3/14: Abandoned Orangutan

[Undertoad]

This guy was abandoned by a Russian zoo that could no longer afford to take care of him.

[richlevy]

Originally posted by Tony Shepps


This guy was abandoned by a Russian zoo that could no longer afford to take care of him.

And, in an ironic twist which will highlight the (*&^&-up world in which we live, this guy will have thousands of offers for adoption, as opposed to the thousands (tens of thousands?) of children suffering in near-bankrupt orphanages and hospitals in the former USSR.

[adamzion]

Originally posted by richlevy
And, in an ironic twist which will highlight the (*&^&-up world in which we live, this guy will have thousands of offers for adoption, as opposed to the thousands (tens of thousands?) of children suffering in near-bankrupt orphanages and hospitals in the former USSR. [/b]

And, in what may be an even more ironic twist, while at least as many orphaned children in the US await adoptive families, many American couples are heading to Russia, the former Soviet republics, and other Eastern European countries formerly under the Soviet umbrella to adopt children. The reason, sadly, is that the American children, by and large, aren't the right tint for the American parents.

Translation: white people going east for white babies,
Z

[russotto]

Originally posted by adamzion

And, in what may be an even more ironic twist, while at least as many orphaned children in the US await adoptive families, many American couples are heading to Russia, the former Soviet republics, and other Eastern European countries formerly under the Soviet umbrella to adopt children. The reason, sadly, is that the American children, by and large, aren't the right tint for the American parents.

Translation: white people going east for white babies,
Z [/b]

There's a couple other issues involved there: American parents not being the right tint for American adoption agencies. Which is to say some won't place a black baby with white parents. And also the Eastern European countries tend to ask fewer questions; whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is a matter of perspective.

[elSicomoro]

Originally posted by russotto
There's a couple other issues involved there: American parents not being the right tint for American adoption agencies. Which is to say some won't place a black baby with white parents. And also the Eastern European countries tend to ask fewer questions; whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is a matter of perspective.
[/b]

There has been some argument over this in the Black community, as well as in the Asian communities. In some circles, there is fear that the children will never learn about their original heritage. I can certainly understand the concern, as children should be able to learn about where they're from. I would suggest a mentoring program, but truth be told, I don't honestly think that there is a significant difference between how white families and black families live. (Some differences certainly, but not significant.) I would suggest immersion in lots of books and videos, as well as "instruction" in Black history and culture.

As far as the Eastern European adoption boom (as well as the Chinese one)...stupid stupid stoopid. I think it's a shame that some people are so desperate to have a child that they'll do damned near anything. (Like the families from Wales and California fighting over the twins from St. Louis.) Lord only knows what these kids have been through, not to mention, the backgrounds on these children seem incomplete. I'm not saying that they don't deserve to be adopted, but it would seem in a few cases that the adoptive parents have gotten more than they've bargained for. In addition, as is obvious, there ARE plenty of children in this country waiting for a loving family.

Another reason not to have children...