A year or so ago one of our TBM nieces (with 5 kids of her own) and her DH adopted a black baby from Haiti. When she posted photos of the kids together, her TBM friends all "cooed" (quite patronizingly) about how adorable her family was, especially the new adoptee. One of our other nieces-also TBM with 3 kids posted "I so want one of those!" I was horrified but her comment was revealing of the general sense that adopting a little black child was the newest fad amongst this group of TBM Utahns.

I found it disturbing on a number of levels.

Here's a little lesson in genetics: if she gets pregnant from a black guy, she'll have a (half) black baby.

Too bad for her they don't hold auctions for black people on the steps of the local court house anymore.

There's no chance that she meant something else, like wanting a picture, or a prop they used in the picture, or anything else except talking about the child as a possession? :(

It was very popular about 10 years ago. I guess it's still going on . .

Eew. That is repugnant.

A group of missionaries (not LDS, but I forget exactly what sect) were tried on charges of human trafficing for their "adoption" practices of Haitian children.

I worked in Haiti for about 4 years and what I saw there amazed me. Missionaries using the people for their own gain. Aid workers selling "free" items to the Haitians for their own gain. The UN - JFC - they did a number down there. Did nothing but rape and pillage the local populace. It was quite sickening really, seeing all the nasty and bad done in Haiti by the so called "good people".

I met a lot of bad people down there. People who went down with good intentions and ended up using the people of Haiti for their gain. We were questioned twice by un-named government agencies on our return from Haiti in regards to people we knew down there.

"Yep, met them, and them, and them, and them too... Drank a beer with him, went to his house, had dinner there, came to the boat...."

Drug dealers, wanted for crimes against humanity, arms dealers, pedophiles, etc... You name it, you can get away with it down there.

After the second uprising, most those guys were the ones dead in the street.

Haiti is a place I have a love hate relationship with. I love the majority of the people there, very nice, want so much for their nation to be better. I loath the politicians down there who won't let them better themselves as a nation. I loath the "good" people down there taking advantage of a f***ed up situation.

So gee, "let me do my part so I can be noticed in society, make a baby white and delightsome", adopt a Haitian... twats, piss off.

It will get interesting when those babies grow up and start dating the white mormons.

It's going to cause some major problems between member families. They are fine with adopting a baby. They are not fine with their sons and daughters dating and marrying those same babies when they're all grown up.

This is when I really wish there was a "like" button to click.

These immature Mormons are very short sighted. They don't believe their actions will have consequences, probably because of their religious superstition.

When I was at college in the UK years ago one girl said she wanted to adopt a Chinese baby when she was older because they are the cutest. The other girls agreed with her - they were all desperate to show how unprejudiced and politically correct they were.

I don't think all mormon women in Utah are like that lol.

Adopting has always been quite a big thing in mormonism. Especially with infertile couples, as they can't have children, but are obviously constantly being told by the church that's it's important, so they adopt instead.

I have one of those adorable, little, adopted black babies. When I took him to Utah to meet DH's family, my SIL insisted on taking him to HER ward (without us) to parade him around. Ooooooooo . . . look how spayshul and super-righteous our family is!!!! Puke.

He's not a doll.

;o)

It is possible that it was a poor choice of words and that you are reading too much into it

It is pretty offensive, put like that. But I was almost in the same boat. I knew two single American women in Congo who adopted local homeless boys. And it was not very difficult to do legally. I wanted desperately to do the same thing, and almost felt like, "I want one!" DW talked me down, since we are older. She's pessimistic by nature and was always saying things like, "We could die at any second. Who'd raise him?" My favorite was a boy about 10 who had had his left forearm hacked off by a soldier. He was clever and engaging and never seemed bitter, and could have used some corrective surgery, not to mention a prosthesis.

But there are adoption-worthy kids in all parts of the world. African kids are easily the most beautiful and they kept winning me over all the time and I couldn't help it. It was complicated even more by how the Congolese would abandon little children down by the river. Various European agencies seemed to rescue the girls, but the little boys would have to fall in with a pack of other little boys, huddling like puppies in doorways at night, begging for handouts like food, clothing, and fresh water. They were so easily pleased, and smart as whips. I have to admit it--I wanted one. Or more. I don't really blame the person, so long as she'd provide a good home.

I don't care what color they are. :)

The grey and green ones smell bad.

Plus they make you puke an hour after dinner.

Just ask the Freis...they wanted a little black "token" enough that they just outright kidnapped one without regard for the law! Luckily they were shot down after years of battle. Who knows, maybe mulatto will become the new black or maybe even outright lamanite! What matters is that you have a load of kids you can't afford to care of in the long run that call you mommy and daddy. As long as your TBM friends are impressed at Sacrament meeting...*pat pat on back*

I have to add to my own post that my own SIL is trying to convince my brother to adopt a Chinese kid. She wants to do this because she has already enrolled her twin boys in a Chinese Language School and she wants them to have someone to talk to when they get older. Her hope is that all of her children will be able to spread the gospel to the poor, ungodly, non-mormon Chinese population.

I honestly didn't take what she said "that way." I could see myself saying something like that about any cute little bouncy baby, all in jest, since my baby days are over. I want one!! I can totally see how it can sound really bad, though, especially in the context of the token black baby being saved by the righteous. Reading everyone's comments, I get it. Wow. Anyway, I just didn't see it in that negative light, more of a joke, for whatever it's worth.

maybe it's time to look again then because these TBM bitches are serious. It's great that you aren't, but that's not reality

You know exactly what a stranger means from a comment on an internet board by another stranger? Wow.

Yes, I can deduce by reason.

I love your screen name, BTW.

I said I understand. I simply didn't see it as a disparaging remark. A silly thing to say, babylust, whatever. Merely adding my personal take on the comment, take it or leave it. It's pretty frightening, though, if this is some self-righteous trendy thing to do.

It came from someone who had children of her own and had no problem having others. Her comments were not about having a baby or adopting any baby but specifically about a black baby. Period. She wanted "one of those" meaning a black baby.

I have a hard time wrapping my brain around the notion that someone saying "I want one of those" is some sort of trophy or "Motrendy," possession type of thing on a human being with dark skin, over a probably badly worded joke or endearment...it's just not sinking in. This cannot be true...it just can't...how horrible...can't be happening in real life...Mormons are wholesome and honest...right? It makes me ill. That was my first impression, it was just humor, but clearly I was wrong. Just one more thing to keep in mind when dealing with the momo's.

the only reason why I see this "trend" as serious is because of people like the Freis. They seem to be collecting black babies...I'm sorry, but it's true! Collecting kids because you can't have anymore isn't okay unless they are truly desperate for a new home and most of them simply aren't. They are being adopted as showpieces and sacrament meeting pats on the backs! If you have 5 or 6 kids but you feel like you need more? Really? You need more? Ok then. Well, Good luck to the people who adopted them when they get older and start wanting to date the white girls and such. Talk about scandal! I'm glad I won't be around for that crap.

Am I the only person who thinks mormons want to adopt black babies so they can take pictures of them and say, "See? We're not racist."

Bingo!

Yes, that thought has crossed my mind. And you look at the Mormon web site and promotional material and it always has a nice mix of races.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/28/2013 10:01PM by omreven.

Huh? What about the curse of Cain?

Seriously, being black in the 21st century is a whole different ball game. The worst of the racism is gone, blacks have moved into the middle class, and marrying blonde chicks is the in thing

You might even say that black chic is in. Adoption is expensive. Poor inner city welfare moms pump them out cheap, so what do you think is going to happen? Supply and demand.