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L.A. Times writer Leslie Gornstein stuck her foot so far into her mouth with the recent "How to Shop for Kids the Brangelina Way" article, I suspect she'll be eating via G-tube for the rest of her life. But only if the angry mob doesn't get ahold of her, first.
Oh, it was supposed to be funny, you know. Let's make fun of celebrities! Let's all have a good laugh! But the tongue-in-cheek piece about the possible countries Angelina Jolie's next tot will likely hail from has adult adoptees and adoptive parents fuming---with good reason. The flip comments, the equating of adoption with picking out a new pair of shoes... this is supposed to be journalism??
In Shop For Your Kids The Ovary Way, Naked Ovary's Karen (an expectant adoptive mama) sums it up beautifully:
It's pretty bad. I'm horrified that a newspaper would publish something like this. I sent the author an email about the article. I know some of you secretly think "what does it matter, people are going to be ignorant," or "man, that Karen, she gets her panties in a wad about everything, just chill yo" but I've seen a lot of people change the way they think about adoption over the years I've been in this process. I think writing and saying something does matter. Because if you "educate" one person, they might, in turn, educate someone else. I know that's how I got here.
Grant of the China Adoption Blog calls the article Informative, Funny, and Patently Offensive:
Covers all the major countries-of-origin, and really none of the ethical complexities or social issues. As satire, it'd be masterful. But the problem is I don't think it is.
I frown westward tonight.
Adoptive Families gives the L.A. Times a big thumbs-down, noting their dismay at being cited in the article:
Adoptive Families offers information and resources to help parents adopt and support them as they raise their children, and we deplore the fact that our content was used as a "source" for this shabby piece of journalism.
BlogHer's own Karen Walrond expressed her outrage over at Blogging Baby, noting that media coverage like this trivializes and sets apart adoptive families, which is irresponsible of a supposedly credible publication:
One Blogging Baby reader once said on her personal blog that she was sick of hearing about the fact that my husband and I adopted, and that I should "move on." To that reader, I say that I'd love to -- however, when mainstream media publishes this sort of tripe, it can sometimes be sort of difficult. The thinking that adoptive families are somehow "lesser" than families who grow through one partner getting pregnant and giving birth still exists -- and I'm bothered by the fact that this sort of thinking insults my daughter and our family more than anything else.
For its part, to my mind the L.A. Times only made matter worse when acknowledging the angry letters that poured in. Sure, they shared some eloquent readers' comments. But they start off with the headline "Brangelina Adoption Article Sparks Outcry" and go straight downhill from there:
Playing off the celebrity couple's plans to adopt a third child from a Third World couple, the article took a lighthearted look at the travails they might face heading into the adoption markets of various corners of the globe.
A "lighthearted look?" Really? Is that some sort of metaphor for "bigoted, ignorant and obnoxious?"
All the author had to do was say, "I'm sorry, it was in poor taste and I apologize." I have nothing but respect for people who can admit when they've made a mistake. But scroll down to the bottom of the page and there is only this as the Editor's Reply:
The editors and writer Leslie Gornstein were satirizing a specific person, Angelina Jolie, who had remarked that her next adoption would depend on "which country, which race would fit best with the kids." The satire was in no way intended to be a commentary on all individuals who adopt.
No, I'm sure it wasn't intended to be a commentary on all individuals who adopt. What it was was a very sad commentary on the staff of the L.A. Times.
Mir
BlogHer Contributing Editor Mir also blogs at Woulda Coulda Shoulda and Want Not.
