Well, I figured I could hold longer, but it’s time for a soapbox moment, brought to you by Irish Spring (well, not really, but since everything else has a corporate sponsor, I figured maybe someone out there will see this and hook me up).
This weekend Rebecca and I watched the most recent SNL with Seth Rogen (by the way, that Muppets sketch at the end, classic!). During the Weekend Update, there was a very funny part where Madonna (I think it was Kristin Wiig) came out and was explaining why she wanted to adopt a baby from Malawi. Then Angelina Jolie (one of the newer cast members, don’t know her name) came out with her now classic “Did someone say baby?” bit and the 2 of them had a pretty amusing discussion about why each is more prolific than the other at adopting.
Fast forward to this morning, I'm reading about the Phillies coming out flatter than a 3 day old open Diet Coke can, I saw that ace starting pitcher Cole Hamels and his wife Heidi Strobel (aka “peanut butter” from Survivor: Amazon) are looking to adopt a child from Ethiopia after being tired of the stonewalling from the folks in Malawi.
Couple of things here:
1) I don’t understand why these governments put up so much red tape in the adoption process. I’m 99.9% sure these children will head to a healthier environment and be generally better from a resource standpoint. Plus, it’s essentially free publicity for the country, which if they worked with the celebrity and their staff, could be spun to make the country look more appealing. If I’m Malawi, I cut the red tape for Angelina in exchange for her filming part of the next Lara Croft movie there.
2) A bigger concern for me, however, is the fact that celebrities feel the need to go outside the USA to adopt. Folks, there are plenty of at-risk children in this country who could benefit from adoption. Why is nobody famous adopting American boys and girls? I’m all for helping out others in need, but sometime you don’t have to look very far outside your mansion. By looking abroad, celebrities give the impression that someone else in a foreign land is more important and is valued more than someone right here. Perhaps there would not be as many headlines, but it would keep the focus here. A great example of this is what Angelina’s main squeeze, Brad Pitt, is doing in helping to build housing in New Orleans. It is an area in need in this country, and he is dedicating his resources there, and getting praised for it.
It’s great to help others, and we strive to it when we can, but sometimes you don’t have to use Google to find someone a continent away who needs help.
Enough heavy stuff, kids to put to bed and Jack Bauer to watch tonight. Will be back tomorrow with a decidedly more tasty entry!
Let’s Do Lunch
6 years ago
2 comments:
I don't know much about the adoption system so I probably shouldn't comment, but I am anyway. :0) I have a friend that is currently adopting a child from Korea. They would love to adopt a child here, but I think they are pretty hard to come by. At Oliver's dr's office there is a pamphlet of children to adopt and many of them are special needs or very low IQ. Maybe they aren't interested in adopting a child with special needs?? Or maybe they want to use their celebrity status to draw attention to hurting areas around their world. Who knows.
I have always wondered the same thing that you posted about...why don't people adopt here, but I never really knew the answer. I would be curious to find out more...looks like Drena has a couple of reasons.....
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