Good teeth. Yes, this one will do. Have him shipped to me.
AlterNet: The Problematic Pop-Culture Movement to ‘Save’ Africa — THis is an excellent essay examining the Madonna situation.
The former Material Girl’s misadventures in adopting the boy, David Banda, have made her the newest Ugly American — big-footing her way through a foreign country, violating local laws and sensibilities in the name of a private agenda she calls “doing good.” Now even the father of the boy says Madonna’s adoption is a mistake, joining a growing number of human-rights critics is saying the entertainer should return the child.
“Saving” Africans is all the rage among celebrities.
Is this another self indulgent celebrity getting what she wants, certainly. You have to ask the question, for this particular child is it for the best. He will have opportunities opened up for him beyond the average American child. Even if she tires of him, he would be placed in the finest boarding schools in the world. His average life span has just been increased over 20 years.
Publicity stunt, even though the kid is probably better off.
Scientology was all last year!
This year it’s all about the third world kid! The perfect accessory !
Want to help the world, why not start in your own country Madonna?
She isn’t young or talented anymore so she has to resort to kissing Britney Spears and taking children to get attention now.
This is the girl that changed the image of women!
WTG America!
ROFL – thats a great caption under the pic!
I have a real issue about anyone going to a foreign country to adopt a child.
There are tens of thousands of children right here in America waiting to be adopted. They come in all colors, both sexes, all sizes, and all ages right up to 18. Most come from abused homes and require a loving adult to help them grow and develop naturally. Some have physical problems needing more then a mother’s kiss. But all need stability in their life.
If she wants a child from Africa, let her stay in Africa and raise it.
Saving or slaving.
Reminds me of the 1800’s in the US.
Wonder how long this child will be around for with her.
Madonna is only American now when it suits her. She thinks she’s a British matron these days.
This is great for the kid, but bad for everything else. Imagine how the other kids in the orphanage must feel. And Malawai had laws prohibiting foriegn adoptions, but 3.5 million pounds to the charity group(and who knows how much to the goverment) got her the black child she wanted.
Properly given money, with oversight, to the local orphanages would have been a much better gift and far more helpful. To allow 300 kids to get proper care, food, education, clothing and even love would have shown a much more charitable attitude. But, hey…..now she’s just 1 publicity stunt behind Angelina Jolie, in the celeberity game of one upmanship.
I can see adopting an orphan, but not a child with a father or close siblings, unless you plan on taking them too, its not a fair way to do things, its like cheating, because they have a loving family and won’t be that hard to train to smile for the cameras, i mean who is Madonna really trying to kid. She isn’t as good looking as Angelina, not by a long shot, I mean seriously she need braces, I could kick a field goal through her teeth.
P.S this spell check isannoying. 🙂
I disagree. Much of the disdain for this adoption is simply racism at work. Only about one percent of children adopted internationally by Americans are African. At the same time, the majority of children who are in foster care and adoptable are black or mixed race. In fact, there is a higher probability of these children being adopted by Canadians than white Americans. I think the negative publicity about Madonna’s adoption is largely a way of saying black children don’t really count as adoptable because they are lesser beings.
As for the father, his original statements were quite the opposite. Apparently, he is easily swayed.
Madonna not only contributed millions to orphan care in Malawi, she has set up an ongoing, permanent organization to continue the work.
I am not surprised a white man John Dvorak’s age has bigoted views. But, it is a shame that people must younger are no more enlightened.
Why then can’t she adopt a black child from America?
Oh hang on – I see the tax benefits now of donations to overseas organisation et. al.
I must be a cynic
I think your way off base Podesta.
The Human Rights groups that are opposing her adoption aren’t doing it because of racial issues. They honestly feel that it’s better that a child be raised in it’s own culture, by it’s own people. Thats why they applauded her contributions, but not the adoption.
It’s sad that any child has to be without loving parents, no matter what color they are. I think it’s better to make use of your vast fortune to try to alleviate the reasons for these children being in ophanages than to cherry pick a lucky lottery adoption child.
And as for whites not adopting blacks here in the U.S…..a lot of whites do, but many states discourage bi-racial adoptions on the basis of the childs future emotional well being. Is it right, hell no, but thats what a lot of Social workers believe. And don’t even bring up Indian adoptions in states like Arizona, the Navajo’s will fight you tooth and nail.
According to you….then all the black families that don’t adopt white children are racist as well.
FFS, how the hell is it better for a child to be raised in its own country amidst poverty and sickness living in “a small house [built] from mud and dried grass”?! What logic explains the argument that these children will have a better future with their loving parents, or in many cases, loving relatives? Love won’t feed them, put them through education, give them a life and future! I understand many of you guys dislike celebrities and I also find it odd that these chicks get suckered into taking children with them home (I’ve heard of a souvenir, but come on!), however, if Madonna came to my village I’d get adopted this instant! Bye mom, bye dad, I’ll send you a postcard from Hollywood. And it’s not like he will loose all touch with his roots when he grows up. On the contray, he stands a better chance helping his relatives from abroad then in his own country.
Having lived in the developing world, I am pretty aware of the resentment and suspicion people over here have of westerners coming to adopt. Babies are often seen as the main resource for families and whole countries.
I also know that most westerners are well-meaning but I think they OFTEN have no idea how much a few thousands dollars can make it look like (or even be) baby buying.
>>Why then can’t she adopt a black child from America?
I’ve known a number of overseas adoptions and I think the main reason are the American adoption laws which often allow for the birth mother or even the father to take back the child after the adoptive parents have fully bonded with it.
I haven’t researched the law, personally, but I can say this is the general impression of potentially adoptive parents.
Thesee celebrities don’t care about helping Africa. They want those people to stay in poverty and just want to do photo-ops from time to time that make them feel good and superior. Angelina Jolie talked about how wonderful it was that these people were so undeveloped, not having the material things of the West.
Wow…
This is the biggest non-issue of the day. Politics and religion. That’s what matters. Everything else is candy.