Comedian Danielle Broussard writes about Adoption in Joy Behar’s book “When You Need A Lift”
Headline:Â You Have A Loving Adopted Family,
Be Grateful And Don’t Ask Questions!!!
New York, New York: February,2008, Comedian, Danielle Broussard, writes in Joy Behar’s new book that after two years of declining health and no answers from doctors, she resorted to what would prove to be more painful than accepting the hand she’d been dealt; she decided to find her birthmother. Danielle’s search ended in denial. Her mother denied ever giving up a child. No one tells you that story. The shame of having a child out of wedlock is still with her.
Adoptees are told that their history doesn’t matter. You have a loving adopted family; be grateful and don’t ask questions. But what happens when you get sick? Is it right to give adoptees no knowledge of their medical history?
In the 60s they placed children with adoptive parents with similar backgrounds. This was done with the intent of easily blending. The goal being adoptees “passing†as “your own.â€Â Today adoption has gone global to poorer nations, thus making the goal of blending all but impossible. In a world that struggles to prove itself politically correct and accepting of all races, why is the American media more obsessed when celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt produce their own genetically perfect child than when they adopt a brown one? Adopting poor foreign children is considered saintly. Why would you burden yourself with other people’s discarded children when you can have your own? When Jolie goes to an orphanage we admire her big heart to acknowledge the unwanted, but when she gets pregnant, America applauds her finally doing it the right way. We can’t wait for new pictures of the homegrown white baby. The “real†one. We collectively wonder if she loves the biological child more. What does this do to the psyche of the adopted child? What happens when the child realizes that in order to be adopted, he/she first had to be abandoned? The orphan’s fantasy of the mother loving you so much she wanted a better life for you, eventually grows thin. It is natural to want answers. Despite severed roots and massive upheaval we expect abandoned children to adjust to our lives. Ours is better. It’s a privilege to even be offered it. Orphans must immediately assimilate, yet you can’t adopt a kitten younger than nine weeks because it will not survive the trauma of being taken from it’s mother.
Severe Challenges Facing Adoptees:
1.What are the long term effects of being separated from your mother at birth?
2. Why do we expect children to overcome this kind of wholesale rejection? .
3. With the dawn of the information age, it will be harder for birthparents to maintain anonymity. What will be the implications of this?
4. What has become of the legacy of all the American adoptees before abortion?
5. What happens to those whose very existance was cloaked in shame, secrets and lies as they age and have children of their own?
Danielle was a semi-finalist on “Last Comic Standing†and Joy was one of the judges. They hit it off and low and behold Danielle was asked by Joy to write a chapter in her book “When You Need A Lift.â€Â Danielle also appears with her husband, after every episode of the new and exciting hit series on HBO, “Tell Me You Love Me.â€Â You can see her on www.daniellebroussard.com and also on www.HBO.com.
Danielle continues to entertain the troops through Armed Forces Entertainment. Her tours have included both Europe and the Caribbean, including Honduras, Ecuador, Guantanamo Bay, and The Bahamas. You can find more information at www.armedforcesentertainment.com.
She’s been a stand-up comic for over l0 years. Is a regular at The Comic Strip Live and The Comedy Cellar in New York City, and also has appeared on Late Night With Conan O’Brien. She has recently provided comedy commentary for various television shows on VH1.
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 30th, 2008 at 3:39 am and is filed under Clients, Friends and Colleagues, Industry News, Press Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
November 10th, 2017 at 2:03 pm
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Comedian Danielle Broussard writes about Adoption in Joy Behar