Filip Borev explains whe he chose Jupitar's comment about people's desire to remove children from Roma families
In this series Comment is free writers and editors want to highlight some of the best comments on the site. Each week, either an editor or the author of a recent piece will pick a comment that they think contributes to the debate. Hopefully it will give staff and readers an opportunity to see how thought-provoking such contributions can be and allow great posts the chance to be seen by a wider audience.
This week Filip Borev has chosen a comment by Jupitar on his article about the discrimination that Roma face:
Even though it turns out Maria is actually a Roma child, I see many people are still calling for her to be removed from the community and adopted into a "loving" family. Is this case ironically going to go from a supposedly white child being allegedly stolen by non-whites, to a child who despite physical appearance can no longer really be classified as white being permanently taken away by whites? As this case has highlighted, the latter is the only acceptable arrangement in society's eyes when it comes to interracial guardianship of other people's children.Filip explains why he chose this comment:
The only child abduction to take place in the past two weeks was the abduction of Maria by the Greek authorities and this is why I chose this comment. Maria's mother left her child, in the care of Christos Salis and Eleftheria Dimopoulou due to the rampant poverty that much of the Roma population faces. Given that no kidnap took place, the only crime committed was a failure to obtain the approved paperwork. We must ask, therefore, is this reason enough to prevent Maria returning to the only family, neighbourhood and culture she has known? Still absorbed by the colour of her skin, the authorities have clearly decided that denying Maria of her family and culture is the correct thing to do. A white Roma child has deeply upset notions of "whiteness" and it seems clear to me that they will do all in their power to make certain that every last drop of Romany is squeezed out of the girl. Her fate is either a lifetime of institutions, or adoption by a respectable white couple. Either way she has been snatched from a family who loved her, and of the culture that runs through her veins. So, who will save Maria from her real abductors?Jupitar tells us their reasons for commenting on the piece, and gives us a bit more information:
Have you commented on Comment is free before?
Yes.
For how long have you commented on Cif?
I registered about three years ago, but have only really been commenting over the past year.
How would you describe the community of commenters you find here?
Obviously there is always a variety of viewpoints expressed on any given topic as would be expected in any debate forum. There are a lot of commenters who come across as intelligent and well informed, and who seem able to think about the bigger picture. There are others whose opinions I personally find frustrating, where it seems they either can't, or won't think beyond their own narrow, rather close-minded worldview.
Why did you feel motivated to comment on this piece?
Probably primarily because I am mixed race and was adopted by a white family. I know that this racial arrangement, despite attempts in recent times to match adopteers and adoptees by race, is still ultimately seen as perfectly acceptable. A non-white child in the guardianship of whites does not arouse the kind of gut horror we have witnessed in the reactions over the past couple of weeks to the sight of a seemingly white child being brought up by non-whites. I am acutely aware of race issues and how prejudiced values tend to manifest themselves in what goes on in the world and people's reactions to it. With regard to this particular case, it was clear to me from the outset that much of the media coverage and public reaction was fuelled by racist beliefs.
In regards to your comment highlighted here, do you feel you changed the conversation or moved the debate on?
Probably not much, but I hope it might make at least some people question things a bit more.
Where are you in the world?
The UK.
• Let us know your thoughts on this exchange in the comments below, and tell us whether it has given you a new insight into the issue
Roma, Gypsies and TravellersGreeceEuropeChildrenAdoptionBella Mackietheguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds |
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