Oh Where to Begin.....

Typically when there is a show on China on the television, we tend to watch or videotape it. It is our way of educating ourselves. When there is a show on Chinese Adoption, again we tend to watch them -- maybe we will find out something we don't know. Well on Friday night, Bill and I watched Paula Zahn's NOW show on Chinese Adoption. We did find out some new things - it is great when we can educate ourselves. This is what we found out:

1) We are racists.

2) We are adopting from China because Chinese babies are smarter, cuter, healthier than American babies.

3) That we are racists (Oh yeah did I say that)

4) American's are obsessed with China Dolls.

For those who didn't get the glorious chance to watch the show. Click on the following link for a transcript: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/05/pzn.01.html.

The panel implied that people that adopt from China do not adopt african-american babies because we like the skin color of our China Dolls better. By the way the use of the word China Doll insinuates that Asian women are hypersexual, submissive, "exotic", feminine, and eager to please white males. They said that we do not adopt african-american babies because we don't see them as smart or as hardworking as our Chinese children.

If you look back to one of my first posts on Why China? -- we clearly explain that we want a baby, no mention of a cute or smart child was made. We looked at our domestic options. Honestly, we didn't like what we saw. First, Bill and I are of mixed faith -- a complication for most "Christian" agencies. Second, we did want to be in competition with other adoptive families. Yes, it is a competition on who the birthmother is going to pick. A marketing campaign on why Bill and I would make great parents to another child. Frankly, I have had enough beauty pagent competitions in high school to last me a lifetime. I don't want to be judged on looks or how much money we have. Judge me on me. Third, we wanted a closed adoption. Frankly, the US adoption system is more and more open. Fourth, the risk -- yes there is a risk with international, but I don't want to be matched with a birthmother then find out that she has changed her mind. I have met family after family through our adoption process in which they have had failed domestic adoptions take place. Domestic Adoption advocates say it doesn't happen -- well I have heard enough from families in which it has.

If someone would just give us a baby, I wouldn't care if the baby was green, blue, white, yellow or black.

Back to the show...

This show was suppose to be about the new regulations around the Chinese adoption. It turned out to be a forum for 3 panelists that a specific agenda. The fact the Paula Zahn was responsible for putting together this show (or at least her producers), shows that she is a farce as a journalist.

The attorney that was on the show was Solangel Maldonado. She is a professor at Seton Hall and has written a paper on Discouraging Racial Preferences in Adoption. In this paper she surmises all my reasons that I stated above are a bunch of bull and I have an unconscious bias towards white or asian children because I don't want a african american child. Heck, if Ethiopia was just a bit more stable, we would have gone there. She goes on to state that there should be a law that prohobits people from applying for an international adoption until they have waited a full year for a domestic adoption to take place -- in a particular where they have shown they have waited for an african american baby. Freaking unbelieveable.

Ok -- I do believe some people do look for white babies but get real to lump all chinese adoptive parents into this mix is a joke. Heck, I live in the South, raising my child Jewish -- not an easy thing. We will be the object of attention when we adopt a chinese baby. We would the be same object of attention if we were to adopt an african american baby. I could have taken the easy way out and raised Emily Catholic like her dad or adopt a white baby -- but no, easy isn't always right.

I'm getting all riled up again...as is the entire Chinese adoptive community. The boards have been on a letter writing campaign. I certainly hope CNN takes notice and issues a statement in regards to this show.

The real question is why are Americans looking for babies outside of America? Perhaps a show on the failures of the US Adoption Laws and US social services is the true reasons.

Jen