… check out what one adoptive parent had to say in response to an adoptee’s explanation of why she decided to reclaim her Korean name:
Maybe you need to take a harder, and closer look at your personal background, and be more grateful to the gifts which you have been given by your American family, and less of this, politically correct, “think past the truth” —-horse shit
(emphasis mine)
Hmm. As I wrote in my comment on that post, “horse shit”? Really? Is that an effective and adult contribution to any conversation, let alone in response to a thoughtful essay from someone willing to share her personal views on a very personal topic? It’s funny (as in, not very) how adoptees are usually the ones who are labeled and dismissed as angry, because I read a lot more anger in this adoptive parent’s words than in those of any adoptee who responded.
Of course, this is from the same adoptive parent who bragged about how adoption saved his two daughters’ lives, defended Harry Holt as “a good and honorable man,” and wrote this little gem:
[Y]ou were abandoned by the woman (and family) who birthed you. You have warm feelings for that woman, but you have never met her, and probably never will—so its all a fantasy.
Although the basic facts of this statement may very well be true — I harbor quite a few fantasies myself — why throw our pain back in our faces like a weapon? Would this parent ever think of saying something so insensitive to either of his daughters, who were adopted from China? What could he possibly have been trying to do, except hurt the author of the original post?
And that, if anything, makes me angry.
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Comments are closed to encourage people to comment at the original post on 8 Asians (sorry to make you cut and paste, but here’s the link: http://www.8asians.com/2009/03/27/say-my-name/). I know that Chunsoon would appreciate any words of support.
A few adoptees have spoken up there already, but this would be a nice time for any self-proclaimed “allies” to chime in as well.
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Edited 4/1 to add:
I corrected the gender pronouns in my post above since the commenter, Kim, has surfaced again and is apparently male. Having known a girl named Jeremy (who was dating a boy named Jeremy — I swear I’m not making this up!), I should have known better than to make assumptions, but I did.
Also, check out Atlasien’s post on this topic (appropriately titled “Blood Pressure Rising!“)
Lastly, a very big “thank you” to everyone who went and commented after reading this. You give me hope.
