Madonna's Adoption: charity or ego?

Carrera

A lot of the journals are having a go at Madonna due to her desire to adopt an African baby and bring the toddler over to the U.K. Some journalists and commentators believe it may be a fad and very much down to Madonna's ego and personal wishes, rather than being about helping African orphans.
The Mail sent reporters to interview the child's father who had been told Madonna was a good Christian charity worker who could offer the baby a wonderful life in the U.K. However, the father probably didn't know Madonna has, in the past, taken part in soft porno movies, cruised L.A. for young guys to take back home and recently had herself crucified wearing a crown of thorns.
Not that Madonna's heart isn't in the right place but the point is she's adopting an infant who already has a father and his reason for surrendering custody was really down to personal poverty after the child's mother died.
Is Madonna perhaps being selfish? Is it about what she wants or the good of the infant? Charities are asking why she doesn't adopt a genuine, parentless orphan and provide this toddler's father with resources to bring his son up the way he wants. According to the Mail, this man actually cycled 40 miles to see his son at the orphanage and had only orphaned his son as he had no money at all to cope when his wife died after the birth.

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slovakguy

total ego trip for her. music bombing, film career bombing, record production co. bombing... another sad attempt on her part to jump on the latest hollywood fad bandwagon and get her gap-toothed mug in the papers. why can't she just retire gracefully like george michael or gary glitter?

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Carrera

I can only hope she is sincere. What makes people uneasy is why specifically she has to be seen to be adopting from Africa as if this were some kind of Live Aid gesture. Is she just trying to be fashionable? I mean, at the end of the day, kids need a loving home, security and parents who are there most of the time. This toddler does have a father who seems to care about him and would probably be delighted to take the kid out of the orphanage if he could afford to financially.
Madonna is already engaged in charity work in that region so why doesn't she adopt a kid there who has no parents at all? Or does she just want this kid as a material possession? Why not sponsor the child and let his father bring him up as this guy is sad over the loss.

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"Everybody has a philosophy. However, what philosophy you have is a matter of choice, and most people don't make a conscious choice with regard to what philosophy they accept."

MountainPro

agreed, if she wanted to make a real difference to poverty she could donate a couple of million to Oxfam.

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jhuskey

I was going to respond to this but my great disinterest in all thing Madonna overwhelmed me and I ......................snore.

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Carrera

Let's be fair. Her last album has been reasonably successful and was rated far better than the last one. Added to that, for a woman well into her forties she's in very good physical shape.
As for the adoption, I really don't know. If this toddler didn't have a living father and was a total orphan I'd say go ahead. However, I can't help but suspect this may be a case of Madonna satisfying her materialistic needs by purchasing a new toy - and human beings aren't toys to be shipped overseas.
Realistically speaking, this kid will be cared for by hired staff and maybe raised in a similar way to Michael Jackson and look how he winded up.

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"Everybody has a philosophy. However, what philosophy you have is a matter of choice, and most people don't make a conscious choice with regard to what philosophy they accept."

Carrera

Added to that, the last Live Aid kind of made me puke. You had Geldof with his ego, Madonna with his ego and a whole bunch more of inflated egos - a bunch of pop stars who were convinced they were saving the world. Sure, the intention was honourable but it was all too much in your face.
I think the best gesture Madonna could make would be to ship the kid's father over to the U.K. and then employ him so he can be with his own son, which according to The Mail is what he really wants. He was talked into this deal and assured it was for the best but is it? After all, Madge is now wrapped up in as weird a cult as Tom Cruise and only lets her kids watch TV once a week.

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MountainPro

according to the 'loids (you should have read this) Madge and Guy are on the verge of splitting up because of the aferican baby issue. Did any one think to ask Guy about all this?

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Carrera

The tabloids are often not so far off track. They reported Paul and Heather's split before it happened and then Macca blamed the Mail. They reported the rift between Blair and Brown and we know there is such a rift. They reported the David Kelly scandal accurately as well.
The tabs have been indicating Madge and Guy have been having a rift for some time but it looks like they're holding together regardless. Maybe it's just an up and down relationship? Now they're saying Madonna is absolutely furious for being challenged over the adotion as she feels she's give thousands of dollars to help poor children in that country.

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TrekDedicated

Huge ego here.

She's gotta stay in the spotlight... right with Jolie and Pitt...

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Carrera

She's taking some fire. Some people have pointed out this has echoes of rich white women buying pet African children to indulge their caprice. O.K. I know Madonna isn't quite in that league but I do suspect she's being selfish. She seems to believe that by doing some charity work in that country, she gains an automatic right to divide a family and take someone's son away to a foreign land.
Now we learn the father was hoodwinked. By all means, bring the baby to live with her family but not without his natural dad.
We as westerners can't imagine the poverty these people endure. This seems very harsh on the rest of the family so Madonna needs to think this one through.

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"Everybody has a philosophy. However, what philosophy you have is a matter of choice, and most people don't make a conscious choice with regard to what philosophy they accept."

wolfix

Madonna has only concerned herself with Madonna most of her life. Most of her actions in life are about being kept in the spotlight. But that is how a celebrity keeps their star shining. In Madonna's case however, she has always operated on a shock form of noriety. I watched a interview of her during the time when she had that book published. Her father was on the set during the interview and she was going out of her way to embaress him by discussing masturbation in front of a national audience. I realized at that point she was a whore. She has musical talent, but she is a whore.

So now we see she has basically kidnapped a child from Africa. It fits in with the rest of her life.

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slovakguy

madge has concerned herself with herself her entire adult life (and, given an article from long ago, a self obsession which developed during her teen years). her desire to be a mother can charitably be portrayed as another attempt at self satisfaction (or her desire to flout "middle-class" mores). the common factor for her is to get her mug in papers, on t.v, or on the radio. as for the assertion that she has musical talent, can you point to anyone who would say that in seriousness? she has a sharp business acumen in her selection of producers, usually getting in the latest underground vibe about thirty seconds before it goes mainstream, but her singing, dancing and political positions have always been derivative. remember her response to sinead o'connor's ripping apart a photo of the pope...ripping up a photo of sinead?!?! she's the stephen king of pop.

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"To Hell with poverty, we'll get drunk on cheap wine."
--Gang of Four, To Hell With Poverty

MountainPro

i agree, the best place for the lad is with his dad...madonna has enough money to bring him over and be a father to him. Thing is, he will have to go through the UK immigration system same as everybody else who wants to enter this country on legal paperwork and if you are from a 3rd world country your chances of obtaining said paperwork are nil.

You cant just chap on the door and say, i'm poor, let me in. Same as madonna cant adopt a child just because he is poor. He has family, he is not an orphan.

In the UK and probably the rest of the western world, we have charities that let you 'adopt' a family from Africa. Basically they stay in africa and you send them money to start a farm and work themselves out of poverty.

This is a stunt by madonna, she needs to send a few quid over to the family of the boy, give him back and feel good that she has done a positive thing. The boy will be alienated in the UK and will feel lost and isolated. This is a media stunt pure and simple to keep the middle aged slag in the lime-light in a controversial manner to show to the record-buying public that she still has an anti establishment streak despite the expensive London apartment and extravanant lifestyle. Wolfie is right, she is a whore....and what are the adoption agencies thinking? Is she a good mother? Madonna cannot give the child the love and attention he needs. 99% of his live will be sent with nannies. They will grow up not knowing who thier mother is or who they are. Its like the agencies have said, okay she's rich...thats good enouh for us. A child needs more that money, the need a mother and a father who will love them regardless. He wont get that from madona.

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