Monday, July 24, 2006

Beware the Adoption Taliban

I learned a lesson awhile back from my good blog friend Johnny without his ever knowing. If you don't like something that someone blogged, then don't link them and don't go back. What you don't do is leave a comment taking on a lofty moral attitude because they don't think the same way as you. BTW Johnny, thanks, but as you can see, I couldn't help myself... Beware The Adoption Taliban The adoption moral police are out and about. Yes, we have our own Adoption Taliban alive and well in blog-land. A little background: One adoption blog I regularly visit recently expressed their thoughts regarding the few families recently referred a boy after having requested a girl. Her reaction to that bit of news that she shared on her blog, acknowledged her having her heart set on being referred a daughter and the hope that she would be referred a girl and not a boy. A dream shared by many I’ve run into while making my way through adoption world I might add. And then along came the comments from the Adoption Taliban crowd. Now for whatever their reasons, as if we each don’t have reasons of our own, this lady and her family had decided they wanted to adopt a daughter. They wanted a girl. Hard to believe isn’t it? I mean here we have a family making the decision to adopt, on their own. But they didn’t just stop there. Oh no, they went further than that. They actually had the gall to choose the country they wished to adopt from. Hold on, we’re not through here. It gets better. You know what they did next? Sit down for this one. They requested an infant. They did, I’m not lying. More. Did you know that some greedy baby huggers out there are putting down for TWINS! Can you believe the nerve of some people?! There’s more. There is talk among the Taliban that some of these families are asking for healthy babies and putting it in writing! And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse. Some of these same families are grumbling about hopes for a more speedy delivery. I know it’s almost too much to read and harder still to believe. I mean, how fortunate are we to have our own Adoption Taliban take the time to sift through our blogs perusing our thoughts and opinions, we stupidly had considered to be our own, and then take the time to thankfully point out the true hideousness of our ways. On second thought, thanking them just seems so weak compared to the mental rigors they have had to endure while slogging through our shallow and unfit to adopt lives chronicled in blog-land. Whatever gave you, yes you dear reader, the idea that you could have an opinion of your own? An individual thought not yours but rather one determined for you by another. A sense of moral direction not freely chosen but one mandated for you. If not for the Adoption Taliban, how would we ever know right from wrong? Have you given thanks today for those that correct you? Scold you? Berate you? Vilify you? No? It’s Ok, your worldwide Adoption Taliban will find you soon enough if you too are silly enough to have your own opinions and sillier still to dare express them. Here’s my hoping you do.

13 Comments:

At 7/25/2006 01:53:00 PM, Blogger C's Mom said...

VERY well said! I still live in blog la-la land at this point...not a detractor to be found. You're right that someday that is sure to change ;0)

 
At 7/25/2006 02:01:00 PM, Blogger Johnny said...

I like that phrase Ford!

It's sad that some people have been driven into password protected blogs or just off the blogsphere.

It's this odd/weird belief that if you say anything negative or non-positive about this process that the CCAA will get wind of it and punish everyone!

Or maybe, by having the gall to propose a counter-thought, they think you're implying that THEIR opinions are wrong.

Sigh.

Oh wait.

Screw them!

 
At 7/25/2006 06:31:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You GO girl!

 
At 7/25/2006 07:45:00 PM, Blogger Headmeister said...

DITTO!!! You rock, girl! I couldn't have said it better myself!

 
At 7/25/2006 08:00:00 PM, Blogger Joannah said...

Amen to that!

 
At 7/25/2006 09:22:00 PM, Blogger Shannon said...

Right on, right on.

 
At 7/25/2006 10:04:00 PM, Blogger Donna said...

Very well said, but how dare you share your own feelings on this and what nerve you have to express an opinion that might upset the Adoption Taliban! ;)

You're right, I did do some "blog trimming". Not that I'm ashamed of what I said, but I was getting tired of logging on to flaming e-mails from the Taliban. I was really racking up the comments and some of them were just downright hurtful and totally mean spirited. I guess expressing one's own feelings and expecting others to respect those feelings even if they don't agree is just not possible in Blogville.

Thank you for addressing this and putting the Adoption Taliban in their place!

 
At 7/26/2006 12:58:00 PM, Blogger Stephe said...

I hear ya! Three of them just graced my blog!! Thank god for the "delete" button!!!!

 
At 7/27/2006 02:03:00 PM, Blogger Sandra said...

Well said!

 
At 7/27/2006 05:22:00 PM, Blogger rubyiscoming said...

Ford, you are da man! Great post!

 
At 7/30/2006 11:46:00 AM, Blogger Mama Melissa said...

SO TRUE!!! OMG. It just makes me so mad... I, too, have chosen to adopt from china...and an infant... and a GIRL! Yikes. God forbid we make our own decisions sometimes... I haven't seen that couple's blog, but I have recently seen some others just BERATE people for their decisions and what they might be 'uncomfortable with' or unable to handle. Geez... makes ya want to not blog somedays... or password protect it... which, I also find a sad commentary on our society these days...

Melissa
LID 10/31/05
babyheaton.blogspot.com

 
At 8/01/2006 08:38:00 PM, Blogger Don and Be said...

Wonderful post! I must admit that I'm guilty of holding back for fear of 'offending'. Perhaps I should not ... after all, this whole adoption wait is stressful to the point where it's healthy to unload - just like a pregnancy. Your post has given me a different slant on some of the issues - and your writing is a good read. Bless you guyz, Don

 
At 8/05/2006 04:24:00 PM, Blogger Dawn said...

I love this post!! It's so true!!! There are times that I catch myself rewriting my blog entries, as not to upset the "Blog Taliban" either!! When I shouldn't bother with what they think, because it's MY BLOG, darn it!


~Dawn

 

Post a Comment

<< Home