A "retro review" of a 2005 episode of "The Simpsons," called Goo Goo Gai Pan, where Selma adopts a baby from China. Sounds like they trotted out every known stereotype about China and adoption.I don't watch the Simpsons, but I can't believe there wasn't some outcry from China adoptive parents about this episode. How did I miss that?! What was I doing in 2005? Oh, yeah, adopting Maya. . . . I missed a lot that year!
Trust me, Malinda, there was a lot of hue and cry back then!! I don't watch The Simpsons, so never saw this episode. There were folks who DID watch it who spoke both for and against. The key thing to remember is: The Simpsons is all about satire, parody, and general low-life, butt-crack, har-de-har type humor. Not. Real. Life. Ergo: (to my mind, anyway) no need to get upset about it. :)
ReplyDeleteSorry I have never seen the show so I don't have much to add. However, I have also heard the show is a satire so I don't know in what context they were addressing adoption--maybe making commentary on "those" type of parents (you know what I am talking about). Sadly, it seems some in our society do not get that ALL AP's and adopted children can be represented by the few who talk of rescuing, purchasing, or demanding only "perfect" kids.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of another show that made me want to wretch, sadly it was not meant to be a joke. There was an adoption show recently (I believe TLC or Discovery) where they followed a single woman and a couple from FL to Russia for their adoptions. The married couple from FL were disgusting! They were so concerned with getting the baby in designer clothes and having perfection that it gave a blackeye in my opinion to all of us. She was going to pick up her fashion accesory and the format of the show did not even address her idiocy or attitude. I hope that those out of the adoption loop do not consider adopting for those reasons or apply those attitudes to us.
there was outcry!! I saw several yahoo groups going crazy on it. Don't think it did any good as it was aired anyway!
ReplyDeleteMy glass is half empty tonight and I'll say that it is SO HARD to enlighten people on the injustices of racial prejudice. Of course, unless it hits THEIR FAMILY....they don't get it! I hear echoes of the old cliche "You can't change the world..." and sigh....
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