I don't know what to make of this. Singer/songwriter Randy Newman, whose work has been no stranger to controversy, has a song on his latest album called "Korean Parents," which he is apparently pre-emptively apologizing for: Randy Newman salutes 'Korean Parents'. The song is supposed to be a portrait of race relations as played out in public education. Here are the lyrics:

Some Jewish kids still trying
Some white kids trying too
But millions of real American kids don’t have a clue
Right here on the lot
We got the answer
A product guaranteed to satisfy...

Korean parents for sale
You say you need a little discipline
Someone to whip you into shape
They’ll be strict but they’ll be fair

Look at the numbers
That’s all I ask
Who’s at the head of every class?
You really think they’re smarter than you are
They just work their asses off
Their parents make them do it...

It's funny that this song should pop up amidst all the discussion lately about heavy Asian American enrollment in competitive schools and colleges. I haven't heard the song, but the music apparently comes off as "stereotypically Asian," according to Newman.

Who comes off looking worse in this song? The lazy "American" parents who don't know how to discipline their kids? Or the strict Korean parents who whip their kids into shape? Either way, he makes one hell of a generalization... and it looks like he knows it. Thus, apologies in advance.