Adopter Savior Syndrome

optihyunsooklee:

This is the best blog post I’ve read in a really long time.  It’s found here.  Go read the rest of her blog, too, cuz it’s all just as good and snarky.

What is Adopter Savior Syndrome (A.S.S.)?  A.S.S. is a highly contagious and devastating disease that is estimated to be found in millions of White adoptive parents and White adoptive prospective parents around the constructed Western world. Adopter Savior Syndrome is not yet fully understood, though it is speculated to be a White disease that is particularly pervasive among desperate wives and cisgender men with Yellow Fever. Current trends suggest that heteronormative queer families may experience a severe A.S.S. outbreak unless these communities check themselves against such racist and classist interpretations of human rights. Ask your adult Adoptee about A.S.S. if you experience the urgent and persistent need to adopt in order to become a complete person. If you are a White adoptive parent who has engaged in the transnational adoption process in order to adopt an ethnic baby, you may suffer from a severe case of A.S.S.Symptoms of Adopter Savior Syndrome include:

• White Jesus told you to adopt. 
• You believe you saved an orphan. 
• You feel paranoid about reverse racism.  
• You have served as an expert on Adoptee issues. 
• You experience shock when adult Adoptees notice race.  
• You feel entitled to the Adoptee’s love, affection, and gratitude.
• You feel confused when people of color accuse you of being racist.  
• You have delusions of grandeur that you are the best parents for the Adoptee.
• You hallucinate consent when touching your adopted child in vulnerable moments. 
• You feel threatened when the Adoptee asks questions about their family and culture of origin.

• You are married.
• You are colorblind.   
• You believe in White Jesus.
• You believe that people are people.*
• You fantasize about intimate relationships with people of color.   
• You are desperate for love because of daddy issues and mean girls.
• Critical thinking scares you because you were taught to be positive.  
• You seek to own that which you desire, including children that already have families. 
• You envy communities of color and poor communities for their authentic and exotic culture. 
• You love ethnic food, hip hop music, and oriental decorations BUT people of color scare you.  

 *People are defined as White, able, hetero, gender-conforming, and middle to upper-class. If left untreated in White adoptive parents, Adopter Savior Syndrome may lead to the perpetration of abuse and neglect against the adopted person of color, in addition to collusion with a system of global White supremacy that is destroying us all.Too many children and adult Adoptees are victims of White adoptive parents suffering with Adopter Savior Syndrome. If you are struggling with an irritating and relentless case of A.S.S., please contact your local adult Adoptee organization