Yesterday was the birthday of The Greatest. No other title or additional words need to be said to describe him. I have no doubt that he is the most famous and loved athlete in the world in the last century, at the least. He has conversed and humbled royalty, while being humble himself. Well at least when he wasn’t at work.
Have you guessed whom I’m speaking of? It’s Mr. Muhammad Ali. He turned 65. Like many of my generation, and those before us, the name conjures an image of a powerful, healthy Black man who’s strength of will seemed to be matched only by the speed of his mind and the abilities he displayed in the boxing ring. Many focus on his boxing abilities, which are no small thing, but it’s only one aspect of the man. His efforts to release the hostages in Iran, his humanitarian work that continues today, the worldwide respect for his actions cannot be limited to so small a space as a ring. Parkinson’s disease and many incredible battles have taken their toll on his body, but friends and family state his mind has never dulled. They say he is happy and enjoying life. I hope that is true. Because The Greatest deserves no less.
In thoughts of another man I respect I want to mention Mr. Paul Sorvino. In news that I have not seen catch any attention, Mr. Sorvino pulled a gun on a man. Well I don’t know if I’d call the other guy a man. Let me explain. The ex-boyfriend of one of Mr. Sorvino’s daughters was threatening to kill her and break into a hotel room she was staying at. Ms. Amanda Sorvino called the police and her father. Mr. Sorvino arrived and he had a gun. No one was shot, no charges against Mr. Sorvino were made. And that’s how it should be. I commend Mr. Sorvino for protecting his child and standing up to a man that also threatened to kill him, allegedly.
That is what fathers should do. That is what a man should do. Especially as opposed to the cowardly and ill-formed actions of this other guy, whom I won’t even bother to mention. This wasn’t some kind of attempt to show off, or draw publicity. It wasn’t some kind of misplaced bravado or self-aggrandizement. The gun wasn’t some accessory or fashion statement. There’s more to being a man than being a ‘baby-daddy’. This might not have been the best example, and it wasn’t intended to be one. Yes it’s an example all the same. And there’s more than a few young boys that need to learn.
As for the next item, I have mixed feelings. While I am glad that the Malawi boy adopted by Madonna will have a great life, I don’t like how and potentially why she adopted him. I don’t like the apparently growing trend of entertainers and celebrities adopting children from 3rd world nations (especially African ones) because of the ease or lack of laws in the process. I’m glad those individual children will live better, though thousands, perhaps millions, of others will not. I’m disturbed that Madonna would suggest anyone should adopt a child on the basis of ease, like it’s online shopping or Ebay. The fact that millions of children in the U.S. could go on without a family due to Madonna suggesting people should go for ease over anything else is troubling.
It further makes me wonder about her motivation. And one has to question the intent. Is Madonna saying that this same child wasn’t worth a bit of extra effort if he had lived in America or another African nation that had formal laws on adoption? Did she make the donation just to ensure the, relative, ease of the process she went through [which I commented on, in a post previously, violates established laws]. Does the process that Madonna has brought to light mean that anyone with enough money deserves to get a child, quickly without any real checks to see if they are mentally stable or a pedophile? And why is Madonna talking and promoting the ease of the process in adopting the boy, instead of about the boy himself? [I didn’t see the David Letterman show she was on so I don’t know if she did]
I don’t know, but this whole event has made me feel unsettled.
This is what I think, what do you think?
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