Tiger Mom’s Triple Package: Racism? Realism?
By Shlomo Maital
Amy Chua & Jed Rubenfeld
“Tiger Mom” is back. Amy Chua, who wrote a book about her tough approach to raising her two daughters, as an Asian Mom, (Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, 2011) has a new book, co-authored by her husband Jed Rubenfeld: The Triple Package.* In it, they make a claim that several ethnic groups excel in America – Jews, Mormons, immigrants from China, Cuba, Lebanon, India, Iran, Nigeria — excel, because they are different. They have the triple package. First, impulse control, or self-discipline. Second, self-belief, self-confidence, almost a feeling their ethnic group is superior. Third, prejudice, or inferiority complex – the feeling they are persecuted, hindered, so they have to do like Avis – try much harder. The authors make the claim that America in general is lagging because it lacks the triple package – especially, when everyone is trying to make others feel self-confident, worthy, avoiding frustration, and when ‘no child left behind’ focuses on the laggards rather than the geniuses. The ‘self-esteem’ movement, which wants everyone to feel good about themselves, seems to prevent tackling big challenges that might – heaven forbid – damage our self-esteem though (G-d forbid)…the F word, failure!
The book has been pilloried, as racist and worse. It is not. My parents were immigrants. And they indeed tried harder. And they imbued me with the same ethic. Since when does the thesis that immigrant groups bring energy and the desire to excel become racist?
The fierce criticism Chua and Rubenfeld have absorbed suggests they may have touched a nerve. In a society that fosters instant gratification, impulse control and self-discipline are becoming rare. Some groups still have it. They seem to succeed. Is that racism? Or realism?
* Chua & Rubenfeld, The Triple Package: Penguin, 2014.
TIMnovate 
2 comments
Comments feed for this article
February 23, 2014 at 12:52 am
Dov Frishberg
The problem with Chua and Rubenfeld is not the hypothesis, nor its plausibility. The problem is that there is no science behind their claim. It would be interesting to contemplate (their ‘findings’) if they had any credentials as social scientists – but they don’t.
My anecdotal experience is that they are wrong (though that’s a little rash since their model is not logically clear – who is the outlier; Larry Page or Sergey Brin? Jan Koum or Brian Acton?
In any case they address a problem in the U.S. that is of primary concern to the affluent classes. It would be much more interesting and valuable if they told us why Hispanics appear to falling so much behind.
February 23, 2014 at 1:41 pm
timnovate
Dov, they do have a great deal of data in their book, if not ‘science’.
As for U.S. Hispanics: a quarter of American Hispanics live in poverty, and fully one-third of all Hispanic children.
This is truly unacceptable. For Chua and Rubenfeld, the reason is, they lack the triple whammy. But which part? All three?