Blogcritics Comments on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Comment by Kate on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 16:45:50 EST

Oh and for that person who said we don't know that nannies are raising her kids..? PA-leese. When that African child was shipped to England, Madonna was NOT at the airport to pick him up - HER NANNY was. Her NANNY! She has a NANNY. Do we need to spell it out to you? NANNIES raise kids, while their parents work or travel or do whatever, and they give out orders to the NANNIES! I can't say whether or not she's ever changed a diaper, but I can assure you the kids are being raised by NANNIES!....she travels for goodness sakes and goes around the world....do you think she changes diapers across the nations? NO!

Comment by kate. on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 16:40:59 EST

Why is it that Hollywood Celebs [who live in another world of its own] and some people on this blog feel that America has no idea whats going on in Africa???? and they do??? how hilarious is that? I have been donating to African orphanages for some time, way before Madonna got invovled in HERSELF. She is no idol, and no one I would want my child or any other to "model" themselves after. I believe she care more for herself and what people "think" of her than anything else, after all, thats all she's ever known. Doing this in front of the press spells it all out. Kabbalah is a freakish sect that is not recognized by most Orthodox Rabbi's. I don't care what she does, but she certainly didn't "make me realize whats going on in Africa" - Why don't people realize that Africa has been in trouble since the dawn of time. it's time THEIR own government helped THEIR own people. The are 12 million more black kids over there, when is the GREAT WHITE HOPE going to adopt the rest? Africa will not be changed by a few million dollars from Madonna or Jolie/Pitt camp, it will ONLY be changed when the government over there changes. Period. We can't adopt all African childrent. I am NOT impressed by her latest 'act' only disgusted by her ability to use it to her own advantage, whatever that end may be. She's no-body.

Comment by Sponge Cake on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 17:26:07 EDT

the chosen one has chosen wisely . high five dude, you hit the Nail right on , See ya GrandMa,(madonna)

Comment by the Chosen one on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 16:14:53 EDT

madonna is a Over the Hill LEECH who is desparately trying-2-regain her youth. Grow up GrandMa and move over, with your has been life. your 15 min. of fame is OVER !

Comment by Snarkattack on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 13:24:23 EDT

I've got 2 parents, lived in the Philippines for one year, can Madonna adopt me??? Sorry. Joke aside, how is it that this child ended up in this orphanage/house? Was his father not able to care for him?

Comment by Mary Jo on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 08:17:15 EDT

It's happened yet again. I do believe that Angelina was/is sincere in her efforts to become a mom, after all that's the end result of adopting, parenthood. I don't pretend to know her motives, I do feel and have felt through her career that Madonna is a hypocrite in most things that she does, except to publicize herself. Her naked pictures for a "coffee table book" followed by her plea for privacy comes to mind. My husband and I adopted-it was our successful attempt at making a family. Of course, there was no fanfare except for what our families and friends provided and even that was embarrassing. We're not rescuers, not noble, not anything that these accolades are being placed on Ms. Madonna. We did it simply our of selfish reasons, we desperately wanted to be parents and felt that we could love without limits. We are blessed.

Comment by Kristi Harrison on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 01:58:29 EDT

Get into the groove, boy you got to prove...you want to be my African child. And let me call you Maddox. Where's the party, y'all? Holiday...it's time to celebrate! Not cele-debate.

Comment by nat on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:26:53 EDT

OMG 'True Christian'(that name is laughable!) In response to your cruel and vile comment: Are you so heartless that you believe that Madonna bought a child, ripping him kicking and screaming out of his father's arms? The father has himself stated that he is very thankful that Madonna is adopting his child to give him a better life than he would have in Africa. Had she NOT adopted a child, I bet you would be dragging her across the coals for abandoning the children and leaving them in despair! The child's mother died because she didn't have adequate medical treatment. The child's father is unable to look after the young one as he lives hand to mouth in subsistance farming. The best the country can do given the breakdown of extended families in the AIDS pandemic is to pool resources and provide communal care facilities for young children in "orphanages". Why are we living in a world where any of this happens at all? Why does it take Madonna to visit Malawi before the press give a damn? Are you so blind to not see the wells for fresh water she is having drilled? To see the modern orphanages she is building? You choose not to see the villagers dancing in celebration that they now have fresh water to drink, that their children now have beds. It's the cynics who on their self-made pedestals are looking down on those people waiting for them to fail, carefully looking for signs of hypocrisies or just trying to find anything to bring those people down instead of celebrating their willingness to improve the world by improving themselves. Of course, the cynics think they have already figured it all out. They seem to think they already know the truth and that's why they are standing on those self-made pedestals. Plus, no matter how shaky those pedestals are it's easier to throw stones from up there. For Madonna to do her best at helping those poor people and little orphans in Malawi or for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt doing their thing in Africa and other parts of the world or whoever well-known person doing the same. How dare they remind the cynics what they already know? How dare they try to help other people and show the cynics what they could do but what they haven't done? And not everyone needs to adopt a child or to donate millions of dollars to help. But everyone willing to help need to make a decision to do so. Everyone needs to want to help. But the cynics already know that, don't they?

Comment by Dawn on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 12:40:30 EDT

Sure Amy, I have no doubt that while Madonna's on tour she is getting up in the middle of the night taking care of domestics duties. She's ALL OVER THAT. Now, pardon me, I have a diaper to change.

Comment by freedom on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 03:57:48 EDT

Mr. T, The topic under discussion is the article written by Eric. Rather than answer a question, provide evidence of your assertions, you have hurled a personal attack at a person about whom you have almost no information. At this point, I do only care to discuss the article and have no interest in responding to comments such as those you have made. I didn't particularly defend the Catholic church or any other religion for that matter.

Comment by True Christian on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sun, 15 Oct 2006 17:32:38 EDT

What Madonna did, stealing a boy away from his loving, caring father, is horrific: I think this will finally be the event that ends her career. The kid would have grown up to be a happy boy within his OWN culture. I hope she dies of Aids herself.

Comment by Mr. T on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sun, 15 Oct 2006 14:14:17 EDT

Um....Freedom, your points are laughable. First of all, to support Catholicism these days is to support child rearing (and I mean literally..like, with a penis). Millions upon millions of priests have sex with little kids and get away with it, only because "Jesus says it's ok." Whether or not you pay money to belong to the Catholic Church is irrelevant to this point. The Catholic Church is a good place to go when you are horny and feel like packing it in to kiddyfudge. And don't even get me going on Christianity. No, you don't have to pay to join them: but, when you are one of them, you must support killing millions of kids overseas, must support murdering homosexuals (even though most Christians are gay),etc. You do your research, which is good. But your points are just pathetic. Something tells me you won't be responding to this post [Personal attack deleted]

Comment by Mark Sahm on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sun, 15 Oct 2006 11:08:25 EDT

EO said "I fear the child will end up feeling more like a symbol than a person"... And we all know how well that worked out for Prince.

Comment by freedom on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sun, 15 Oct 2006 03:18:21 EDT

Mr. T. Have you read anything about the Kabbalah Centre? It is not related to the Kabbalah tradition. I agree that other religions have done improper things and they should be held to account. Why do you think the Kabbalah Centre deserves an exemption from accountability and critical analysis applied to see if any good is actually being undertaken? In any case, you do not have to pay a membership fee to join or participat in a Christian church. The Kabbalah Centre requires it... even of its poorest members(a few can get "scholarships") that pay the fees for them. They also must drink and purchase Kabbalah water (the Centre claims that it cures cancer) and the text must be bought as well ($300-400). There are no mandatory texts to buy in Catholicism and no requirements to buy bottled water. What is under discussion is: 1) Madonna's attempt to adopt a Malawian child. 2) Raising Malawi and its proposed orphanage centre. Have you looked into Raising Malawi? It is highly unusual in that it does not disclose how it spends donated funds. It also claims to be supported by the Clinton Foundation. The Clinton Foundation website does not indicate that it is tied to Raising Malawi and is not doing anything in Malawi at this time. My point is that people should make an effort to look into the story before jumping to conclusions blindly adhering to their preconceptions. Your parents experience of adoption is not the same as Madonna's. Without having met you or them, I am certain that they acted in compliance with the law and did not ask to be exempt from the law. Would you please provide the information that you have that supports your spurious allegation about homosexuals? The real danger is that people make wild accusations such as the one you have made about homosexuals and Christianity without any basis in fact. Honestly, do you truly advocate that people should not think critically when examining news stories and press releases and campaigns that ask for money? I want my money to go to people in need. So, I would give my money to the Clinton Foundation, UNICEF or the Global Fund over the alleged charity that Madonna is supporting. Those organizations are more transparent. Just because Africa is poor, it doesn't mean that they should be recipients of whatever is thrown at them. Colonialism is over. The comments I made above have many hyperlinks (the blue words). I stand by my research.

Comment by Mr. T on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sun, 15 Oct 2006 00:07:50 EDT

How is kaballah more dangerous than Catholicism or the religion that most homosexuals turn to to hide themselves, Christianity. I just think it's pathetic that someobody is doing something good for the world and knocked for it. Sad place we live in. Knock her for her crappy music..that's one thing. For this, she deserves a medal.

Comment by freedom on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 19:36:59 EDT

Oh Eric, now I see the links are there. Sorry, the reason I was up late was a stupid headcold and its still affecting my writing abilities. I apologize and please remove my redundant posts.

Comment by freedom on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 19:34:57 EDT

And Mr. T., what an emotional issue this is for you in particular. I think adoption is wonderful. Your parents are great people. Being a parent isn't about being self serving. My point though would be that your parents went through the entire adoption process in order to bring you into the family. And the process is there to ensure that it would be a good family for you. I think that every other child who is going through an adoption deserves the same care and attention to their circumstances. Even if their would be parents are wealthy and/or famous. [freedom: please see my note above. Thanks. Comments Editor]

Comment by freedom on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 19:27:04 EDT

You can read a bit about the situation for orphans in a report prepared by Unicef. Its hard for me to convey how I feel about the situation. I am truly torn. I, myself, am an upper middle class married woman who cannot have any more children naturally. I would love to enlarge my family through adoption or other means. And clearly, any child I raise will be "indoctrinated" by the way I raise them. And I have never been to Africa although I dream about it. I feel that the world has failed Africa and continues to fail it. I haven't even begun to think about Bono's Red Campaign (which is giving meds directly to people). I think its great the corporations are donating funds but I wonder if its better to give my funds directly rather than through a middleman? I like to know what my money is doing. And I still wonder if the child Madonna adopted would not have been better off if he stayed with his father (and other siblings??? unknown if there are any). His mother died in childbirth. Maybe monies dedicated to cutting the rate of maternal mortality in child birth would have been a better contribution. Maybe monies specifically for this child's father to ensure his longevity would be better. (You can look up the country's stats on CIA's worldbook). There are so many nuances and details to this situation that I find that there are so many gaps in information. Anyway, sorry about taking up so much space clarifying my opinion.

Comment by freedom on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 19:21:43 EDT

other press releases; ctv news cnn news Obviously there is a lot more material out there to be read. And I think it is helpful if commenters actually read all of the comments. It is hard to separate your personal feelings to try and come to an objective viewpoint. My heart breaks for the situation in Africa. i did come across a comment that UNICEF declined participation in Raising Malawi due to the Kabbalah Centre's insistence on moving forward with their religious curriculum. But, I wasn't able to find any source confirming or denying that fact. to be continued:

Comment by freedom on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 19:20:06 EDT

cult? : rickross.com cultnews.com to be continued: [freedom: If you want to continue posting links, please make them active as per BC protocol. If you don't know how, here's an easy explanation from htmlcodetutorial.com. Thanks. Comments Editor]

Comment by freedom on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 19:05:03 EDT

Raising Malawi: Kabbalah Centre videos are even on youtube: wikipedia: to be continued

Comment by freedom on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 19:03:57 EDT

As Amy has pointed out, you cannot always rely on media. And why not? Because with many cuts to budget, many papers just publish press releases with minimal fact checking. But you can still do the research yourself and make the connection. Madonna herself isn't an objective reporter. She is a brand, selling a product that is professionally marketed by her public relations people. It is hard to discuss this critically. As mentioned, we do not have access to Madonna's house or her thoughts. And fans/non fans are automatically polarized by the name of the celebrity without examining the actual behaviour/action. . To think about something critically, you have to look deeper. You have to put aside your likes/dislike of the celebrity and look at the act itself. What would your position be if the celebrity was Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson? Or if it was undertaken by a non celebrity?. What if the charity was run by Scientology? Jehovah's Witnesses? Opus Dei? In my opinion it is always dangerous to waive safeguards in the adoption process set by a country just because someone is a celebrity or has money. The safeguards are in place to ensure that placement is in the best interest of the child. The Government of Malawi has waived their laws (the Hague Convention exists to protect children against human trafficking). I did some very abbreviated research and I will post links over a few posts and I encourage everyone to look into it for yourself. Then form your opinion. Oh and FYI, I am a fan of some Madonna entertainment. I don't think she's a bitch. I do think she is isolated and hence, vulnerable to this kind of control. BBC did a documentary on Kabbalah with a concealed camera. Read an article about what was captured here: to be continued

Comment by freedom on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 19:00:55 EDT

Sorry Eric, I was tired when I posted and was trying to sum up. I may have to put together several posts to make my remarks more coherent. There are 2 separate issues: 1) the adoption of a child from Malawi; 2) the orphanage built by Raising Malawi If you go to the website of Raising Malawi, you will see that it is a charity of the Bergs (founders of the Kabbalah Center... no affiliation with the sect of Judaism or non-Judaic Kabbalah). If you read the programs listed on the website, you will see that the children will be given the Spirituality for Kids curriculum which they claim is non-denomination. Spirituality for kids is the children's curriculum for the Kabbalah Centre. Should mandatory spiritual education be a requirement for people to receive humanitarian aid? My opinion is no. The Kabbalah Centre has been criticized as nothing but a cult. Of course you know, this is a contention of many people in regards to any religion. However, Kabbalah has engaged in selling Kabbalah water to its members, their copy of the Zorah (Aramaic text) and other mandatory fees to its members. It does have a scholarship fund for exceptional circumstances but generally, rich or poor (maybe even orphans?) have to buy them. In my opinion, the Bergs have created a cult and have exploited people. Frankly, I see Madonna as a victim who they are fleecing for every cent possible. to be continued

Comment by Mr. T on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 18:26:56 EDT

I must say that reading some of these comments, and commments elsewhere (you guys are pretty tame) brought me to tears. I am an adopted child from Africa who thinks what Madonna is doing is a wonderful thing, publicity stunt or not. I cried, because I know if I stayed in Africa, I would have been dead by now. Here is this article fromt the Chicago Sun Times, which explains how I feel: Don't preach to Madonna about adoption October 13, 2006 BY NEIL STEINBERG Sun-Times Columnist Children should be raised by both parents, of course, brought up in loving, culturally sensitive environments, in the communities in which they were born. They should also have a pony, because keeping a pony is a lot of fun and teaches responsibility. Two ponies, actually, a matched set, so the first pony can rest while the other . . . Sorry. The second sentiment is fanciful I admit, reflecting an idealized world. But so is the first. Most kids don't have ponies and many don't live with both parents. Millions upon millions don't even have one. Thus a pox on critics of Madonna, such as the shrill she-beast Andrea Peyser at the New York Post, who called the star's adoption of an African toddler a "freakish slave auction." Don't get me wrong -- I can sneer at Madonna's endless reign as a pop queen as well as the next guy. I just don't see how not thinking much of "Papa, Don't Preach" translates into ridiculing the idea of international adoption because it deviates from some notion of how things would be in a perfect world. The world as it is needs more adoptive parents, not fewer. Anybody who wants to care for a stranger's child should get a medal, and those who question them -- bureaucrats with more local pride than human pity, advocates looking to score a point on the endless racial tug-of-war, news harpies who will say anything that catches attention -- should be ashamed of themselves. I remember when Anne and Ed Burke were being beaten up by a few Chicago activists exercised that they had dared to adopt a black child damaged by his mother's crack cocaine use. Their critics had no idea what they were talking about -- didn't realize that the Burkes had previously adopted three children -- yet cooked up all kinds of baseless accusations and preened in the spotlight, until they got bored and went away. But the Burkes didn't get bored -- they remain as they always were, loving parents to the boy, quietly, behind the scenes. You can never accuse Madonna of being quiet. But to damn her for outrageousness out of one corner of your mouth and then damn her for embracing motherhood out of the other is both hypocritical and wrong. Even stars get to have a private life, whether we like it or not. And nobody adopts a child as a PR gimmick, and accusing someone of doing so says more about the accuser than anyone else.

Comment by Amy on Madonna Rescues Malawian Child - Only 12 Million to Go

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 15:19:13 EDT

Dawn: How do you know nannies are raising Madonna's kids? Are you privy to her daily schedule and know for a fact that she never changes diapers or gets up in the night with her kids? Please. No one posting on this forum knows anything about Madonna's actual life. All any of us can do is speculate based on the info we get from the media. And I think we all know how reliable that is.