I am Shaheer ________, writing to you to express my opinion on the article, "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior", posted in your latest issue. I was disgusted and shocked at what I read in this extremely stereotypical article. As a Westerner myself, I feel deeply offended by this article and the racist opinions, the author, Amy Chua, voices. I would appreciate if you took this time to read this letter and avoid publishing such degrading pieces of work in the future.
First of all, I would like to know, what gives Chinese parents the right to 'order their children to get straight A's'? Our children, after all, are our own and we cannot boss them around as we would do to a robot. It is our job to take care of them, nurture them and keep them happy. Ordering them do things they do not want to do is going to harm their mental health and make them vulnerable to everything. It will also not establish a healthy loving relationship between us and our children. Bossing them around is going to lower their ability to speak for what they want; this could be an extreme disadvantage later on in their lives. Not having any ability to speak for what you want can sometimes lead to problems in friendships, relationships and so on. Depression and lack of social support and friends can lead to suicidal thoughts, according to research from Johns Hopkins Children's Center, the University of Maryland and other institutions. .
Secondly, making our children study and not giving them any time to relax will not only lower their confidence, but also give them problems in the future. Tolerance, friendliness and fitting in with others are all values that we cannot learn by reading or writing. We can only acquire these important values by making new friends, going to parties, taking part in school plays and much more. Doing these things will help us later in our professional lives, and make us a better person.