Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Roaring Tigers


This video went viral and had over 5 million views in just one week. It was concise, funny, and to the point. Yet in some weird, twisted way, while obviously exaggerated, this video revealed some truth regarding Asian moms and stereotypes. The video itself was very simple. It had one Asian male dressed up as an Asian mother and lashing out ridiculous sayings and things to their kids.

Although this video is a little bit exaggerated, I believe that it is still reflective of Asian moms, aka tiger moms. Sure, my mom did not yell “B is for bitch” when I came home with a B on my report card; nevertheless, she would be disappointed in me and as punishment, she would take away my privileges like watching TV, surfing the net, or going out until I pull my grades up.

Ever since first grade, I had to attend multiple after school tutor sessions. My mom was always afraid that I would be behind in school. You may wonder, what is so difficult in first grade that a tutor is necessary? Tutoring sessions did not only cover materials taught in class, it was also about “previewing” materials, planning for the future, covering materials in second grade. In my mom’s mind, being prepared ahead of time is always for the best.

On top of homework from school, cram schools also assigned homework and tests. I remember attending a math institution with my neighbor. One day at home, I heard my mom yell my name. I immediately recognized the anger in her roar. She was mad. I am in deep trouble I thought to myself. What did I do wrong this time? I reflected on the day and could not think of what I did wrong as I quickly hustled in my room to see my mom holding a test paper she found in my backpack.

“What kind of grade is this?!” She yelled as she pointed on the 82% on the paper.

I remained silent, as I don’t recall getting this grade. Then, I remembered I picked up my neighbor’s test for her since she was sick and wasn’t able to attend class.

“Mom, it’s not my test.” I answered, as I felt relieved.

Instantly, similar to the video when the Asian mom picked up the phone and had a change of tone immediately, my tiger mom smiled and said nothing more.

Another point that the video brought up that I have personally experienced is that Asian moms are constantly comparing their children. My mom always compared me with other children who did better in school. She would praise them and scorn me for not being good enough. However, this is not a fair game. Since if I ever complained about anything in the household, my mom would tell me to “go join other family.” That was her ultimate line to anything I said, whether or not I made sense or not, tiger moms are always right. Even if I reasoned with her, instead of admitting fault, she would simply ask me to be someone else’s children. By then, there was no come back that I could think of to retaliate.  

She wins again.

Most people will watch the video, laugh at how ridiculous the heavy accent is and the statements she makes. To them, those are the key points. But for me, it is nice to know that I am not alone after all!



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