quandoque bonus dormitat homerus!
In regards to Chinese. It is no coincidence that the story originates and focuses on NYC. New York has always been a business capital. It's what the city is about in the same way that Washington is about politics. These parents are seeing the writing on the wall...
Nah, these parents are snobs.
Wise people make mistakes, but there's no such thing as a stupid question.
Let me introduce you to this guy I just met, maui_hawaii :-)