There is an interesting discussion happening over at Racialicious. Writer Rebecca Walker has an interview in the most recent issue of Bitch magazine and is quoted as saying,
One of the writers [whose piece] didn’t make it into One Big Happy Family wrote about how the process of adopting a child from another country made her more aware of human trafficking. Ultimately, she had to question whether her child had been put up for adoption or was stolen. If we look at plunging fertility in developed nations and raging underdevelopment and poverty in others, we can see how children can become the ultimate product.
Many people don’t realize that there are more human beings in slavery today than ever before. The discussion of transracial adoptees should be part of a growing awareness about the modern slave trade, but I think the glamourization of them in popular culture often does not lend itself to a deeper dialogue.
The comments there are interesting because other than a few familiar names there (atlasien always represents!), most of the commenters do not have a personal connection to adoption. There is, however, a large diverse readership and those comments are interesting because they add to the typical kind of comments I would see in other forums where the white narrative dominates.
Harlow's Monkey 
People LOVE to minimalise things. (sp?)
Thank you for the reminder to keep up with Racialicious, I have to admit that although I read occasionally, I don’t keep up as I should. Thanks in particular for the link to this discussion.
I actually don’t read racilious that often, which is bad, so I am curious to see what is being said. Or it might just make me angry.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/33117703/ns/today-parenting_and_family?gt1=43001
Also thought I would give you a heads up to this link. I saw this and my jaw sort of dropped. Thought you would be interested, if you haven’t already seen it.
Circling back to say that that IS a good discussion over there.
I was thinking about what you say here about so many of the people not having a connection to adoption. I’d like to see more transracial and transnational adoptees and adoptive parents of color adding their thoughts, but I think we white APs would do better to read and learn 🙂
You are right about Atlasien – she is terrific on issues like this. I’m happy to let her represent me!
Margie, I disagree on “white APs.” Somewhere, everyone needs to be a part of the discussion.
Even if someone that resists understanding different points of view says something to that effect, at least there are there hearing and reading those points of view. That can make a difference.
There are a lot of decision points in the adoption process and a lot of people involved. That some of those people get stuck in their rationalizations may mean that the truth is just very hard to accept.
And if you consider the sort of commitment that an AP makes, it isn’t hard to understand why they end up stuck. The way I see it, everyone ends up stuck. And everyone ends up hurt.
But if there is a path to redemption I am going to find it if I can. And hopefully the same for my sons and their family back home.