Why do Asians really get straight A's? - Project Gutenberg Consortia ...
Why do Asians really get straight A's? - Project Gutenberg Consortia ...
Why do Asians really get straight A's? - Project Gutenberg Consortia ...
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We arrive at Uncle's house with all our body parts intact; actually, it's an apartment<br />
since everything is compressed in the city. Walking up six flights of stairs is no laughing<br />
matter; try <strong>do</strong>ing it with jet lag and hunger— and two big suitcases plus an over-stuffed<br />
backpack. Alright, I'll stop whining.<br />
Four locks click in sequence, like timed demolition, the large <strong>do</strong>or opening fast and<br />
wide, such that we rush in as if it's Black Friday at a shopping mall. Oldest Auntie, sitting in an<br />
old rustic brown chair, waves us over with both hands. I notice what's on TV: the news— big<br />
surprise. <strong>Asians</strong> love watching the news all day. The apartment is just like Auntie's house in<br />
Palo Alto, traditional and passé with antiquated Oriental furniture. I see lanterns, same as the<br />
ones from Auntie's Palo Alto house, hanging from the ceiling, with red New Year couplets<br />
covering the walls below, even the wall scrolls appear to be exact duplicates. I guess both<br />
Aunties have the same interior decorator.<br />
My parents hand Oldest Auntie and Uncle wrapped gifts and red envelopes while<br />
simultaneously bowing, a customary gesture in accordance to Asian culture, for due honor<br />
and respect. Oldest Auntie and Uncle bow back, my parents bow again, Oldest Auntie and<br />
Uncle bow back once more, all four of them continuing with bows, lower and lower each time,<br />
trying to out<strong>do</strong> each other. Many people think that bowing is a form of honor and respect, but<br />
it's actually nothing more than a form of subservience. Shaking hands, for instance, is a true<br />
form of respect because both people are <strong>do</strong>ing it while standing at an equal level, at the same<br />
time, staring eye to eye, completely equitable in the exchange. However, bowing entails that<br />
one person be lower while the other person is higher, at unequal levels, not at the same time,<br />
not staring eye to eye, inequitable in the exchange. Centuries ago, peasants would bow to<br />
kings, no vice versa. That's why bowing has become obsolete, because it's a form of<br />
subservience. It's only <strong>do</strong>ne in Asia because everyone's brainwashed by custom and culture,<br />
which brings me to the gift-giving part, a compulsory gesture if you're Asian. Anytime and<br />
every time you visit an Asian relative, you must bring a gift or money, hence the red<br />
envelopes, which might as well be transparent so that people can show off how much is <strong>really</strong><br />
being given. I didn't bring a gift when I visited Auntie in Palo Alto, because she knows I'm an<br />
@sshole— and because I'm American. But Asian people <strong>do</strong>n't generally like being @ssholes<br />
so they'll acquiesce to custom and culture, even if they <strong>do</strong>n't want to. When I visit friends of<br />
mine, I <strong>do</strong>n't give them gifts; I'm sure you <strong>do</strong>n't. Hell, when I visit my local pub, I <strong>do</strong>n't give my<br />
usual bartender a gift— which I'm sure he'd enthusiastically take, while praising Asian culture