We the American people can finally rejoice. As you may have heard, Amy Chua (aka Tiger Mom)’s new book The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America
is officially available. Finally, the lowly unsuccessful (by cultural
upbringing) people can finally unlock the treasure of drive and
determination and make it in America.
In
the already sensational read, pot-stirring Chua and her
co-author/co-parent/husband Jed Rubenfeld identify three qualities
exuded by minority cultures that have led to their success in the US
while also highlighting a handful of cultures and subcultures that
supposedly prove their point.
This
has caused a lot of accusations regarding race-baiting and racism and
race-supremicism. But Chua and Rubenfeld are not wrong about how success can happen in
America in immigrant and minority populations. I’m not here to make any group (but especially white people)
feel better about themselves because the mean ol’ Asian professor lady and her Jewish professor husband say
they’re not good enough. I am, however, concerned that by celebrating a
narrow definition of success in America, Chua and Rubenfeld are propagating the shitty ideals that have led to so
much failure in America.
For
the record, Chua and Rubenfeld don’t exactly say anything that is
particularly controversial. Condescending? Yes, but not controversial. The three “unlikely traits” they highlight are (as quoted from the book’s Amazon page):
Americans
are taught that everyone is equal, that no group is superior to
another. But remarkably, all of America’s most successful groups believe
(even if they don’t say so aloud) that they’re exceptional, chosen,
superior in some way.
Americans
are taught that self-esteem—feeling good about yourself—is the key to a
successful life. But in all of America’s most successful groups, people
tend to feel insecure, inadequate, that they have to prove themselves.
America
today spreads a message of immediate gratification, living for the
moment. But all of America’s most successful groups cultivate heightened
discipline and impulse control.
So, superiority, inferiority, and discipline. That’s it, I think.
I
can get down with discipline and impulse control (because that’s how I
was raised), but I’m calling bullshit on the first two points regarding
the superiority and inferiority complexes. They are redundant—they
simply highlight the fact that minorities are the minority (um, thanks for clarifying?). Let’s recall the summary of that first point: “All of
America’s most successful groups believe (even if they don’t say so
aloud) that they’re exceptional, chosen, superior in some way.” Um,
yeah. If a capitalist American definition of success guarantees that
not everyone can be successful (there’s got to be a bottom for there to
be a top), of course the small percentage of successful people are going
to feel special.
In terms of inferiority, it’s not that minorities feel
inferior, it’s that we know we have to work much harder to gain
recognition in America. Proving oneself is a fact of life for
immigrants and minorities, successful and unsuccessful. Yes, it sucks,
and it’s a huge problem in America. It’s how doctors who saved hundreds of lives in their home country wind up working at call centers or driving cabs. Chua and Rubenfeld’s failure to mention the systematic
oppression that prevents success is just ridiculous.
But I guess the part about The Triple Package that is most difficult to swallow is the privilege with which it was written. As Keli Goff at The Root explains, Chua and Rubenfeld’s work is off-putting because of its limited scope and narrow definition of success:
“There
is something extremely condescending about two people of privilege
writing a book about how they “earned” their privilege, in part, by
being privileged enough to grow up in the right kinds of communities,
with, presumably, the right kinds of people. There is, as I see it, a
fundamental flaw in Chua’s argument. It seems that she and her husband
define success in very limited ways.”
I
am happy for Chua and Rubenfeld, two incredibly successful individuals,
but it gets my goat when people who have access and an understanding of how success in America works don’t call out the system’s failures or work to change it
for the better. To wit, check out this useless Today show interview in which the duo exasperatedly wonder aloud why
people are making such a big deal about the “cultural groups” aspect of
their book—ANSWER: IT’S THE TITLE OF YOUR BOOK—and then make sure
everyone knows they’re not racist because they highlight black subgroups too, you guys.