<p>In a country like Korea, economic success was much more dependent on academic success than in places like North America. In the U.S., you hear stories about high school dropouts who were once addicted to cocaine becoming multi-millionaire movie moguls. In fact, the image of the over-educated ivory tower dweller is popularly contrasted with the hard-working and self-made success who went to a state school. In Korea, if you didn't get into the top national university, you were done for. At least these are the stories I hear.</p>
<p>welll my mom didn't make me study until i was in 4th grade...seriously. like, i would get 40% on my math test and come home happy saying i didn't get 20% this time. but now, things are seriously hard. yup. i feel your pain.</p>
<p>I think that is actually a pretty good cultural trait (to a certain degree of course)... now if only it could spread to Hispanics and African-Americans. It's funny how the "Puritan work ethic" has changed to the "Asian work ethic". My parent's have never really pushed me-- and while I naturally push myself academically, my (much smarter) brother barely graduated high school... however, we are both happy- in our own way</p>
<p>
[quote]
I think that is actually a pretty good cultural trait (to a certain degree of course)... now if only it could spread to Hispanics and African-Americans.
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You must be joking.</p>
<p>wraider2006 ... that seems quite racist. Either that, or I'm completely misunderstanding you.</p>
<p>Look at IRvirtuoso's post- he basically says that Hispanics and black people don't like to work hard. And I said, "you must be joking", as in, "you're unbelievable, how could you make such an outrageous statement".</p>
<p>I think perhaps he was making a reference to himself, saying that people (like his own parents perhaps?) or blacks, or hispanics, or whites for that matter, don't have the good cultural trait of being pushed to do well academically. That doesn't mean "blacks and hispanics and whites" don't like to work hard, it means that as a whole, Asians push their kids harder to do well academically than any other race or culture.</p>
<p>You guys should read Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club, Chapter: Two Kinds.</p>
<p>"My mother believe you could be anything you wanted to be in America"
"I would soon become perfect. My mother and father would adore me. I would be beyong reproach. I would never feel the need to sulk for anything."</p>
<p>Russian parents are like Asian parents with +2 dignity shredding skills and +2 angry yelling, as well as -5 rationality.</p>
<p>Seriously.</p>
<p>My mom told me today that i'm not allowed to have any interests besides getting into college right now.</p>
<p>you know, I'm the younger sibling and I have always had older friends. I've been through their highschool and now college experiences, after recieving all their SAT books (a whole 3.5 feet of my bookshelf of fun). I think I've reached a point where my parents constant talking about colleges and SAT practice, that I've been brainwashed. For instance, I voluntarily bought the new Official SAT Book(most of the old books well... have the old SAT), and I'm constantly on us news college ranking's page, princetonreview.com, or this forum.</p>
<p>wraider2006: Like I said, I misintepreted it. </p>
<p>In any case, that was a horrible thing to say IRvirtuoso!</p>
<p>first of all: massive apology to anyone offended (as in on my knees begging for forgiveness)... let me explain myself though: I am Puerto Rican and super active within the Hispanic/ African american community and as a whole (NOT ALL HISPANICS AND AFRICAN AMERICANS) are not given the same oppurtunities, because of socio-economic factors within these communities, as other groups of Americans. Certain aspects of Hispanic and African-American culture within the United States (such as urban locations with poor public schools, parents that have to work a few jobs and don't have time to look at their kids' report cards, or that don't speak english). This is not to say that other Americans of different backgrounds do not face similar difficulties, but these factors must be considered. In the end though, it is the student's work, dedication, and determination that will ultimately lead to success, whether their parents push them to get a 1600 on the SATs or whether they have to fight their parent's to take off work on Saturday to take the SATs.</p>
<p>yea, im asian, and my mom has high standards, but thankfully liberal and tells me to be a sanitation woker if i want as long as im happy....she just says, get A's cuz ur smart and capable, blah and u know the rest.</p>
<p>it is true that a lot of asian parents push their kids a lot. i think that mostly cuz back in china or korea or whichever ppl were just dirt poor. i visited china once and the beggars and dirty children....that i think is y asian parents push their children so hard becuz they hav an opportunity here and they need 2 make the best of it. </p>
<p>of course getting into HYP doesnt mean ur set 4 life. my friend's dad is asian and harvard alumni but they're kinda poor. but hes happy. i think everyone should just strive 4 happiness, if it means getting into a good college or just being something they like.</p>
<p>Korea isn't THAT poor seriously. I lived there for ten years so trust me. The streets aren't filled with beggars. But i have to say that college alumni connections are strong so getting into an elite college is really crucial to success.</p>
<p>i didnt mean that Asia is filled with beggars. i just meant that there is a level of poverty there that is hardly found in the US. like i saw some dirty children in rags in Beijing, cling to the legs of of some tourists, sobbing and begging. it was terrible. and also teens in china commit suicide each year because they cannot afford to go to college.</p>
<p>we live on the opposite ends of the world. so misperceptions do occur. i nearly laughed my head off when someone asked me, 4 years ago, "so people in your country, a great deal of them live in trees?"</p>
<p>at that time we had one of the world's most advanced airport.</p>
<p>banedon, lots of people in the u.s have asked me if my family owns a friggin tv. and if we have sheep for pets. and if we have more than 2 rooms in our house. and if the girls wear coconut shells on their boobs. and if we have a mountain and a river flowing in our backyard.</p>
<p>Yup serious misconceptions about new zealand.</p>
<p>I think some asian parents need to chill. My friend is only allowed to go out once per month. (curfew is 8.30pm). Little do her parents know that she gets seriously stoned and alcoholed up on those days lol. sneaky sneaky..</p>
<p>the more you try to control a kid, the more s/he will find ways to break that control. (if any asian parents were to read this, they will all get together and start flaming me and take at most TWO kids who are not like that and then make a generalization that I have no idea what I'm talking about. They'll after that go on to say that "it's because you yourself don't want to be controlled so you think other people don't too.")</p>