The OmegaFamily has been happily TV-free for eight years now.
Well, I should qualify that. We have a TV, and we watch plenty of videos. But, due to the fact that our pile of logs is surrounded by pine trees and there are a few hills in the way, any TV reception we get is mostly snow. When we moved in, cable TV was on our list, but pretty far down. We kept meaning to get it...
And here we are, eight years later, with no TV reception.
When people talk about Lost, or about Grey's Anatomy, or the (new!) Battlestar Gallactica, I yearn to have TV reception so that I can stand around the water cooler (or the blogosphere) and chit-chat with the best of them.
But then again, I come across something like this, and decide I'm better off without it. You have to search on the phrase "So how would you feel if someone told you you couldn't adopt a baby because you're not thin enough, not rich enough, nor attractive enough?" and start reading to get the full effect.
Those in the Chinese adoption community already know what I'm talking about: Paula Zahn's segment on the new Chinese adoption rules on "Paula Zahn Now", which aired tonight.
I am so glad that I didn't have to watch this piece of idiocy masquerading as thoughtful investigation of issues.
It started out okay, then degenerated into the following:
- People adopt from China because they want "smart" babies
- People adopt from China because they want "porcelain dolls"
- People adopt from China because they're racist
- Why aren't people adopting Muslim kids? They won't because they think the kid will grow up to be violent. (Yes. Really. Someone said this. I suspect it was meant to be sardonic. Perhaps.)
- The tired old, "There are so many baaayyybeeees here in the U.S."
- Only celebrities adopt from Africa, and Angelina Jolie is someone to be emulated ("The Queen of Africa, Angelina Jolie"--probably also meant to be sardonic. Perhaps.)
I was cross-eyed trying to read that transcript.
Then I just got cross.
Look, Paula, do us all a favor. If you're going to talk Chinese adoption, maybe (just maybe) you should ask, oh, folks who are involved in Chinese adoption? Like perhaps some Chinese adoption agencies? Or parents of adopted Chinese children? As someone who has never watched your show, I can assure you I will never now watch your show, because it's obvious you (or your program manager) don't do your homework on the topics being discussed.
If you (generic "you") want to know why people choose to adopt from China, may I recommend Johnny's excellent "blog-trail", "Why China" as a place to start?
Technorati: Paula Zahn, Chinese adoption, "Jane, you ignorant slut!"
8 Comments:
-
At 1/05/2007 10:19:00 PM,
atomic mama said… -
At 1/05/2007 10:19:00 PM,
Julie Pippert said…Oh ugh. read it. What can I do other than shake my head?
I sat beside two people conversing. One was the mother of a little girl adopted from China. The other was a mother too.
One was talking about how she was pressed to keep challenging her little girl's intellect.
Other, straight faced, said, oh, well, you should have expected it, what with her Chinese genes and all.
I squirmed, I did. And bit my tongue black since it was not my conversation. But then the words got past my guards and I just had to address it.
So...even within the community...you know...?
Yeah, I feel your frustration. -
At 1/05/2007 10:49:00 PM,
said…I never email re. things like this but I fired off an email to CNN as soon as dd went to bed. And wouldn't you know after I heard about this piece this afternoon I planned on getting dd to bed by 8PM so I could see it but of course she came back downstairs just in time for me to have to turn down the sound in horror that she heard what I heard. OMG! It was jusr horrible.
And as I posted to APC then I got on the computer tonight and read that Britney Spears wants to adopt a "tsunami orphan"!
I am going back into my cave now hoping as I told dh that someone will invent a device to eliminate all the stupid people.
Ahh I can hear dd now-"Mommy, Don't say 'stupid'!"
Yes, sweetie-but that is what they truly are. -
At 1/06/2007 08:39:00 AM,
Julie Pippert said…Oh here it is, the Bitter Infertile Woman rearing her head. Oy I thought I'd ditched that chick. She's ghastly! I'd so hoped I was past her. Clearly not so here goes...
Britney Spears, the woman who has a full-time staff dedicated to raising her kids, but who, nevertheless basically said she really isn't too keen on the mom thing and can't handle the kids she has...she wants to adopt an orphan?
Okay seriously? I'm not buying this as real. Brit has an identity issues. First she wants to be Paris Hilton. Then Lindsey Lohan. Now Angelina Jolie. I hope someone helps her get help. -
At 1/06/2007 10:45:00 AM,
Miss Cellania said…Wow. She really thinks people don't adopt Muslim kids (or more correctly, kids from Muslim countries) because of racism? It would be so easy to check the facts and find that those countries don't do adoptions. This is the first I've heard of it, but just from your post, I can see fact after fact after fact she didn't check.
-
At 1/06/2007 10:48:00 AM,
said…Wow. What a disgusting piece of work.
I love how people attribute everything to race. If you don't adopt a 12 year old black boy from foster care, it is because you are racist. If you adopt a baby girl from China, it is because you want her to be white or smart.
Nevermind that there are thousands of reasons why people choose to adopt from where they choose to adopt that have nothing to do with race. -
At 1/06/2007 11:57:00 AM,
Kate said…Atomic Mama--Oh, I'm sure I would have!
Julie--There are lots of assumptions made out there...And, yeah, the thought of Britney adopting is...um...well, not exactly high on my list of "good things"! ;-)
Theresa--Yeah, "stupid people" pretty much sums it up. Right now, the dotter isn't really old enough/aware enough to understand this kind of tripe, so I'm not sure I'd turn it off. But then again, I probably would. Bleah.
Miss C.--It was one of her panelists who said it. In the context, I think it was a sarcastic snipe at adoptive parents. But, yeah, the panelists obviously didn't know what they were talking about, and just wanted to take potshots at "trendy" Chinese adoption being racist.
Baggage--That's it. Thousands of reasons. People who adopt from China aren't a monolithic mass, just like blacks aren't, just like atheists aren't, just like Muslims aren't. Oh, there probably *are* some folks who adopt from China because they want a beautiful smart kid and think that a black kid from foster care would be stupid and have rhythm (one of the implications in the transcript). But goddamn, to paint everyone who does it with that brush...?! Gah. -
At 1/06/2007 12:28:00 PM,
said…What is "trendy" about going through an adoption process that took us nearly 2 years when we brought dd home in April of 2003-at the height of the SARS hysteria? That 21 month journey came after the pain of losing one pregnancy and battling infertility where we decided not to pursue treatment because we really just wanted to be parents and we felt called to parent a child that was already in need of a home, where we were not going to be pressuring a mother to relinquish her birthchild.
I am still dealing with the sadness of my latest pg loss (3rd) and I swear if it were not for our wonderful and spirited dd (oh yeah-she IS beautiful and smart too!) I would probably have checked out by now.
If any of those asshats on the panel would like a piece of my "trendy" pain-man would I love to give it to them!
Instead I hope each day that whatever losses I have had
will help me help our dd to deal with the terrible loss of her first family.
Kate-our dd is just a few months younger than yours and I also thought having her watch wouldn't be a problem. We both saw the sweet babies and she saw one and said "She looks like me!" -and this baby really did. At first it was a sweet moment between us until the panel opened up their mouths.
Ugh! Fortunately I think she did not hear that all we care about is her being pretty and smart because I quickly turned the sound down
You would have been spitting and speaking in tongues if you had seen them actually interacting and speaking those words. It really was that. bad. Complaint lodged. Gah.