I had a stupendous response to the Tiger Mom/King’s Speech piece – it obviously struck a nerve. Here’s a sampling:

Confirming my decision to critique Amy “Tiger Mom” Chua’s parenting style: “Not only we have the right to criticize abuse of any sort, it is our obligation to do so, and stand up for the weak!”

Disputing my point, “Perfectionism = bullying = coercion: all lead, with rare exception, to underproductivity”: “I do not agree with the emphasis on productivity without mentioning happiness, which is life’s purpose…When one is happy, the sky is the limit.  But putting all the attention on productivity also sounds like a part of an unhealthy regime.” HR Comment: I agree! I use productivity to mean productivity in all areas of life, including relationships, fun, personal growth, etc. – never just work – so I’m sorry that wasn’t clearer.

Two comments compared Chua to Sarah Palin:

“I don’t think she, herself, believes the bilge she wrote….Probably wants a new or ancillary career as a political/social pundit (Sarah Palin style)…Can you imagine the embarrassment of her still very young and vulnerable daughters?”

From a mental health professional: “Right on the mark, are you. I’d love to see someone objectively follow the Tiger Mom’s kids throughout life.  Maybe not even one in a hundred will prosper….Tiger Mom is an asshole narcissist (official diagnosis) who should be bundled with Sarah Palin and put out on an ice flow, where they can see Russia from.”

The comparison with Palin is well taken – conservatives are using both of these self-styled “carnivore moms” to divorce parenting from its core values of tenderness and compassion.

And, finally: “Amen, Hillary. If you have a tiger mom, you grow up to call her bitch. There is not one of the four children in my family who was not affected negatively by having a tiger mom. And a jackal father.”

Meanwhile, as if in penance for the Tiger Mom ugliness, there has been a recent spate of media stories related to ANTI-authoritarianism:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/28/go-easy-on-yourself-a-new-wave-of-research-urges/
http://www.boingboing.net/2011/03/14/aint-misbehavin-subj.html
http://www.boingboing.net/2011/03/14/losing-control-01.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/opinion/15engel.html (this one’s terrific: about what happens when you give high school kids the freedom to educate themselves)