This might come off as a rambling post, but please bear with me.
So some background info: One of my good friends is adopted, for as long as I remember; In fact, I've never met his biological parents (He doesn't like talking about them, understandably). They're [adoptive parents] quite nice and are pretty much his "real" parents, regardless of bloodline. There is another person that we hang around with sometimes, he's not quite a friend, more of an acquaintance if anything.
We were just talking during lunch break a few days ago, just fucking around. I dunno why, but my friends and I crack on each other from time to time as jokes and such. So it's my friend's (with the adoptive parents) turn, and he must've struck a nerve on the other guy for some unknown reason. Enough for the acquaintance to retort with "Well fuck you, at least I'm not adopted." We all kinda froze because that was fucked up beyond all belief. My friend is over it now, he's quite resilient and kind of thick skinned, sometimes too much for his own good.
...
So while I thought about that incident, a lot of things popped into my head. A lot of the opinions here stay somewhat ingrained in my mind, they've been significant influences in what I take interest in and such. Well, one opinion that I remember regards abortion: If you don't want the baby, put it up for adoption so it goes to a family of loving parents instead of staying in a household unwanted (I'm pro-choice btw, still think that adoption is a much, much better choice. Would prefer them not to abort).
However, it seems like being adopted is a sort of social stigma - I know that in Korea, bloodline is extremely important. I couldn't help but feel bad for my friend, even when he had some of the nicest parents in the world just because he is adopted. I know that in an ideal world, it wouldn't matter about who your parents are, just as long as you felt like an actual family, but in real life, it seems like you're automatically judged for not being the true child of your parents (I'm guilty of this, especially when I first met my friend). I can't imagine what my friend must have felt like, to be reminded that the parents that he loved weren't biologically his.
So to make this more discussable, should an adopted child be ashamed to be adopted? In fact, how difficult must it be for the children that these famous celebrities adopt from around the world - to be so different from the rest of his/her siblings? I remember that I dreaded being called adopted by my family, even as a joke. Is this normal?
Don't get me wrong, it's kinda heartwarming to see people happy, even when in completely different cultures and backgrounds (i.e. a foreign child adopted by a family back here in the States, etc etc), but still, the shit that they have to face sometimes is just terrible.
/endramble
Just had to get this off of my chest.
So some background info: One of my good friends is adopted, for as long as I remember; In fact, I've never met his biological parents (He doesn't like talking about them, understandably). They're [adoptive parents] quite nice and are pretty much his "real" parents, regardless of bloodline. There is another person that we hang around with sometimes, he's not quite a friend, more of an acquaintance if anything.
We were just talking during lunch break a few days ago, just fucking around. I dunno why, but my friends and I crack on each other from time to time as jokes and such. So it's my friend's (with the adoptive parents) turn, and he must've struck a nerve on the other guy for some unknown reason. Enough for the acquaintance to retort with "Well fuck you, at least I'm not adopted." We all kinda froze because that was fucked up beyond all belief. My friend is over it now, he's quite resilient and kind of thick skinned, sometimes too much for his own good.
...
So while I thought about that incident, a lot of things popped into my head. A lot of the opinions here stay somewhat ingrained in my mind, they've been significant influences in what I take interest in and such. Well, one opinion that I remember regards abortion: If you don't want the baby, put it up for adoption so it goes to a family of loving parents instead of staying in a household unwanted (I'm pro-choice btw, still think that adoption is a much, much better choice. Would prefer them not to abort).
However, it seems like being adopted is a sort of social stigma - I know that in Korea, bloodline is extremely important. I couldn't help but feel bad for my friend, even when he had some of the nicest parents in the world just because he is adopted. I know that in an ideal world, it wouldn't matter about who your parents are, just as long as you felt like an actual family, but in real life, it seems like you're automatically judged for not being the true child of your parents (I'm guilty of this, especially when I first met my friend). I can't imagine what my friend must have felt like, to be reminded that the parents that he loved weren't biologically his.
So to make this more discussable, should an adopted child be ashamed to be adopted? In fact, how difficult must it be for the children that these famous celebrities adopt from around the world - to be so different from the rest of his/her siblings? I remember that I dreaded being called adopted by my family, even as a joke. Is this normal?
Don't get me wrong, it's kinda heartwarming to see people happy, even when in completely different cultures and backgrounds (i.e. a foreign child adopted by a family back here in the States, etc etc), but still, the shit that they have to face sometimes is just terrible.
/endramble
Just had to get this off of my chest.
Last edited by Smithereener (2008-06-02 19:10:06)
