Interesting critique of Amy Chua's recent WSJ piece on suggesting the superiority of an autocratic parenting style that stresses individual accomplishment. Shan

Interesting critique of Amy Chua's recent WSJ piece on suggesting the superiority of an autocratic parenting style that stresses individual accomplishment. Shannon Love points out the need for "teamwork" and suggest that it is a uniquely American strength. Open paragraphs: Noticeably excluded from her children’s activities is any kind of team activities. The secret of American’s collective success as a people is our ability to self-organize ourselves on both the small and large scale into highly effective teams The relative inability to self-organize into teams is why China and some other cultures have lagged behind in the modern world. Americans have long relied on activities like sports, theater, marching band etc to teach that one critical American cultural skill. By excluding such activities from her children’s life, Chua is depriving them of one of the most crucial skills an American must have. American culture is based on the seeming contradiction of extreme individualism combined with a near instant willingness and ability to join a team to accomplish any particular task. The way New Yorkers spontaneously organized to evacuate Manhatten on 9/11 represented a large scale and dramatic example of the type of self-organization that Americans reflexively engage in on a daily bases.