(WARNING: SOME HATEFUL LANGUAGE AND CONTENT QUOTED IN THIS POST!)
Good grief...
"There's a comment section? In a newspaper?!" my husband asked incredulously, as I was recounting to him my frustration about this article.
"Yes! Well, sort of. It's on the Internet. But anyway, you would not believe most of these commenters! They're..."
For the sake of politeness, I will now omit the exact wording I used (it may or may not have included some combination of the words "clowns," "ass," and "hats!"), but suffice it to say, I strongly expressed my astonishment at many of the commenters.
These comments were so revealing--and revealing of such disturbing undercurrents of thought!--that I was somewhat shocked people even posted them. (I know, I know--there will never be a shortage of idiots, so I shouldn't be surprised that there's no shortage of vocal idiots, either. But it was still disheartening.)
Some comments revealed simple ignorance, like the mother who worried that her child might contract HIV from other children on the playground:
"I do feel very sorry for these children. No child deserves to be born with HIV. As a mother of a small healthy child, I also find this rather frightening, though. Small kids are constantly running around doing unsanitary things, getting scrapes and cuts and what not. At a preschool they may be doing this with other HIV negative children present. I would hope whatever preschool that the children with HIV attend, would be notified of this condition so appropriate precautions can be taken if they scrape themselves up and are bleeding on the playground, for example. Sexual contact and intraveneous drug use are not the only ways this virus can be spread. There was a case I remember from long ago where a dentist gave HIV to a patient of his, so I know it can be transmitted other ways."
This, at least, is ignorance that can be countered with scientific fact. I find this attitude more tolerable because at least a) it's ostensibly couched in concern for one's own child and b) it's an easily correctable notion. In fact, there is no risk for HIV transmission on the playground or in any everyday setting, unless your everyday settings involve IV drug use or unprotected sex. Please refer to the basic medical facts about HIV and HIV transmission for proof. Things have changed rapidly in even the last few years, so HIV/AIDS may no longer be what you think.
Sadly, though, the objections to this article weren't all so easily correctable. Far too many comments exhibited deep-seated racism, xenophobia, and bigotry. For example, one poster writes, "its saddening that you have more respect for Ethiopians than for the health of your fellow Americans." Another genius contributes, "So you are saying it is OK to take a HIV-poverty-ridden child and give them complete culture shock rather than working with a child from this country and helping then learn what family is all about. You must want to OUTSOURCE adoption too."
More gems--
"This is saddening to me; just how moronic have some Americans come....Shouldn't there be an American counselor or something present to make sure these people know what the hell they are doing. And since when is it the best interest for any country to start adopting sick babies? SAVE AMERICAN LIVES FIRST PLEASE. THANK YOU!"
"You know, this infuriates me. Why does the government allow an HIV child to be adopted over here. That child will have to be subsidized by the government. It automatically qualifies for disability with HIV. Yet, there are all these kids over here living in foster care. I cannot believe this. I am all for adoption of children, but the African government plays on the heartstrings of 'wealthy' Americans to adopt their deathly ill children. And stupidly, Americans open up their wallets and hearts to Africa and pay to bring this sick children home."
The question becomes, then--how do you even begin to confront attitudes like this? Or is it even worth it to attempt to educate these kinds of people about their obvious wrongs? I don't think there's much profit in ethical discoursing over the Internet (although I couldn't resist the opportunity to chime in as at least one more positive voice in the USA Today comments section), but what should you do when you run into people like this in real life? Tell them the facts about HIV? Inform them about the rigors of the adoption process and how everyday families are the ones doing this (NOT rich, privileged, Angelina-wannabe types)? Reiterate to them the universal value of human life, no matter where it comes from or what its health status? (The old Biblical warning about not "throwing pearls to swine" suddenly occurs to me.)
What a tough situation...
Ultimately, though, I am thankful that some families refuse to be silenced by these inane critics and are at least bringing up the issue of HIV+ adoption in the public discourse. Let's support them in whatever ways we can, so that at least the positive voices far outweigh the negative ones. Let's seek out the facts about HIV and inform others who are open to listening, thereby alleviating some unnecessary fears. Let's support organizations like Project H.O.P.E.F.U.L., From HIV To Home, Adoption-Link's Chances By Choice program, and AAI's Layla House, all of which assist families (in various ways) in adopting HIV+ children. Let's do whatever it takes to hopefully make the world a little bit kinder to children who have already endured more than their shares of tragedies.
And if you decide you want to contribute to the USA Today brouhaha, go for it--but only if you're bringing another positive voice to the table.
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