No News Is Good News: Thoughts and Opinions.

After discussing my intended article study with others around me, I have generated a series of thoughts and opinions on the matter from a series of people, which I have recorded here:

Opinions directly linked and related to the James Caan article:

• "Although £742 is no price at all to pay for a baby, 100,000 rupees is probably a lot of money to a poverty stricken family. He probably felt his actions would be giving the baby a better quality of life, so both sides of the story are valid points, and I can see how his actions are spawned from love."- Marsha, Criminology Student at Leeds Met. University
• "I think human nature is not so clear cut as we would sometimes like to believe. We are all going to make mistakes, big mistakes like the one James Caan made. And it sometimes happens just after people have told us how good we are. I think it was nice in a way that he has emotions deep enough to want to change a situation. We are very often controlled by our emotions which then trigger thoughts inside our head. It's not always the case that we can control our thoughts. Emotions can sway us into acting. We need them so that we can have good relationships with our families and friends."- David Keel, Photographer.
• "I had a problem with this headline for a few reasons (obviously). First of all, £700 odd, or whatever the figure was is a ridiculously low sum of money for a human life. If he genuinely thought that he would be helping the family financially then surely the cost would have been higher than this. I however do not believe that any sum of money would be acceptable. Even though Caan claims that he was overcome with emotion and that his offer was in the heath of the moment it does not excuse his actions. Just because people are poor and suffering severe poverty does not mean that they are not capable of love and does not mean that they would be so desperate as to sell their child. The family would have been through enough with the devestation of the floods without having their daughter taken from them from a rich foreigner. Their integrity and emotions towards their daughter have been insulted. Something is wrong with our culture when wealthy westerners feel that they can monopolise power elsewhere in the world. Money cannot buy you everything."- Amelia, studying English Literature at Exeter University.
• "Being as he is a multi-millioniare you would think that he would offer more than £742- that's probably the allowance he gives himself for a bottle of wine in the evening!"- Dan, fashion student.
• "I think that it's about the intention behind it! If it's to give a baby a better life because you're a caring parent then yes...But you can't argue that it's to help the man because you could give him the money so that he can look after his baby and not have to sell it!"- Becky, studying English Literature at Edingburugh University.
• "I think it's okay as long as it's done through love and not fashion"- Virginia, tattoo and piercing specialist.
• "I think it's so morally wrong, there are so, so many children that are orphans or are in care homes that need people to look after them, yet celebrities seem to think that it is fine for them to buy children away from their parents! If someone wanted to buy a child from this country there would be absolute horror , yet as they're from an LEDC, it's seen as acceptable! To be honest I think it's complete madness!"- Sacha, currently at sixth form, specialising in art.
• "I think it's interesting to say that when I was in Malawi they would laugh at the Madonna situation and joke that we white folk would take their children too. Although they could have a "better" life in the UK or America they would miss out so much of Malawian culture and people. We can learn so much from their way of life, their kind, considerate nature and their family values. Children are children and should not be bought. As for buying a child that still has parents, I think this is completely wrong. Obviously there are other areas such as how well that child is being treated, however, all in all, if that child is loved and being cared for, no-one should be able to take that child away, £742 or not."- Harriet, aspiring teacher, Drama student at Birmingham University.
• "I wonder what that child will think when she grows up in poverty and gets told that she missed out on a multi-millionaire lifestyle because of Western sensibilities about blood ties. It's not as if that child was going to grow up in a different culture, or with white parents, or anywhere where they would stand out as 'different'. That baby would have grown up in a loving household with all the benefits that money can buy, that her birth parents would never be able to provide. Just who are all these people who condemn either the parents who want the best for their baby, or the person who desperately wants a child to love and has the means at their disposal to do it? Sometimes I think we in the West have got things severely backwards, whatever happened to looking at the best interests of the child? Before people here condemn anyone else for trying to help, I think we should look at our own child services. Can anyone really look at our politically correct system, with all the children in 'care' suffering enormous deprivation and instability, and say we've got it even close to right?"- Sunday1Morning, commented on article via 'The Independent' website  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/dragons-den-judge-apologises-for-offer-to-buy-pakistani-baby-2114226.html
• "I think that it's good that he's offered the money because the family obviously need help but I have a poor view of celebrity adoption because the child will be better off with a normal family and out of the 'fame and fortune' spotlight."- Kirsty, studying BA (Hons) Graphic Design at LCA.
• "Mr Caan only tried to adopt a little baby for his brother. It is legal and offers more protection and better life to a little soul, who may not even survive the cold winter in an open tent. money is secondary as it is only to help the poor sufferers of a small village."- Amer, Kettering, UK (sourced from 'Daily Mail' article site: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1322726/James-Caan-regrets-offering-buy-baby-girl-Pakistan-village.html
• "I do feel compassion for Mr. Caan's actions as he felt he could help the baby and his intentions were in the right place, despite the way he went about it. I don't think the amount of money he offered is an issue (human life being offered for so little) as it would have been made in the heat of the moment. I doubt he thought about it, and it was just the first amount that he thought of."-Brad, Graphic Design student, Leeds.
• "I think what James Caan did may have been amoral in some people's eyes, but I think to offer your child a better life is unselfish and in that situation it's the best thing the father could have done."- Luis, studying BA (Hons) Graphic Design at LCA.

Opinions related to adoption from a wider view

The three questions I asked were:

• Have you had any experiences related to adoption? Personally, through a friend, family memvber etc?
• Should adoption be a viable option for everyone? Despite financial circumstances, marital status, sexual orientation, etc?
• Do you support the culture of "celebrity adoption", in cases such as Angelina Jolie and Madonna, etc? Discuss.

I asked my three questions related to adoption for a larger overview on the matter to a selection of people, and these are the thoughts and opinions I obtained:

• "Adoption should be available to anyone capable of raising a child well; a stable environment should be sought after. So financial circumstances would be restrictive, as if someone earns £5 a month they can't really raise a child. Sexual orientation and marital status shouldn't matter."- Ben, studying journalism at UCLAN.
• "I think adoption should be available to everyone that can prove that they want the child for the right reasons, and are capable of looking after it. Right reasons being to want to look after, make happy, or do something good with their life. Not to have an extension of the parent's self. So regardless of being criminal, gay, whatever..."

"Why would a child want that sort of lifestyle forced upon them? Always going to be "Madonna's adopted child" or "Jolie's adopted child"."- Tom, animation student at Hereford Uni.

• "My boss adopted both his children. They're quite well balanced, and they were both told since they were tine that they were adopted. Neither of them have wanted to look for their biological parents (same mum, different dads), because they don't know who their dads are, and their mum was a violent alcoholic. When Natalie was adopted she was about two, but had to spend nearly six months in hospital because of the things her mum had done to her."

"I think you should have the financial capabilities in order to support a child, and there should be two parents around. Ideally a mother, and a father. When I did psychology, studies had shown that a child needs a mother and father in their lives as it makes it easier for them to cope in certain situations later in life. Personally, I don't think single parents and same sex couples should be allowed to adopt. I haven't got anything against homosexuality, I just think that they need to consider how the child will be treated by their peers and the rest of the world, as well as how they will cope, and not have a child out of selfishness."

"I think that if they can offer a child a home, then there is no reason that they should do it. I just can't help but wonder if they only do it to make themselves look better in the public eye. I think mixing your own biological children with adopted children isn't something to take lightly, for example, the way that Madonna and Angelina Jolie seemed to rush into it. It's not something you can take back and there's always the chance that one of them will feel left out and isolated by it."- Megan, studying Advertising Design at Newport Uni.

• "I know a lot of children that have been adopted through my school/college. They're amazing kids and the stereotype that "no one wants them" is utter rubbish.

"Adoption should not be an option to parents if they are unstable, mentally or physically. These children are not there to fix their problems or take care of them. They need stability and someone who they can rely on who won't give up. Otherwise, yes, anyone should adopt, it's a lovely thing to do if you're dedicated but it's not all hugs and kisses. Alot of children get put into care before adoption and there is always a reason behing it, and can make things harder for everyone. The parent needs to be understanding and aware of possible past issues and history."- Rebecca, student.

• "I was in care for eight years, and I am adopted. If i wern't, I wouldn't be at Uni now."- Ryan, studying a degree in criminology and psychology.

I'm really pleased with the range of opinions and thoughts I have gathered towards my research. The article is so emotive and controversial, I was really hoping to draw as such a diverse range as I have.

If I could do anything differently, given more time, I would like to try and obtain a wider range of views, surveying people's opinions taking their age, gender, nationality and proffesion more into account that I feel that I perhaps have done.