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I am not being sarcastic. By choosing the title he did, the author is setting himself up for comparison with a really famous work, and I have to wonder whether
by johan_larson 8y ago
I am not being sarcastic. By choosing the title he did, the author is setting himself up for comparison with a really famous work, and I have to wonder whether that was wise. It was, to say the least, bold.
Would I have reacted differently to something similar done by someone who is not Asian? Hard to say; I can't interrogate my mind with complete reliability from the inside. But believe the answer is no, I would have reacted the same way regardless of the race of the author.
- nkurz 8y agoI agree that it's a bold title, and agree that the the collected essays probably aren't going to measure up to the historical standard. But I think this is central to Yang's thesis that the standards of behavior are different for Asians in America than they are for others. For me, I think the title choice works because it calls attention to the fact that Asian American culture is not particularly open to the strategy of aiming really high and being likely to fail, and instead favors targeting a more modest level of success that can be attained with greater likelihood. Braggadocio and overconfidence are not considered typical traits. Yang's title is high-risk high-reward high-likelihood-of-failure, and I do find my self surprised (in what is likely a racially biased manner) that an Asian American male would choose such a brazen title. That I have this thought (as a non-Asian Amerian) makes me suspect that Yang is on to something.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]