Cross Cultural Adoptions - Are you for or against it ???

How do you feel about "cross-culture" adoptions ???

  • Sure - The most important thing is finding a good home for the child

    Votes: 2 18.2%
  • No - Under no circumstances...absolutely NOT !!!

    Votes: 2 18.2%
  • It depends on the situation - maybe for special needs children

    Votes: 1 9.1%
  • I dunno - I really have no opinion either way

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Mixed feelings - I feel for both the children AND the adoptive parents

    Votes: 6 54.5%

  • Total voters
    11

Akilah

Well-Known Member
REGISTERED MEMBER
Aug 11, 2003
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Last week I was watching this show called "Adoption Stories" on TLC (cable channel)... It features (what else ?) documentary style emotion packed episodes about families of all types going through the process of adopting children that are often from countries outside the continental U.S.
The latest show I saw featured a white couple from Winipeg, Manitoba, Canada adopting a stunningly beautiful chocolate skinned little girl from a caribbean nation (who's name escapes me at the moment). As I watched the show I was torn by feelings of happiness for the couple as they were so thrilled and joyful about bringing this child into their lives, but on the other hand I felt badly that this sweet little one could not have been adopted by a black caribbean family. BUT isn't the best thing for the child to be adopted into a loving family and not be sent from one foster family to another never having a family to truly call her own ??? As I say, I'm very torn on this issue. I've also seen episodes of this show where white gay male couples have adopted black/native american/asian/latino-hispanic children. One thing that is always present in my mind is that, although white folks are allowed to adopt children of every ethnicity/nationality in the universe, you will never see so-called "minority" families being able to adopt a white child. Nevertheless, should these dear children suffer because of that double standard, lanquishing in foster care in need of a permanent family, or should they be sent to the first qualified, available, trustworthy, FBI backround checked, (and most important...) loving family regardless of the adopting family's race/ethnicity/sexual orientation/economic status etc. ???

Famblee, I'm very interested in reading your opinions !

Much Peace ~
 
Perhaps the main focus is on who can provide the most financial stability, most times it is whites in this position. However I notice too many Black families picking lighter/mixed children to adopt. I'm telling you, if I were to adopt, I'm getting the one girl/boy who looks the most like me&my mate, thus eliminating some identity complex, and so they won't feel more akward then they already do. Every child likes to look like their parents, adopted or not. All of this double standard in adopting is another way for whites to make Blacks over to their liking, since the children are Black, at least their mind can be that of a white, in their opinion. Besides they don't want to mess a "precious white childs' mind" by Black "influence". IMO
 
I don't know really.

Nobody wants to be in foster care, but having all-white parents living in a mostly white community can be detrimental in a society that lets you know you are black. But then again not enough black families are adopting like they should... it's a hard call.

And to me it would be difficult for all children, including those with special needs. In fact the latter might be worse, because not only are they black but they also have a disability. More negative/unwanted attention to be called to them if living in a white environment with white parents.

As far as other groups... it would be pretty much of the same problem unless one of the parents were black, which wouldn't make it a full cross-cultural adoption.
 
Akilah said:
Last week I was watching this show called "Adoption Stories" on TLC (cable channel)... It features (what else ?) documentary style emotion packed episodes about families of all types going through the process of adopting children that are often from countries outside the continental U.S. The latest show I saw featured a white couple from Winipeg, Manitoba, Canada adopting a stunningly beautiful chocolate skinned little girl from a caribbean nation (who's name escapes me at the moment). As I watched the show I was torn by feelings of happiness for the couple as they were so thrilled and joyful about bringing this child into their lives, but on the other hand I felt badly that this sweet little one could not have been adopted by a black caribbean family. BUT isn't the best thing for the child to be adopted into a loving family and not be sent from one foster family to another never having a family to truly call her own ??? As I say, I'm very torn on this issue. I've also seen episodes of this show where white gay male couples have adopted black/native american/asian/latino-hispanic children. One thing that is always present in my mind is that, although white folks are allowed to adopt children of every ethnicity/nationality in the universe, you will never see so-called "minority" families being able to adopt a white child. Nevertheless, should these dear children suffer because of that double standard, lanquishing in foster care in need of a permanent family, or should they be sent to the first qualified, available, trustworthy, FBI backround checked, (and most important...) loving family regardless of the adopting family's race/ethnicity/sexual orientation/economic status etc. ???

Famblee, I'm very interested in reading your opinions !

Much Peace ~

There are positives and negatives to cross cultural adoptions. Actually there is just one positive: The foster care system is not a good environment for any child to grow up in. Therefore many can say that any home environment would be preferrable. However, the negatives of cross cultural adoptions are legion.

One thing that must be understood is that white children (particularly babies) are rare in the foster care system. For any prospective couple who is looking into adoption, a baby is the primary choice. Thus while most white couples want white children, they often seek non-white children because they are easier to get as babies.

White people who adopt non-white children usually do little to make aware of their original culture. Indeed they essentially try to turn them into "colored" white people (many times changing the child's name to a Eurocentric one). In the few exceptions where a white adoptive family does try to educate their non-white children about their true heritage, they can't do an adequate job because they aren't from that culture.

Non-white children who are raised in white households often have a false perception of the world. As a result they are often unprepared for cruel realities of society such as racism, because they haven't been adequately trained to prepare for it. I'd even go as far as to say many believe they are white, and have a crisis when they realize that they aren't.

Needless to say, I feel that children should be adopted by someone of their race when ever it is possible. When a couple adopts a child from another race, they need to be officially trained about that child's culture and the issues they might deal with growing up. A white couple adopting a child of "color" and trying to turn them white doesn't truly have respect for them in my opinion.
 

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