Thursday 9 April 2009

Madonna and child

Ten points to ponder
  1. What does the adoption of one child do for the good of Africa?
  2. Why a four year old who will have made relationships?
  3. Is a celebrity lifestyle going to give any child a balanced life?
  4. How often will this child realistically be able to return to Malawi to keep contact with relatives?
  5. How soon will she find it hard to relate to those relatives and her country of birth?
  6. What sort of an impression does a celebrity give by flying into a country, with full entourage and press coverage, expecting to fly out again with the baby of choice?
  7. How many children could be helped to live with their relatives if the time, energy and money had been spent in different ways?
  8. How many mothers could have life-saving medical attention so that there were fewer babies without mothers?
  9. How many families could be kept together if they had access to some microfinance?
  10. Is any of the focus of attention on Malawi’s needs rather than on the celebrity’s?
Am I alone in wondering about these points?

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11 comments:

  1. It's all about Madonna. She's always been an attention-wh*re.

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  2. Nat Tuner's Revenge found this nugget at youtube, Malawi Adoption from Tracy Ullman.

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  3. While all your points are valid, I think we all help when and how we decide. There is nothing that compels Madonna or anyone else to help others. It is also not the place of others to try to direct how one gives of their resources.

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  4. I'm with Solomon.
    This is all about the broken woman Madonna (an interesting choice of name) looking for attention. The future of the children she has will no doubt be played out in the media.

    And Rich, while there is a point about telling others how to live their lives you have just told others not to criticise!
    Also this woman is in the public eye and responsible people have every right to object when children are used for the mothers sake and not the childs.
    There is also one thing that compels people to help others, love! This is seen in many ways and what we have seen from Madonna is not 'love' but selfishness in using a child for publicity.

    If this woman wanted to help her money, and she can spare masses, could easily ensure a decent life for thousands in Malawi rather than one in her PR file.

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  5. Madonna is just so selfish. She cannot see life from any viewpoint other than her own. Adopting a 4 year old, who already has roots in Malawi, is in fact an act of cruelty.

    She should use her money to provide help for the people of Malawi (or wherever) rather than trying to satisfy her own immature needs.

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  6. When I was starting to read your first few points, one of your previous posts about microfinance came up my mind. As I continued reading, I read about the microfinance in your point number 9. I couldn't have agree more on it. Moving a child away from his/her place of birth may lead to the child having a better life but one is also removing the 'root' of the child. In so speaking, is this the best option? That is why I am seriously thinking if microfinance could be a better option.

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  7. I won't presume to tell Madonna Ciccone where to spend her money, whether on charity or on expensive houses; she is the one who earned the money. But I would remind her that, if her true desire is to be a mother rather than a user of children for publicity purposes, there are plenty of orphans in the USA; she need not look to Africa.

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  8. But perhaps the more stringent American laws which seek to establish and verify the fitness for parenthood of potential adoptive parents is a deterrent to her.

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  9. Something happens to almost all celebrities once they reach a certain point in their careers-they decide that they are important and it is their job to save the world. They do their world saving by getting attention and whining about this and that.

    I'm about forty years older than the child Madonna wants, but I'd be happy for her to adopt me.

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  10. @Solomon, yes, even allowing for her celebrity status, she seems to seek attention more than most.

    @Hathor, that's excellent! Turning the tables does illustrate the point better than anything.

    @Rich, but is she helping? I don't think she is. She could accept that she may not be the best judge. You can't sit by and say "it's not my place to tell her what to do with her money" if you think she is doing the wrong thing. Where would you draw the line? She is in the public eye, and likes to remain there. She should be open to public criticism as well as adulation.

    @Adullamite, I agree. Madonna's actions seem driven by selfishness rather than any desire to do real good.

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  11. @Elaine, as you say, uprooting a child of that age is cruel, especially when she has the means to do real good.

    @BK, certainly I don't think it's the best option. There are many other ways she could help, and if she needs the publicity, surely it could be arranged?

    @Max, those examples you give are spending her money for herself and not directly affecting anyone else's life, certainly nobody who has no say. I wouldn't tell her how to spend that sort of money, even if I might shake my head at profligate waste. There are so very many children in her own country who would benefit from adoption. Of course she is a single parent now....

    @Descartes, if Madonna adopted you, that might well attract quite an amount of publicity. I think she wants someone she can influence a little more! :)

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Forethoughts, afterthoughts, any thoughts. Tell me.

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