Comments on: UPDATE VII: I Was A Chinese Mother (Amy’s A-OK; So Says The Research)

By: Robert Glisson

Robert Glisson — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 03:44:33 +0000

Hugo:
I did not miss a fundamental point. You said “Biology is destiny, and that is that.” Complete sentence, no reference to individuals. Nothing in the paragraph that would lead me to think that you were ignoring humanity for the individual. My reading comprehension is fairly good, my mind reading requires work. Inductive instruction is difficult for me to follow.

By: Van Wijk

Van Wijk — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 02:28:28 +0000

What Van Wyk is peddling is ahistoric, unscientific, deterministic bullshit.

Awwww, and we were getting along so splendidly.

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck in lifting black Africa up to peaceful, productive, 1st world nations. I have no doubt that you will succeed.

By: Hugo Schmidt

Hugo Schmidt — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 21:35:19 +0000

Robert, I'm sorry, but you miss a fundamental point - I was talking about biology being destiny for individuals. It is no contradiction to say it isn't so for groups. Why do all experiments strive for large groups to compare? To cancel out individual variation. This is science one-oh-one. Now, I see - surprise me - that Charles Murray has been mentioned. I once listened to a very interesting debate he was having on black-white IQ differences in America where he mentioned that he did not see these differences in - wait for it - the children of black and white Americans growing up in Germany. [Citation?] What Van Wyk is peddling is ahistoric, unscientific, deterministic bullshit.

By: Van Wijk

Van Wijk — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 10:32:51 +0000

Consider: minus the academic emphasis, most men and women who grew up in the US during the 1930s through the 1950, for example—only a couple of decades back—were treated by their parents the “Asian” way. But in this context the academic is primary. Many Asians have an obsession with what Laura Wood calls "educational regimentation" that borders on pathology. I grew up with a few Asian kids whose parents viewed 98 out of 100 as abject failure. Second place was not only not good enough, it was cause for great shame. Such children often buckle under the pressure. Sorry, but good old fashioned discipline and humility is not "Asian," and my grandparents did not raise their children the "Asian" way. They would have found the very notion abhorrent. Does Chua love the West and its history? Is she preparing her children to do so? Does she feel some gratitude at being able to live in this country (since her folks obviously left China for a good reason)? You've rightly gone on record against Sinophobia, but here you seem to have swung to the other end of the pendulum into Sinophilia. Neither is warranted.

By: Eruviluion

Eruviluion — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 08:01:11 +0000

@Jay. Seriously? Just as a Turbo increases the performance of a engine, so does a little bit of extra pressure (what you would call “oppression”) increase the performance of your child. Now, if you live in Jamaica, where ambition and competition are dirty words, you may have a point, but if you live in a country where people have to compete for work, wouldn’t it be better for your child to have all he advantages they can? Or do you think the comic book store your son works at will provide him with a sizeable retirement fund?

By: Jay Banks

Jay Banks — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 22:28:30 +0000

I am convinced that the whole issue is not about parenting but Amy’s only goal is to boost the sales of her book. She can thus call herself not only a strict mother but also a rich mother. Even though she has decided to share her views with the rest of the world I hope the majority of parents will never use any of these oppressive practices in the process of bringing their children up.

By: Robert Glisson

Robert Glisson — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 17:28:18 +0000

Hugo: IQ is a rabbit trail, the article about “The Tiger Mom” deals with, “HOW DO YOU RAISE YOUR CHILD TO BE SELF SUFFICIENT?” I made the statement about biology and Africa only as an example that Biology alone is not the complete answer. You proved me right in your statement “the state of the African continent is explained perfectly satisfactorily by war, corruption, dictatorship, religious insanity…” ie, environment plays a factor. Myron got the point the first time. The subject, Tiger Mom, is about child rearing; written by a college professor who is also a professional writer. Both professions are known to drive home points by inflating their examples. Her daughter’s comment states that her mom exaggerates her stories in the book to make a point. The references to IQ and countries and race can be found on Steve Sailer’s blog, address to the right, references the subject if you’re interested in that stuff. I’m not. Fame and fortune are not important, raising children that grow up to be stable, self productive individuals is, whether it be in a cosmopolitan city or a mud and waddle bush; child rearing is much too important to ignore or explain away.

By: Myron Pauli

Myron Pauli — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 16:09:36 +0000

I would treat that IQ table with a lot of skepticism – for example, fluctuations among the same nation at different times indicates large systematic uncertainties. The Central African IQ mean is well into the sub-retarded level of 80. The average Israeli would be in the bottom 5% in Japan.

This does not mean I claim that there is not such a thing as innate ability. However, I have always found social “science” to be far more social than science – these tables may be somewhat indicative of some trends but the “IQ numbers” are hardly the same as thermometers indicating temperature.

By: irongalt

irongalt — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:24:56 +0000

And Socialism does not need to be “exported”…it seems to be a primal drive in humanity. Haiti is an excellent example of natural-born socialists: both hands out ready to pick your pockets, but unable to pick up the rubble at their own feet.

By: irongalt

irongalt — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:10:57 +0000

@ Hugo Schmidt on 01.20.11 11:36 PM: how many * indigenous * Africans could you name that made any significant scientific discoveries / inventions? There are plenty of Europeans, Jews, Canadians, Australians, Asians, Indians, and even South Americans from a decidedly agricultural environment.

There are certainly strong differences between individuals, but also between groups. Mental capacities will atrophy when not used just like musculature…and consistent disuse will be passed on to offspring, slowly but surely. In nature you see Adaptation, where various permutations of the genetic potential will be activated to suit a consistent environmental situation.

Socialism, even in the form of international aid, favors the slothful, the stupid, and the senseless. In such a culture, the few people that do possess (or exercise) superior intelligence are stifled as misfits and shunned from society, and eventually the individual either conforms to stupidity or breaks down into suicide.