Why Chinese Mothers Are Average, Part 2: What Tiger Moms Can Teach Us

Last updated on: January 13, 2011 at 7:36 pm By Timothy Dalrymple

Rarely do we find race-tinged superiority claims displayed as garishly and unapologetically as Amy Chua’s “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior.” While authors are often not responsible for the titles of their op-eds, in this case the title locates the heart of her argument with pinpoint accuracy. Chinese parenting techniques, she argues, are superior, insofar as they produce superior children. Since the op-ed belittles and mocks the parenting of the vast majority of Americans, and by extension their children, it has... Read more

Why Chinese Mothers Are Average, Part 1

Last updated on: January 12, 2011 at 3:18 am By Timothy Dalrymple

For the record, the title of this post deliberately does not say that Chinese mothers are mediocre. Chinese mothers are average parents because they, just like mothers in every culture on every continent, do some things right and some things wrong. Also for the record: my Chinese-American mother-in-law is a fantastic parent, far more balanced than the mythical “Chinese mother,” and I say that not only because I need her babysitting help. It’s actually true. Amy Chua’s Why Chinese Mothers are... Read more

Three Angles on the Loughner Atrocity

Last updated on: January 10, 2011 at 8:11 pm By Timothy Dalrymple

My own column this week responds to the astonishing alacrity with which left-wing pundits like Paul Krugman leapt to blame Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Right for the Jared Lee Loughner atrocity in Arizona. It saddens and frustrates me that we are not talking more about the lives tragically lost, but bad ideas–and especially bad allegations like these–require a response. And the responses by now are plenty. Many commentators are saying the same things. I went in search of... Read more

Benny Hinn, Dark Lord of the Sith

Last updated on: January 7, 2011 at 11:06 am By Timothy Dalrymple

I’m sure some have seen this already, but this is what Benny Hinn looks like without the special effects. Apparently those who edited the videos would edit out the light saber, so we would not know that he was a servant of the dark side. Thanks to Patheos columnist David French for forwarding this via email. Read more

The Way to Fight Internet Pornography?

Last updated on: December 20, 2010 at 11:21 am By Timothy Dalrymple

A good idea? You make the call: THE UK Government is to combat the early sexualization of children by blocking internet pornography unless parents request it, it was revealed today. The move is intended to ensure that children are not exposed to sex as a routine by-product of the internet. It follows warnings about the hidden damage being done to children by sex sites. The biggest broadband providers, including BT, Virgin Media and TalkTalk, are being called to a meeting... Read more

On the Dream Act and Julian Assange

Last updated on: December 7, 2010 at 12:18 pm By Timothy Dalrymple

Great reads today: 1. I understand why some conservatives would make no concessions to illegal immigrants. But the truth is, there are important distinctions between different kinds of illegal immigrants. In fact, as one friend once pointed out to me, the term “undocumented immigrant,” while (I would say) a euphemism in the case of those who intentionally broke the law, is actually a more appropriate term when it comes to the children of illegal immigrants. Then there are important distinctions... Read more

Palinoia

Last updated on: December 6, 2010 at 11:50 pm By Timothy Dalrymple

This morning my new column was published, “Palin Enragement Syndrome.” The response to Palin, when she first came to the attention of the public, was so overwhelming and so extraordinarily negative that it requires explanation, and has to be explained by more than mere political opposition. I begin the column thus: The fight over Sarah Palin is about a lot more than Sarah Palin. It’s about what America means. It’s about what things are truly good and trustworthy. It’s about... Read more

The Right Not to Know – Thoughts on the Wikileaks Controversy

Last updated on: December 3, 2010 at 11:36 pm By Timothy Dalrymple

I must confess that I’ve enjoyed reading some of the revelations that have emerged from the Wikileaks controversy. There is a certain deliciousness in getting information you are not supposed to have, especially when it includes catty comments about political leaders known around the world. But the whole episode reeks to high heaven. There are several things that bother me about Julian Assange and what he did with WikiLeaks: 1. Julian Assange speaks as though he’s doing the American people... Read more

Jokes That Aren't Funny: Prisoner Rape

Last updated on: December 1, 2010 at 12:56 am By Timothy Dalrymple

Before Thanksgiving, I joked that many men would not object to the TSA pat-down procedure if it were administered by Victoria’s Secret supermodels. It is obviously true, and I meant it not to objectify women but to mock men. Still, a faithful reader objected that I was making light of something serious, and that our standards of holiness had declined. Perhaps he’s right – but that’s not the point. It got me thinking. About the right and wrong uses of... Read more

What's Better: Grilled Cheesus or the Absent God?

Last updated on: November 30, 2010 at 12:08 am By Timothy Dalrymple

I’ve been wondering for some time now about the pervasive absence of God-talk from popular television and movies. To be clear: I’m not wondering why God is absent. The entertainment industry has collectively decided that talk of God and spiritual subjects is potentially controversial and alienating, and therefore better avoided. Thus you can watch countless movies and television shows in which characters go through their lives, confronting issues of life and death, marriage and childbearing, and so on, without ever... Read more