The Declassified Adoptee

Bears.  But not OUR bears. The other day I was at lunch with one of my favorite adoptee friends where we fell so easily into the rhythm of adoptee speak.  I cannot put into words the catharsis of getting to talk to another adopted woman where you have common ground, an understanding of each other's perceptions of adoption, and a mutual admiration where you know you will not be judged for voicing your experience.  There are no lengthy justifications for each story or opinion you share in these conversations, as an adoptee might find themselves having to do with someone who does not have this shared experience or one like it.  You simply talk; you cross over an incredible amount of information in a short period of time without ever finding it daunting.  I suspect no one at the surrounding tables or walking by would have any clue or be able to follow the conversation like we could.  You talk like two people who have known each other their entire lives.  It is simply amazing.  You

I have been becoming more and more concerned about a growing trend in U.S. society where how someone feels about someone else or something replaces all research, fact, and reason.  In fact, it almost appears as if people are encouraged and expected not to research, not to investigate, and not to question various topics at hand.  There are even political groups taking up gripes on college campuses claiming that teaching tolerance is an ideology and therefore, should not be a welcome part of college policy or curriculum.  Providing education about oppressed populations to reduce hatred is being called "indoctrination."  When did teaching students not to hate others, by providing them with facts and research that present accurate information and dispel stereotypes, become an ideology, belief system, or worse yet, a "cult?"  When did using knowledge, to solve problems that hurt people, become unwelcome in our schools?  There's an epidemic where factual informati