Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!purdue!bu-cs!cd
From: cd@bu-cs.BU.EDU (Clarence K. Din)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: Are Americans Intellectually Inferior?
Message-ID: <27541@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Date: 27 Jan 89 18:44:04 GMT
References: <1461@trantor.harris-atd.com> <19554@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Reply-To: cd@bu-cs.bu.edu (Clarence K. Din)
Followup-To: comp.edu
Distribution: usa
Organization: Boston University
Lines: 53

In article <19554@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> matloff@iris.ucdavis.edu (Norm Matloff) writes:
>In article <1461@trantor.harris-atd.com> ferguson@x102c.harris-atd.com (ferguson ct 71078) writes:
>
>>There have been some studies of this phenomenon but I am not aware of
>>their results other than one study that found that Asian-Americans
>>that spoke their native language at home fared better in school that
>>Asian-Americans that spoke English at home.  Fascinating.  

True, as Norm said, it has to do with culture.  But Asian-American culture
enforces this thing that many other cultures do not enforce: DISCIPLINE.
Many Asian kids are taught, since childhood, that getting low grades is
shameful.  Therefore, to combat the idea of "losing face," the Asian
child must continually strive to succeed throughout his/her school years.
Since these "lessons" have been ingrained in his/her mind since childhood,
the Asian kid will not need to be told to do well later in life.  He/she
will SIMPLY DO WELL (and often better than non-Asians).  Of course, this
applies only to the Asians that speak their native tongue at home.  The
other category of Asians have a culture that has been diluted (or plagued)
by American society.

>>same classroom treatment as the rest of the students.  She used to
>>start each school year asking the students to write a paper about what
>>they wanted to do when they got out of school.  Most of the
>>Asian-Americans wanted to be computer engineers and such while most of
>>the rest wanted to be truck drivers and hair stylists.

Yep, or any of a number of other menial labor jobs.  (Whoops, now that
haircutter down the street will scalp me!)

>Immigrant Asian-Americans tend to have a fantastically good "network,"
>so they know that there are lots of openings for computer engineers,
>and that one can get a good salary in this line of work.  Many of the
>non-Asians do not know this.  I wonder if this knowledge would change 
>their aspirations?
>
>    Norm

I've noticed that American children (all types) do not place much value
on the concept of money.  They know they can use it to buy stuff and
they can often beg for some from their parents... not much else.  I'm
not sure what it is, but the Asian culture seems to deem money highly.
The discipline inherent in the whole Asian cultural framework enforces
a certain rule for saving money rather than flaunting it.  Yes,
Americans are extremely wasteful.  One look in a typical American home
and we'll find tons of crap, like VCR's, TV's, expensive furniture, the
board game section of Toys 'R' Us, wasted light fixtures, etc.
A typical Asian home is very modest; amid the furniture, you may see a
couple of decorations that enforce the ideas of having and living a
good life and developing yourself to your potential.

Now why can't Americans follow these ideas?

-clarence