The Asian parent paradox

There is this absurd irony associated with the stereotypical Asian parent. It’s no secret that, generally, the Asian community tends to revere institutions of higher education and educational attainment. I have no beef with that, and I think that’s a great thing. But, as I’ve come to learn, many of them are just in it for the prestige and the well-paying jobs (money). What they don’t value, and are perhaps even afraid of, is the intellectual development and the ability for the student (their child) to think for themselves, especially if it conflicts with their point of view. I image that China, where my parents and I immigrated from, is a country that is authoritarian in government and family values in the form of Confucianism. The stereotypical Asian parent would much rather stay in control, which is not necessarily a bad thing but is sort of counterintuitive for high achieving students who are trained to challenge the status quo–the whole point of higher education.