by syaffolee

It’s Surprising I Don’t Have A Complex

I read the comments to this article and all I can say is: I’m not a freakin’ study drone! I’d rather be called a lab rat than a study drone. For one thing, I enjoy research a whole lot more than drowning in a morass of facts-to-be-memorized.

Although I have to wonder if these differences in test scores are due more to cultural differences rather than cognitive differences. My parents were relatively laid back and pretty much let me do anything I wanted. But even back in elementary school, other Asian kids seemed driven to do well academically or musically. I wouldn’t really say that they were doing this under their own impetus. It was more like meeting their parents’ expectations–parents who always had this “keeping up with the Joneses” or rather “being better than the Changs” mentality. I dreaded (I still do) meeting any of my peers’ parents. Or even some of my ultra-competitive relatives. They always made me feel dumb because I wasn’t as accomplished as little Harry or Jennifer.

However, I don’t know if I would call my fellow Asians study drones either. Maybe a more accurate description would be “neurotic.” I mean, you would have to be a little neurotic after facing pressure to perform all your life.