-American even though we are American. Why must Asians be looked down on? The general public and society discriminates us and neglect us from the group. We try to fight back, like the scene of “Hypocritical Adventures of the Conveniently Oppressed” in the article; however, we can’t. Even though we try to, the high positions in the job fields are whites or maybe even other races. Therefore, they use that to pressure us and oppress us and try to force us into giving the thought of rebelling because the consequence of it is losing the income for living. 

Reading Reflection #9: Why I Love My Strict Chinese Mom

Wingyan Yuen
Section A01
Reading: "Why I Love My Strict Chinese Mom" by Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld

Chua-Rebenfeld wrote this response to Amy Chua's "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior" at the age of 18. The age a little girl starting to gain a sense of self-awareness. In this response letter, Chua-Rebefeld thanks her mother for pushing her to achieve her fullest.

She dismisses critics to her mother by stating that others do not understand what really goes on in the family. After reading her response, I get the sense that Chua-Rebenfeld is a teenager with independent mind and also great gratitude towards her parents, which most teenagers do not have today. After reading both "Why I Love My Strict Chinese Mom" and "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior" by Amy Chua, I am now a fan of the "tiger mom method," which is not about pushing one's kids to get As and awards, but is about pushing their limits.



Question: Do you think Chua-Rebenfeld really benefits the most from her mother's teaching method?

Reading Reflection #8: Creating Identity

Wingyan Yuen
Section A01
Reading: "Creating Identity, Defining Culture, and Making History from an Art Exhibit" by Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde

Through examining Huynh Chau" artwork, Valverde brings attention to the struggle of Vietnamese American today. That Vietnamese Americans are still struggling to seek peace in their own community. That Vietnamese Americans are still struggling to be truly identified as Americans. It is because they are living under the fear to be turned against by their community, the fear to be called communists.

Using Chau's experience as an example, Valverde also encourages the readers to embrace diversity of the Vietnamese American community as she quoted Chau, "I'm not going to leave the mess in the community for my children to have to take care of."

Question: Is there other Asian American community that goes through the same struggle?

LGBT

Aung Lin

ASA 2-Reading Reflection #10

Title: LGBT

Word Count: 416

1.       Title: “Emergence of Queer Vietnamese America” by Gina Masequesmay

Vietnamese LGBT Community at San Francisco Pride Parade

Before I read this article, I never heard of queer immigrants organizing their own support groups. I always thought LGBT community is mostly white and black people. I’ve never seen gay Vietnamese at the San Francisco Gay Parade. I was shocked to learn that some Vietnamese are openly gay or lesbian. I can’t imagine what David in this article went through. He’s catholic and being himself is against his religion. I don’t know much about religions but I only know that being LGBT is against Christianity and Buddhism. I was shocked that Vietnamese refugees usually settle in Orange County, LA instead of San Jose because of cheaper housing, hot weather, and LA Chinatown. I always thought San Jose was like the Vietnamese town.

Questions:

1)      Why there was only a few studies about lives of queer Vietnamese in the past 27 years?

2)      How can a person explore his/her own sexuality? How long does it take? Is female-to-male transgender David in this article mentally ill?

3)      Is coming out easier in America than in Vietnam? How?

2.       “Teaching Justice and Living Peace: Body, Sexuality, and Religious Education in Asian American Communities” by Boyung Lee

Teaching Children about how Homosexuality is against God

I agree with Lee about Asian American religious education. It must include sexuality and sexual identity. In Asian cultures, there’s almost no such thing as coming out especially in Asian Buddhist families. Not only that it is against most of the religion in Asian culture. In America, many parents teach their kids to hate LGBT community because of their religion. They believe it is a sin in their religion. I never once heard of that until I came to America. I was stunned that some parents teach their kids to hate other people. Not only that young girls in Asian families are taught to be obedient to men and must remain a virgin until marriage. Parents shouldn’t teach their kids how to be racist and oppress women. Because of all this, some women even go through hymen restoration surgery to please their families and their husband’s family.

Questions:

1)      If Asians people come out, will they be punished by their God?

2)      In Asian families, if a child come out to his/her parents, how will the parents deal with this kind of situation?

Tiger Moms

Austin Yu
section A01

After reading Amy Chua's "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior", I see the characteristics she uses to describe "Chinese mothers"in my parents. Although I agree that many Chinese mothers are similar in many ways in terms of their parenting methods, I think it's unfair to generalize this idea of "Chinese mother" parenting to all Chinese mothers. I know for a fact that many Chinese mothers do not raise their children in the same way. However, I do agree that a majority of Chinese mother are like this. Like Amy Chua said in the article, I agree that many Chinese mothers have very high expectations for their children. I remember as a child I thought it was very unfair for my parents to expect me to do so many things. However, I now know it is only because my parents care for me and they want me to have a good life. Back in my parent's home country, children there do not have the same opportunities as American children. This is why my parents pushed me super hard to do well in school because a good, free public education is very hard to come by in China and Myanmar. Amy Chua also mentioned how Chinese mothers often make many sacrifices for their family, and especially, for their children. I highly agree with this, and my mother also made huge sacrifices for me as well. Will this kind of "Chinese mother" parenting still exist in the 2nd or 3rd generation of Chinese people?

Parenting: Simple Enough?

Parenting: Simple Enough?
Jason Luong
Section A01
In Response to : "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior" by Amy Chua
After reading "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior", I can see how Amy Chua's article can definitely brings about heavy debate from initial responses. However, after taking the tame to dissect each individual piece of her story, I came to understand that she is not selecting and highlighting one style of parenting over another nor is she using cultural differences as means for ethnic superiority However, the method she coined as "Chinese-style", reminds me of the authoritative and authoritarian methods of parenting that I have read about in Dianes S. Hayashino and Sapna Batra Chopra's "Parenting and Raising Families". The authoritative method is reminiscent of what Chua described as the Western type of parenting; parents of this method are responsive to their child(ren)'s needs and provide comfort at their failings. However, Chua's "Chinese-style" parenting is of the authoritarian type of parenting. In this sense, children must openly bare the full responsibility of their success and failings. Many readers initially believe this method that Chua had used on her child reflects a negative aspect of this method: that she does not care for her daughter's well-being. However, that, as Chua also mentioned, is not the case. The summarize all that I have said so far: each parenting method comes with their own faults and short-comings. But one thought I have had in regards to this topic is where the child's reasoning and voice is during these debates of parenting. While Chua's daughter later wrote back in defense for her mother, this is but a few responses most have ever seen. My question here is why a child, in either and any method of parenting, lacks the ability to speak out when the potential is there?

A True Account of Strict but Caring Parenting

In Response to “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” by Amy Chua. 

            In this article, Professor Amy Chua juxtaposes the parenting ways of “Chinese mothers” to that of “Western mothers”. She used these two terms loosely because different parents can fall under these categories. When she talks about “Chinese mothers”, she meant the way which that type of mothers parent their children. Professor Chua also relates the parenting ways to her own experiences. One of the differences between Chinese mothers and Western mothers is that Chinese mothers believe that their child absolutely have the potential to get perfect grades and be good at instruments. Western parents do not believe in forcing their children to do what they didn’t want to do.

            A lot of what the author talked about rang true to my own ear. I have that type of “Chinese parents” who were very strict and had high expectations. I think that even though many parents believe that when the parents yell at their children horrible names and making their children shamed is bad parenting. However, personally I do not harbor any negative feelings towards my parents. They were strict, yes, but I know they really cared and they just wanted the best for me. Of course, they weren’t as strict as what the author had described, but they did stress that I do not give up. This is a funny and interesting article as it reflected probably what many first generation Asian American children went through. 

Xishan (Lucy) Ye

Section A02

Blog #9

Kimberly Hwang
May 26, 2013
Section A01
Reading: "Why I love my strict Chinese mom" by Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld

A Different Perspective

            Reading this article, a response to the essay "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior," from the daughter of the mother who wrote the essay, reminded me of my own mother. I think it's safe to say that many children can relate to having a very strict parent. I think that Sophia's response to her mother's essay was very touching and necessary. There were many criticisms and even death threats to the mother who wrote "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior," but ultimately the children get the final say as to whether or not their mother was truly the "worst mother ever." Critics may criticize Amy's, Sophia's mother, parenting skills but Sophia appreciates all that her mother has done for her. Most "tiger mothers," although they may seem like a tyrant or a dictator, have the best intentions for their children. I think the reason why mothers push their children so much, especially mothers from minority groups, is because they know that there aren't as many opportunities for people with color than for white people. Whether we like it or not, we live in a white dominant society, and coming from a minority group puts you at a disadvantage. I think that's why Asian mothers push you so hard because they want all their kids to have the same opportunities by excelling in school and attending really prestigious universities. Sophia's response to her mother's essay was needed to let all the critics and haters know that they are taking it the wrong way. Can many Asian kids relate to this type of mother? Do kids from different minority groups also have to deal with "tiger moms"?

Humor of the Tiger Mother

My initial reaction to Amy Chua’s essay, an excerpt from her infamous book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, was the same as many other readers—that is, disgust, anger, and a little embarrassment of sharing the same ethnicity as her.  Throughout the essay, Ms. Chua paints her self-portrait in a way that reminds me more of a controlling bully than a coach or a mother.  Her over-generalizations of “western mothers” versus “Chinese mothers” speak volumes of her self-righteous ideals of a so-called superior culture.  However, after reading Amy Chua’s daughter’s response to the critics of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, my disgust faded to intrigue.  Were Ms. Chua’s extreme-sounding methods of parenting really mostly exaggeration and tongue-in-cheek humor, or was Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld’s response (which was rather sympathetic to her mother) a form of Stockholm syndrome?  A closer look at the elder Chua’s essay shows evidence that misplaced humor—as opposed to extremely bad parenting—was the real issue in the essay.  While I don’t doubt that Ms. Chua is a very strict mother, I believe that the stories she gleefully recounts are meant to create a sort of shock and awe sort of humor.  It seems that the basic structure from which she derives her humor is having some extreme statement or action, then justifying it with some understated response.  For example, when she tells about her experience at a party where she tells an acquaintance that she called her daughter a piece of garbage, she casually writes that she ended up causing one guest to leave early, and needing to be “rehabilitated” with the other guests.  Chua’s casual use of universally negative words such as “coerce” (“coercion Chinese-style” when she forces her daughter Lulu to play a piece perfectly) works especially well to highlight her shock-and-awe humor.  But no evidence is stronger than Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld’s word: “One problem”, she writes of her mother’s fallout with the public, “is that some people don’t get your humor”.  While I do not find the humor that Ms. Chua uses particularly entertaining, I feel that her viewpoints on parenting is hardly as extreme as she makes it out to be in her book.

Melody Yee

Section 2

ASA 2

Asian Parenting

Sharon Hong

As I read “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior” by Amy Chua, I can see where Chua is coming from. The city I come from, Diamond Bar, consists of almost more than 50% of the population being Chinese. As I see many of my Asian friends experience what Chua is referring to, I agree with what she has to say. Even though my parents are Asian, I did not experience parenting the way Chua describes it. My parents were very lenient to where I would go and do. My parents gave me a car and taught me how to be responsible on my own. Instead of teaching me how to do math problems or speak better English, my parents taught me to become a better person. In my family, God came first, health came second, and then grades and so forth. My parents scolded me for getting bad grades, but always told me to try harder and that grades aren’t everything. When my sister said that she did not want to go to college, my parents agreed with my sister and said “if that is what you really think is right then do it”. Instead of having my parents make all the decisions for me, they showed me how to make the best decisions for myself, and gave me advice whenever I needed. I know that they love me and care for me even though they do not parent in the way Asian and Western parents do. If my parents were to teach in a strict manner, I am the type of person to rebel and become the person they would not want me to become. Instead, I believe that I have become the person I am today because my parents have let me be an individual, and taught me that the world does not revolve on grades. My question is, “don’t parents know that they are not doing what is best for their children?”. It is only making the relationship between a parent and child worse. 

Why Chinese Mothers are Superior

I found this article very interesting because of the fact that I felt I could relate to this article on almost every level. Although both of my parents are Vietnamese, my mother was exactly as what Amy Chua described in the article, in that she was the stereotypically “Asian mom.” My father, on the other hand, was more like a Western parent in comparison to my mother, although he did a lot of times portray several characteristics of an Asian parent. In general, my mom was the strict one while my father was the more lenient one. My parents always told me that they gave everything to me and that really I was the one that owed them everything because of all the things they had done for me, which is something I really do believe in. In particular, my mother often said that she sacrificed a lot for me and that she knew what was best for my, which is something Amy Chua said was a characteristic of most Chinese mothers.

- Timothy Huynh

Section A01

It's Up to the Child

A Response To "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior" by Amy Chua

Response By: Jonathan "Prince" Garcia

The article talked in detail about how a "typical" Chinese child is raised in a Chinese home. The child is pushed to succeed (not a bad thing), but in my opinion, the methods described within the article can be considered border-line abusive. Individuality seems to be frowned upon, and the standards are set close to impossible that failure will result most of the time. The emphasis for Chinese families is to prepare children for their future instead of allowing them to enjoy things that would "waste" time. In comparison, Western families, I feel are also a bit extreme. In my opinion, I don't believe that any method is superior because I believe that it is up to the child's personality on whether they want to succeed or not.

Question: What constitutes "abuse" within the confines of raising a child in an Asian household? 

A Mix of Western and Chinese

Andy Wang

Section 2

IN response to Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior by Amy Chua

After reading this article, I found out that my mother is kind of between a Chinese parent and a Western parent. She wanted to be a Chinese parent but couldn't because she have work 7 days a week. I was never really allowed to go to places except I could go to sleepovers as long as my parent approved of my friend or the parents. My parents couldn't be strict because they didn't have the time. But in my mind I didn't want to get punished and cause my family to be ashamed because I failed at school. So I always tried my best starting in the 6th grade of elementary school. I always did average before that and then I started getting As and Bs and eventually I started trying to get straight As. My mom has sacrificed a lot for me. And when she couldn't be strict and watch over me during my studies, she made it up by sending me to a good school instead of a public school in my town. The pubic school system is my town is bad and violent. So my mom sent me to a private school. I never learned to play an instrument because my parents didn't have time for me and hire a teacher to teach me. So instead I turned myself to computers. I slowly gained the knowledge to build my own computer as I started earning money and such. So in my mind, the children has a part in deciding if the mom is a Chinese or Western parent. 

Different Parenting Styles

Leigh Hiura

ASA2 Section A02
Reading: Why Chinese Mothers are Superior 

I could not believe what I was reading while going through this article. Sure, maybe Amy Chua’s methods worked but at what expense? Her children were not allowed to have playdates, sleepovers, watch tv or even choose their own extracurricular activities. I do not understand how a child could be raised that way. Growing up I was allowed to do whatever I wanted – within reason. I was pushed into basketball, soccer, dance, and piano but I was never forced to continue if I did not enjoy it. I am so grateful to have the loving and kind parents that I did who encouraged me to try out for musicals in elementary school and who supported me when I quit soccer. Sure when I did not understand multiplication tables my mom made me study harder and wrote out flash cards for me but it was for my own good and she rewarded me and made sure that I knew that she was there to help me and it was for my own good. She by no means took it to the frustrating extent as the piano example. This article really upset me because I know that this type of parenting happens often. My question though, is how do the children feel about being parented in this manner. Do they even realize the differences between them and some of their friends?

Reading Reflections #9: I Don’t Love my Father

In response to: “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior” by Amy Chua and “Why I love my Strict Chinese Parents” by Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld

            I’ve read this article at least half a dozen times and I still don’t know how I feel about the whole subject of Tiger moms/Eagle dads. Everything Chua says makes perfect sense to me. How western parents are hyper sensitive about their children’s self esteem, or how Chinese parents just want the best for their children. From Sophia’s letter it’s obvious that Chua isn’t an evil parent. Chua clearly cares and loves her daughters. And any “cruel” methods she uses are used out of love.

            But then I look back at my childhood. I have an Eagle dad (the male counterpart to Tiger moms). I remember when I was a kid, he would make my brothers and I memorize parts of the dictionary. He’d give us sections of dictionaries and expect us to know how to spell and the meanings of each and every word. We had from the time we got home from school to the time he got home from work to memorize pages and pages of words. He would then quiz us. If we got any wrong, we had to go back and study more. We weren’t allowed to stop until he was satisfied. More than once, I stayed up well into the morning memorizing.

            Unlike Sophia, I don’t appreciate what my father did. I honestly have not benefited from this. I don’t know the meanings to a lot of words and I still suck at spelling. Heck, I can’t even look at a dictionary without cringing anymore. Having him yell at me for being “stupid” totally damaged my self esteem. Quite frankly, I don’t think my father was doing any of this out of love. I truly believe he wanted my brothers and I to succeed so he could look good when compared to his siblings. Now, I don’t think I can honestly say I love my dad. I don’t think my brothers can either.

Was either of your parents tyrannical dictators that expected nothing but perfection from you?

If so, do you appreciate what they did or not?

Linda Wei

Section A01

Blog #8: Installation Interpretation

Maureen Mai

ASA 02

5/25/13

           

The controversy of Chau Huynh’s “Connections” installations, cause quite a commotion in the Vietnamese community. To the point where Vietnamese people and members of Diaspora protested for eight days, in front of the Nquoi Viet Daily, a Vietnamese language newspaper that published a photo of the “Pedicure Basin”. The “Pedicure Basin” was an installation that showcased three pedicure basins painted yellow with three red stripes, meant to represent the Republic of Vietnam flag. The “pedicure basin” was a tribute to her Mother-in-Law, who worked hard at a nail shop to put her family through education and to send money back to her loved ones at home. However, members of the Vietnamese community chose to ignore the meaning behind her artwork and instead interpreted it negatively. “The bucket is a dirty thing and to put the flag there says the flag is a dirty thing”.

            As an aspiring artist myself I found the discussion of misinterpretation in the article “Creating Identity, Defining Culture and Making History from an Art Exhibit: ‘Unfinished Story: A Tribute to My Mother” by Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde, very intriguing. Art is meant to be interpreted and can be interpreted in many ways. So while reading this article, I wonder if the misinterpretation was valid. The interpretation of the public was very literal. They took it out of context, imposed their own political views on the piece and created a negative meaning. However for an artist this type of ignorance is expected. In fact if feel like that there is satisfaction in angering the public. Art is meant to challenge the way people think and how we view things. It opens up doors to discussion, commotion and reflection. What the “pedicure basin” did for the community was bring light to the Vietnamese history and experience.

"Nothing is Fun Until You're Good At It"

In response to "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior" by Amy Chua
  
     This essay discusses the differences between western parenting and Asian parenting. She explains the method of creating prodigy children and why Asian parents think the way that they do. I do not necessarily agree with Amy Chua. When she mentioned her experience with her daughter and how she threatened her little girl to play a simple piano piece, I felt very uneasy. Being born in America and living in a very westernized home could be the reason why I feel the way I do. I experienced both westernized and Asian parenting. I was forced to play piano and my parents had certain expectations, but I've noticed that I found no motivation to learn something if I am forced against my own will. I feel if Asian mothers drill their children to a path that they ultimately do not want, then they do not have the drive or spark to pursue their goals whole-heartedly. I see it as preplanned destiny that is unavoidable. Many students in Korea commit suicide from the pressure of  parents and schools. I understand Asian parents want to prepare their children for the real world, but it is almost a militarized childhood. My mother had very strict father, she lived her childhood strictly by her parents. She has become successful, yet she always looks back and wonders what she could have done instead. Although my mom is very fortunate with her career, she always recalls the past with regret.
Does the majority of students who experienced Asian parenting become thankful for the harsh and strict childhood?

Claudia Chang
ASA02
Section A01

Tiger Moms in America

Sarak Ouch
Week 9


The article Why Chinese Mothers are Superior was very interesting to me because growing up, I witnessed this with my own eyes. My mother was not the tiger mom but I did have a best friend that had a mom like how the author described. She was fluent in two languages and play multiple instruments such as the violin and piano. I would always want to play with her but she had to practice daily with her instruments and that made me realize that I wanted to play an instrument as well. My Mom had some traits life of the tiger mom because she would not allow me to go to sleepovers or have play-dates with friends. To my mother, these extracurricular activities were not important. Also my mother was also able to say to me that I was getting fat to me bluntly unlike western Moms who would tell their daughters about having a healthy lifestyle. It was striking to me that a daughter had to publish an article to protect her moms intentions in the New York Post. I agree that some people may think Chinese Moms may be too strict on their kids but their intentions are only good and is culturally accepted amongst themselves. I think it is okay to be strict with kids as long as it does not damage their self esteem.

Not all Chinese parents are like that

Ka Pou Sin

Blog Entry for Week 9

In the article, “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior”, Amy Chua keeps emphasizing that Chinese parents are very strict with their child’s performance in school and they are very concern with getting straight A’s. She even mentioned that children raised by Chinese mothers will never get a B. However, I strongly disagree with her thoughts. My parents were raised in Macau and they were taught very strictly, which makes them the typical Chinese parents. However, my parents do not force me to get A’s and get crazy when they see a B on my report card. They are very encouraging and tells me to try my best. All they want from me is to be self- motivated and to work hard, by the results doesn’t matter to them. The only thing they expect from me to be do my best and to actually understand the material I have learned in class. It is not about grades that all Chinese parents care about; therefore, I believe that Amy Chua is over exaggerating and being too stereotype about Chinese parents. She also mentions that to train children into the becoming geniuses in different fields, is to not allow them to have any kind of entertainment or enjoyment, such as watching television or having sleepovers. This claim just makes Chinese parents seem like they are tying their children down and being cruel and mean to their children. I totally disagree with her views because from my personal experience, she is incorrect about her views and opinions. 

Part Vietnamese and Strict Moms

Aung Lin

ASA 2-Reading Reflection #9

Title: Part Vietnamese and Strict Moms

Word Count: 547

1.       Title: “Doing the Mixed-Race Dance: Negotiating Social Spaces Within the Multiracial Vietnamese American Class Typology” by Caroline Valverde

Vietnamese Multiracial Family 

Valverde is very lucky that she get to live in Vietnam for couple of years as a child and as an adult because I never had that chance. I came from Myanmar as a child and could never go back there to live for couple of years due to the on-going war between the communist leaders and anti-communist leader Aung Sun Su Kyi. Like Vietnamese multiracial people, Burmese multiracial people also cannot blend into their community. Some Burmese people called these multiracial people “not our blood” which is very mean and racist. Like Vietnamese community, Burmese community also sees multiracial people very attractive. More attractive than pure Burmese in fact. We are in 21^st century and I just can’t believe how Asian communities don’t accept multiracial people because they’re not 100% Vietnamese, not 100% Burmese, etc. I really enjoy reading Valverde’s articles because everything she wrote is based on her experience and real life stories that teach people not to be racist. I can relate to most of the stories in her articles and I learned many struggles in Asian community.

Question:

1)      Is it hard for Valverde to fit into Vietnamese crowd since she’s only part Vietnamese? How do people treat her differently when they see her?

2)      Why is it so hard for the Vietnamese community to accept Vietnamese multiracial?

2.       “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior” by Amy Chua

A Chinese Mom Forcing her Son to Study 

I can definitely relate to this article. It reminded me of my childhood. My mom was very strict and these rules that Chua listed in her article are exact same rules that I used to follow. My parents’ friends that are not Asians also always asked them how they raised me and why I’m so good at math. My parents were also math majors and I got their genes. Their friends always say I’m an Asian kid and all Asians are good at math. I was often stereotyped when people hear that I’m a math major but they never hurt my feelings because I don’t have time to pay attention to these comments. Like Chua’s parents, most of Chinese parents are great at training their kids how to be polite and how to be successful in school. Like Chau stated, Chinese parents doesn’t care about their child’s self-esteem. If their child failed something they get yelled at instead of an encouragement like western parents. I think a child’s mental health is more important than getting straight As in school. Having happiness and high self-esteem in life is very important. Chinese parents love their kids but they always put more and more pressure on them so they can succeed. Sometimes their child might suffer depression because of it.

Question:

1)      Why do Chinese parents keep forcing their kids to do things they don’t want and don’t care about their self-esteem? Do they know that success in school doesn't always lead to money? Most of the high paying jobs in US are held by non-Asian. Do they know about that?