We all have heard the jokes that begin with a mention of Angelina Jolie and end with a punch line about how she adopts a bunch of kids from Africa. Though these jokes tend to get lots of laughs, they do bare a truth in them. There is a trend of Americans seeking out children from Africa and Asia to adopt There are many varying opinions on whether this trend is okay.
One side argues that there are orphaned kids right here in America that need parents so shouldn't we adopt them and stop going to other countries? With this perspective there comes an assumption that those adopting African and Asian children have some type of desire to have a “foreign” child. International adoptions hit at a lot of depictions of Americans wanting to “save” underprivileged African and Asian children to have a depiction of them as a “hero”. This perspective also harps on the idea of how Americans constantly have their eyes on helping the other countries while we ignore the same issue in our own country. Though the adoption process can be long and taxing in America, there are a lot of children right next door looking for loving parents why look past them because of a desire for a foreign child.
On the other hand, the opposing perspective has a focus on adopting children domestically or internationally doe not matter. We should just be focused on helping all kids. When looking at cultures in China and India, one can understand this perspective a little better. There is an overwhelming amount of abandoned little girls because male children are more valued than females. So, it has been a trend for Americans to go over and adopt these little girls across the world who merely need a home.
One side argues that there are orphaned kids right here in America that need parents so shouldn't we adopt them and stop going to other countries? With this perspective there comes an assumption that those adopting African and Asian children have some type of desire to have a “foreign” child. International adoptions hit at a lot of depictions of Americans wanting to “save” underprivileged African and Asian children to have a depiction of them as a “hero”. This perspective also harps on the idea of how Americans constantly have their eyes on helping the other countries while we ignore the same issue in our own country. Though the adoption process can be long and taxing in America, there are a lot of children right next door looking for loving parents why look past them because of a desire for a foreign child.
On the other hand, the opposing perspective has a focus on adopting children domestically or internationally doe not matter. We should just be focused on helping all kids. When looking at cultures in China and India, one can understand this perspective a little better. There is an overwhelming amount of abandoned little girls because male children are more valued than females. So, it has been a trend for Americans to go over and adopt these little girls across the world who merely need a home.