RACE FREE WORLD
The Christian Science Monitor had this story about the trend of American-born black babies being adopted abroad, while Americans are adopting foreign children. Generally, the article seems to think that this happens, in part, because in America there are racial issues with this. The article states:
"The majority of couples seeking to adopt are white, but there aren't nearly enough Caucasian babies available in the US to meet the demand. Although exceptions certainly exist, American parents generally prefer babies to toddlers, girls to boys, and Caucasians to African-Americans, adoption professionals report. Other ethnicities fall in between, depending on their skin color. African-American boys are at the bottom of this "ranking" system, they say, which is why they're harder to place."
Fortunately these kids are being placed in environments that have overcome race, as the following quotes by their adoptive parents makes clear:
"There are also not the numbers of blacks in Canada. 'In my son's elementary school [in British Columbia], there are only eight blacks out of 450 kids and even fewer in my daughter's middle school,' says Ms. Madeiros. 'Most of the blacks here are middle-class professionals, and our neighborhoods are completely integrated.'"
How fully integrated can you be with no blacks? Does this make Detroit fully integrated? More importantly, thank God they have the "middle class" kind. Otherwise there could be trouble.
"For the most part Germans have very positive views of blacks - they see them as singers, actors, and athletes - all positive images," explains Ms. Hyer. "My children are almost always accepted for who they are without any expectation of who they should be because of the color of their skin."
Oh boy. Where do you even start with this one? The Germans really love the Asian kids, since they can always help with math homework. Good grief.
"I think the main reason there is little prejudice against blacks in Germany is because there are so few blacks here," says Peter Sonnenschein, father of two black children."
Granted, it is easier to be tolerant when you are not actually required to tolerate. Still, I see this kid ending up a Black Panther.
Now, I am not saying that these kids would be better off in America with white families. However, if you are going to pretend that in Germany or Canada these kids will not encounter racism, you are (a) kidding yourself, and (b) not preparing the kid for that at all. As I know very well from Germans, their concept of nationality does not yet encompass all German-speaking, tax-paying, law-abiding residents of Germany.
The Christian Science Monitor had this story about the trend of American-born black babies being adopted abroad, while Americans are adopting foreign children. Generally, the article seems to think that this happens, in part, because in America there are racial issues with this. The article states:
"The majority of couples seeking to adopt are white, but there aren't nearly enough Caucasian babies available in the US to meet the demand. Although exceptions certainly exist, American parents generally prefer babies to toddlers, girls to boys, and Caucasians to African-Americans, adoption professionals report. Other ethnicities fall in between, depending on their skin color. African-American boys are at the bottom of this "ranking" system, they say, which is why they're harder to place."
Fortunately these kids are being placed in environments that have overcome race, as the following quotes by their adoptive parents makes clear:
"There are also not the numbers of blacks in Canada. 'In my son's elementary school [in British Columbia], there are only eight blacks out of 450 kids and even fewer in my daughter's middle school,' says Ms. Madeiros. 'Most of the blacks here are middle-class professionals, and our neighborhoods are completely integrated.'"
How fully integrated can you be with no blacks? Does this make Detroit fully integrated? More importantly, thank God they have the "middle class" kind. Otherwise there could be trouble.
"For the most part Germans have very positive views of blacks - they see them as singers, actors, and athletes - all positive images," explains Ms. Hyer. "My children are almost always accepted for who they are without any expectation of who they should be because of the color of their skin."
Oh boy. Where do you even start with this one? The Germans really love the Asian kids, since they can always help with math homework. Good grief.
"I think the main reason there is little prejudice against blacks in Germany is because there are so few blacks here," says Peter Sonnenschein, father of two black children."
Granted, it is easier to be tolerant when you are not actually required to tolerate. Still, I see this kid ending up a Black Panther.
Now, I am not saying that these kids would be better off in America with white families. However, if you are going to pretend that in Germany or Canada these kids will not encounter racism, you are (a) kidding yourself, and (b) not preparing the kid for that at all. As I know very well from Germans, their concept of nationality does not yet encompass all German-speaking, tax-paying, law-abiding residents of Germany.
posted by David at 6:32 PM
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