Why are Asian-Americans so successful in America?

I spend about an hour a day just bitching about shitty Asian drivers.

 

If the expectations are "Do your best", few kids will crack.

If they are "Make me damn proud so I can brag on you at cocktail parties to make me feel better about myself" . . . they likely will crack.

 

Yeah, but I think part of the lesson is that most kids best is higher than we currently set the bar.

Doing well in school -- like a lot of other things -- is directly tied to hard work, and the hours you put into it.

 

People always give this pat response, but honestly, I think it's a bit of a cop out. Hell, it's not like the original Chinese and Indian immigrants came here in a position of privilege. They originated as de facto slave labor (who do you think built our railroads?) subject to gross systemic discrimination too.

 

Yeah, I don't care at all about the latter.

 

As I've said before, then, I guess the answer is shiftless n#*#*#s.

 

Right. I think kids, especially the reasonably bright ones, are capable of so much more than we give them credit for. The vast majority of public schools don't serve them well at all.

 

Hmmmm ... an interesting answer to a question that wasn't asked.

 

Have you not considered the possibility that the explanation might lie somewhere in between? Jesus Christ, there's a vast and complex world of possible factors existing between the simple-headed either "slavery" or "shiftless ......" straw dichotomy you've set up here.

 

Sometimes reaching one's absolute fullest potential isn't in their best interests, for a variety of reasons.

 

If that's the case, American public schools are succeeding wildly.

 

Is a part of the damage resulting from slavery a mindset? If yes, can't that be changed?

It's horrific what happened to blacks under slavery, and it certainly broke the families, and inaugurated a cycle of poverty.

But, we've seen people overcome trauma and abuse of all kind. One of the keys to this is a conscious decision to no longer be a victim; to no longer give power to the person/group that victimized you.

Ben Carson's mother didn't accept excuses. I've argued that Ben Carson is brilliant. But, I don't think he was necessarily born much/any smarter than anyone else. He's brilliant because he worked really hard to get that way. (Which would also explain his ignorance in areas where he didn't put in the work.)

If we set the bar of success for African-Americans low because of the history of slavery, is it any surprise so few surpass it?