RUN-DMC: Why I Wasn't a Jack-in-the-Box!
On April 25, 2009, the fourth day, of the five-day, 30th Annual American Adoption Congress' National Adoption Conference which I attended in the Midwest (People came from all over, the Netherlands, Canada . . . .), it was time for the Saturday night extravaganza, the reward after days of grueling yet gratifying therapeutic sessions visited by individuals of all ages and walks of life - adoptees, adoptive parents, mental health professionals, extended family members, significant others, members of the media, outstanding filmmakers, attorneys, physicians, authors . . . and, last but not least, mothers and fathers who have lost children to adoption.
The guerdon (Is that something you wear when you're having sex?) began with an adroit group of foster children who danced, in unison, and separately, and chanted a rhyme that went something like this, "... O.J. was found guilty because the jury didn't like him . . . ." They would soon be joined on stage by Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, a founding member of the hip-hop group, RUN-DMC, an Emmy award winning producer of the documentary DMC: My Adoption Journey, a 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and an advocate for adoptees and youth in foster care.
Somewhat stunned, I didn't hear any of the words before or after that phraseology as the predominantly Caucasian, deferring, audience, filled with the unconscious guilt for enslaving the Black man coupled with a perceived and stereotypical lack of natural rhythm along with the unconscious, Puritanical, remnants girdling Caucasian sexuality, gave the children a standing ovation! I didn't stand up! I've witnessed this flagrant attempt to compensate for slavery . . . more often than I care to count.
This "damaged" (primarily by adoption) assembly gave a standing ovation to a group of indoctrinated children whose hero is a former African-American football player who systematically emotionally, and physically, battered (There were pictures!), terrorized, and humiliated his Caucasian wife and the mother of his children, Nicole Brown Simpson, more than likely before they married, and without fail throughout their marriage, and was ultimately found guilty of murdering her and her friend, a nice Jewish boy, Ron Goldman. The divorced, or separated, O.J. Simpson committed the ultimate act of domestic violence, the ultimate act of violence against a woman, and her friend. The hero in the lyrics romanticized by these children was found guilty of nearly decapitating his beautiful, young, wife and savagely murdering her handsome, young, acquaintence.
(To those of you who think O.J. Simpson was wrongly convicted of murder, you must admit that he is guilty of the continual emotional and physical assault of his wife; you cannot argue with the horrendous pictures of a battered Nicole. Or, have you diluted, and deluded, yourself into thinking that she walked into a door? Do you tell your children that she ran into a door? Or, fell down the stairs? You who think O.J. is not guilty of murder must, at the very least, concede that you are teaching your children to revere a criminal - a batterer of women!)
Typically, I notice that your average people are so into themselves that they're oblivious to their surroundings; for example, I can almost guarantee that these attendees didn't even "hear" the racist poetry.
As I sat sunken in the sea of upright, raucous, individuals each time they arose in all too frequent standing ovations; in my mind, I assiduously worked through what I had just witnessed and I compared it to my blog dated April 22, 2009, entitled, "Leaders Walk Out on Speaker!" (I notice that I always want to understand, to almost a fault.) I sat in the assemblage at the Hilton Garden Inn but my mind was really at the summit of world leaders where a number of them had walked out on a speaker blasting insults at Israel a couple of weeks ago. I recalled the words of my blog about being torn; I thought perhaps these leaders should not have walked out. What is accomplished by walking out? I analogized the two: the leaders walking out of the summit of hurling insults and this audience walking out on DMC and the provoking lyrics of the children.
As did the summit leaders, we, too, could have walked out but I finally, before the next act, reconciled within myself that I must overlook this "minor" infraction of inflaming rhetoric for the greater good. In other words, Darryl McDaniels who didn't find out until he reached 35 years of age that he was adopted at the age of five, and has been an advocate for adoptees ever since, can do more for the greater good. Eventually, I reconciled within myself that DMC and his celebrity could do more for the adoption reform movement and its attempt to obliterate the laws which discriminate against adopted individuals by withholding their original adoption records, their personal beginnings, their birth certificates, from them, while the rest of America (and pretty much the world) takes these valuable documents for granted. American adopted persons are kept forever children and Mr. McDaniels can draw more attention to the need for openness and honesty in adoption practices than most anyone else; he could call President Obama and speak with him directly! The President is unusually open to input from American citizenry.
These indoctrinated children aren't old enough or savvy enough to remember the horrifying pictures of the battered wife of the star athlete; these children aren't old enough to remember the grisly murders. Who would expose their children to such repugnance? Who would feed children such criminal fodder? Is it part of a grade school curriculum? I may not have walked out on the summit of world leaders and did not walk out on the disturbing lyrics of these children, but I certainly would not give continuous standing ovations, either. Nor will I forget. My antennae are up!
I noted these all too frequent standing ovations because I've never witnessed this phenomenon before. Each time, it appeared like the gathering stood up first, then began applauding. Is this a newer, improved, version of standing ovations? I find this behavior analogous to our children on the basketball court all receiving trophies at the end of a game, winners and losers. Everybody gets a trophy and everybody gets a standing ovation. I mean most of this assembly stood up for every thing. Perhaps, I'm out of touch?
After DMC's generous and inspiring account of his life, the British singer, song-writer, who was adopted at birth, Zara Phillips, graced the stage - DMC would join her in song after she began with an unrivaled and reinforcing compliment to the children that went something like this, "...You were terrific! Weren't they sensational!?" Another standing ovation!
The well-known musicians, DMC and Zara Phillips, debuted the song they wrote and recorded about the need for adoptees to have access to their original birth certificates and, of course, they received a standing ovation. (They, perhaps, were the only ones who deserved one.) Called, I'm Legit, their song combines McDaniels' rap with Phillips' rock. All proceeds from the sale of the CDs go to the American Adoption Congress, the umbrella group that hovers over adoption search and support groups nationwide promoting openness and honesty in adoption through education and legislative reform.
The newspaper reporter received an award - a standing ovation! More commendations were given - more standing ovations! A tribute was bestowed, another standing ovation! The scenario would have been comedical if it wasn't somewhat unnerving! Believe me, it would have been great fodder for Saturday Night Live. I furtively hoped that O.J. Simpson wouldn't get a standing ovation; but, I guess that he did. Didn't he?
Still baffled the following morning, I thought, "Perhaps I've taken those piercing words out of context? Perhaps, I have misunderstood?"
Casually, I asked an attendee if the rhymes seemed odd to her, and she replied, ". . . I viewed them as a prelude . . . the children were saying that O.J. Simpson was discriminated against like adopted people are discriminated against . . . ." Whaaat!?
"You equate the O.J. Simpson murders with foster care? Are foster children discriminated against? How was O.J. Simpson discriminated against when he methodically battered Nicole Brown Simpson? Why are young foster children ruminating over a convicted murderer!? A batterer of women!? Shouldn't they be dancing to something more positive?"
The next morning, I was late. I rushed off to, and sat in the front row of, another palaver facilitated by DMC and found him to be sweet, charming, and lovable, as I found him the previous evening on stage, like President Obama is sweet and charming. DMC is in good company!
The one regret I have is not asking Darryl McDaniels if he'd have preferred knowing his whole life that he had been adopted. His adoptive parents said they didn't tell him because they wanted him to feel like part of the family. He has a website. Perhaps I can pose the question to him through it?
There were a couple of other encounters that I didn't like about the conference, but nothing in life is perfect. Overall, I would say it was exciting, healing, and informative - it did what it was meant to do - excite, heal, and inform! The staff of the beautiful seven year-old Hilton Garden Inn was extremely accommodating, including the numerous, and remarkably friendly, and patient, parking lot attendants - male and female, young and older - who populated their cubbyhole twenty-four hours a day. The other amenities were plentiful - access to yoga every morning, the weight training room, the swimming pool, the restaurant, the computer room . . . . Public televisions were strewn throughout the lobby and other communal areas, the Inn's taxi service was limousines of sundry colors....
The Conference was an extreme success!!!
Expect Miracles!
The guerdon (Is that something you wear when you're having sex?) began with an adroit group of foster children who danced, in unison, and separately, and chanted a rhyme that went something like this, "... O.J. was found guilty because the jury didn't like him . . . ." They would soon be joined on stage by Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, a founding member of the hip-hop group, RUN-DMC, an Emmy award winning producer of the documentary DMC: My Adoption Journey, a 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and an advocate for adoptees and youth in foster care.
Somewhat stunned, I didn't hear any of the words before or after that phraseology as the predominantly Caucasian, deferring, audience, filled with the unconscious guilt for enslaving the Black man coupled with a perceived and stereotypical lack of natural rhythm along with the unconscious, Puritanical, remnants girdling Caucasian sexuality, gave the children a standing ovation! I didn't stand up! I've witnessed this flagrant attempt to compensate for slavery . . . more often than I care to count.
This "damaged" (primarily by adoption) assembly gave a standing ovation to a group of indoctrinated children whose hero is a former African-American football player who systematically emotionally, and physically, battered (There were pictures!), terrorized, and humiliated his Caucasian wife and the mother of his children, Nicole Brown Simpson, more than likely before they married, and without fail throughout their marriage, and was ultimately found guilty of murdering her and her friend, a nice Jewish boy, Ron Goldman. The divorced, or separated, O.J. Simpson committed the ultimate act of domestic violence, the ultimate act of violence against a woman, and her friend. The hero in the lyrics romanticized by these children was found guilty of nearly decapitating his beautiful, young, wife and savagely murdering her handsome, young, acquaintence.
(To those of you who think O.J. Simpson was wrongly convicted of murder, you must admit that he is guilty of the continual emotional and physical assault of his wife; you cannot argue with the horrendous pictures of a battered Nicole. Or, have you diluted, and deluded, yourself into thinking that she walked into a door? Do you tell your children that she ran into a door? Or, fell down the stairs? You who think O.J. is not guilty of murder must, at the very least, concede that you are teaching your children to revere a criminal - a batterer of women!)
Typically, I notice that your average people are so into themselves that they're oblivious to their surroundings; for example, I can almost guarantee that these attendees didn't even "hear" the racist poetry.
As I sat sunken in the sea of upright, raucous, individuals each time they arose in all too frequent standing ovations; in my mind, I assiduously worked through what I had just witnessed and I compared it to my blog dated April 22, 2009, entitled, "Leaders Walk Out on Speaker!" (I notice that I always want to understand, to almost a fault.) I sat in the assemblage at the Hilton Garden Inn but my mind was really at the summit of world leaders where a number of them had walked out on a speaker blasting insults at Israel a couple of weeks ago. I recalled the words of my blog about being torn; I thought perhaps these leaders should not have walked out. What is accomplished by walking out? I analogized the two: the leaders walking out of the summit of hurling insults and this audience walking out on DMC and the provoking lyrics of the children.
As did the summit leaders, we, too, could have walked out but I finally, before the next act, reconciled within myself that I must overlook this "minor" infraction of inflaming rhetoric for the greater good. In other words, Darryl McDaniels who didn't find out until he reached 35 years of age that he was adopted at the age of five, and has been an advocate for adoptees ever since, can do more for the greater good. Eventually, I reconciled within myself that DMC and his celebrity could do more for the adoption reform movement and its attempt to obliterate the laws which discriminate against adopted individuals by withholding their original adoption records, their personal beginnings, their birth certificates, from them, while the rest of America (and pretty much the world) takes these valuable documents for granted. American adopted persons are kept forever children and Mr. McDaniels can draw more attention to the need for openness and honesty in adoption practices than most anyone else; he could call President Obama and speak with him directly! The President is unusually open to input from American citizenry.
These indoctrinated children aren't old enough or savvy enough to remember the horrifying pictures of the battered wife of the star athlete; these children aren't old enough to remember the grisly murders. Who would expose their children to such repugnance? Who would feed children such criminal fodder? Is it part of a grade school curriculum? I may not have walked out on the summit of world leaders and did not walk out on the disturbing lyrics of these children, but I certainly would not give continuous standing ovations, either. Nor will I forget. My antennae are up!
I noted these all too frequent standing ovations because I've never witnessed this phenomenon before. Each time, it appeared like the gathering stood up first, then began applauding. Is this a newer, improved, version of standing ovations? I find this behavior analogous to our children on the basketball court all receiving trophies at the end of a game, winners and losers. Everybody gets a trophy and everybody gets a standing ovation. I mean most of this assembly stood up for every thing. Perhaps, I'm out of touch?
After DMC's generous and inspiring account of his life, the British singer, song-writer, who was adopted at birth, Zara Phillips, graced the stage - DMC would join her in song after she began with an unrivaled and reinforcing compliment to the children that went something like this, "...You were terrific! Weren't they sensational!?" Another standing ovation!
The well-known musicians, DMC and Zara Phillips, debuted the song they wrote and recorded about the need for adoptees to have access to their original birth certificates and, of course, they received a standing ovation. (They, perhaps, were the only ones who deserved one.) Called, I'm Legit, their song combines McDaniels' rap with Phillips' rock. All proceeds from the sale of the CDs go to the American Adoption Congress, the umbrella group that hovers over adoption search and support groups nationwide promoting openness and honesty in adoption through education and legislative reform.
The newspaper reporter received an award - a standing ovation! More commendations were given - more standing ovations! A tribute was bestowed, another standing ovation! The scenario would have been comedical if it wasn't somewhat unnerving! Believe me, it would have been great fodder for Saturday Night Live. I furtively hoped that O.J. Simpson wouldn't get a standing ovation; but, I guess that he did. Didn't he?
Still baffled the following morning, I thought, "Perhaps I've taken those piercing words out of context? Perhaps, I have misunderstood?"
Casually, I asked an attendee if the rhymes seemed odd to her, and she replied, ". . . I viewed them as a prelude . . . the children were saying that O.J. Simpson was discriminated against like adopted people are discriminated against . . . ." Whaaat!?
"You equate the O.J. Simpson murders with foster care? Are foster children discriminated against? How was O.J. Simpson discriminated against when he methodically battered Nicole Brown Simpson? Why are young foster children ruminating over a convicted murderer!? A batterer of women!? Shouldn't they be dancing to something more positive?"
The next morning, I was late. I rushed off to, and sat in the front row of, another palaver facilitated by DMC and found him to be sweet, charming, and lovable, as I found him the previous evening on stage, like President Obama is sweet and charming. DMC is in good company!
The one regret I have is not asking Darryl McDaniels if he'd have preferred knowing his whole life that he had been adopted. His adoptive parents said they didn't tell him because they wanted him to feel like part of the family. He has a website. Perhaps I can pose the question to him through it?
There were a couple of other encounters that I didn't like about the conference, but nothing in life is perfect. Overall, I would say it was exciting, healing, and informative - it did what it was meant to do - excite, heal, and inform! The staff of the beautiful seven year-old Hilton Garden Inn was extremely accommodating, including the numerous, and remarkably friendly, and patient, parking lot attendants - male and female, young and older - who populated their cubbyhole twenty-four hours a day. The other amenities were plentiful - access to yoga every morning, the weight training room, the swimming pool, the restaurant, the computer room . . . . Public televisions were strewn throughout the lobby and other communal areas, the Inn's taxi service was limousines of sundry colors....
The Conference was an extreme success!!!
Expect Miracles!
Posted by Caleigh Brooks at 4/27/2009 7:34 PM 
Categories: Celebrity and Adoption
Tags: netherlands hilton garden inn saturday night live zara phillips adoption conference dmc rap canada ron goldman oj simpson nicole brown run-dmc rock football darryl mcdaniels i'm legit nicole brown simpson domestic violenc american adoption congress african american rock and roll hall of fame adoption
Categories: Celebrity and Adoption
Tags: netherlands hilton garden inn saturday night live zara phillips adoption conference dmc rap canada ron goldman oj simpson nicole brown run-dmc rock football darryl mcdaniels i'm legit nicole brown simpson domestic violenc american adoption congress african american rock and roll hall of fame adoption
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