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The Forum > Article Comments > Adopt villages, not pet children > Comments

Adopt villages, not pet children : Comments

By Bashir Goth, published 14/11/2006

In the developed world children are human beings and cannot be bought as toys, playmates or pets for celebrities’ children.

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Bashir,

Your writing reveals that you are indeed a good, kind and noble man. From my point of view, I cannot fault your argument.

Especially this - "Retrospectively looking at the event, I cannot but admire my father’s wisdom in following his parental inclination of no other love or material comfort ever equalling that of a father looking at his own child growing before his eyes and passing down to him his people’s culture and history. I wonder if my culture and my village would have a home in my heart if I were raised abroad."

I further wonder if you might not now hold the obvious compassion for humanity that you now express so eloquently.

Many thanks.
Posted by Maximus, Tuesday, 14 November 2006 11:23:36 AM
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Great article.

Glad I read it, and I agree wholeheartedly with your' sentiment.

The current trend amongst American celebrities is really quite sick, and the US administration should really be legislating against this kind of rotten behaviour.

Why don't these people see the folly of this selfish spin on philanthropy?
Posted by Stomont, Tuesday, 14 November 2006 12:59:58 PM
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The sentiment of the article is great. Always better to leave the kids within families and cultures where at all possible. The only problem with some war torn countries is that the villages are often pillaged and destroyed. Complex issues with no easy answer. It was a good point that Celebrities often neglect their own countries. It is more fashionable to be an overseas missionary these days than to be a missionary at home.
Posted by runner, Tuesday, 14 November 2006 3:49:09 PM
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There are always two ways of seeing things. I remember watching TV with my young neice and a spoilt-cat-food ad came on straight after images of boney children in Ethiopia to which I responded "They should grind up all the cats and dogs and feed them to the starving children" whereas my neice replied "They should grind up the starving children and feed them to the dogs and cats".
Whatever, I'm sure I'd rather be a pet human than starving to death somewhere.
Botoom line; half the world is obese while the other half starves. Just goes to show what a greedy animal the human is.
Posted by citizen, Tuesday, 14 November 2006 4:34:56 PM
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Bashir

Your wisdom (and that of your father) is simply undeniable.

Adoption of African and Asian children by Westerners is about meeting the needs of the adopters, not the adoptee.

I know of such a couple personally, who are going to extraordinary efforts to adopt a child in Malaysia. They give me breathtaking reports of the progress they are making 'to become a family'.

To my deep shame - and though Bashir's view has long been my own - I keep my own counsel, and wish them well. I think, but do not say, 'If you really cared for those children, you would adopt the orphanage, and not a child."

They have profound needs, and it is easy for me (having kids of my own)to feel like I am taking the high moral ground. Perhaps I should just send them your article! Yes
Posted by David E James, Tuesday, 14 November 2006 5:21:20 PM
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Bashir,

While I agree with your sentiments, I don't think they apply universally.

For as long as there have been humans there have been orphans (you were not) requiring care. Families and states are not always able to fill that need. Did you see the footage of the Romanian orphanages? The condition those children were in defied belief. Who could seriously suggest children would be better off there rather than in a loving adopted family?

I agree there's something distasteful about wealthy people who put their careers above raising a family, found they missed the boat, and then want to go get a child from overseas. It's even more distasteful if done because it's the 'in' thing to do.

But I think we need to avoid the 'all adoption is bad' ideology that has pervaded social services in this country and take a more practical attitude. After all, many internationally adopted children may lose something, but they also gain an awful lot.
Posted by eet, Tuesday, 14 November 2006 8:55:44 PM
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