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Discussion topic
Has anyone read or heard about this yet?
Interested to hear what your thoughts are and what your take on it is.
I read through some of the comments at the bottom of the article and I got so frustrated. I don't think Huckabee was attacking Portman - simply using her as an example. I totally think that being a single mom (especially teen moms) is a problem that is becoming more and more prevalent. So many Americans use the opinions/actions/etc. of celebrities as a way to justify their actions ("well if Natalie Portman can do it, so can I!") - and I think that's the point that Huckabee was trying to make.
I don't know....I don't even know if I communicated my point effectively! Anyway - let's hear your opinions! I'm all for having a little friendly discussion/debate today!
Re: Discussion topic
Well, I can't get to the article (i think my company blocks that site), but i can surmise what they are commenting on.
Honestly, I don't really have a problem with ADULTS having children out of wedlock if they are mentally and finanically ready to carry that burden. I don't think its so bad and not everybody finds that perfect someone, or they may just want to be parents and not be married.
I DO have a HUGE problem with teenagers justifying their stupid actions (meaning those that CHOOSE to have kids as teens in high school rather than those that just make mistakes) by using people like Natalie Portman as an example. It's comparing apples and oranges...a mature adult vs a child having a baby is totally different.
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Ok, so you pretty much said everything I was thinking...but in a much better way than I did! So ya, I totally agree with all of this.
I
agreed. natalie portman is a very successful woman who is MORE than well-educated seeing as she graduated from harvard. using her as an example was an idiotic choice. she's also engaged. and sure, that's still "out of wed-lock" but come on. he put his focus on the wroooong girl here.
jacqui + erik 7.10.10
**Planning Bio**
And Natalie Portman, according to wikipedia said "I don't care if [college] ruins my career," she told the New York Post, according to a Fox News article. "I'd rather be smart than a movie star."[24][25]
He totally used the wrong girl as an example - but I still think the point he was trying to make (Natalie Portman aside) is totally valid.
but, the whole thing is ABOUT natalie portman. he doesn't bring up any other examples.
here is the article (my commentary is in bold):
"People see a Natalie Portman who boasts, 'We're not married but we're having these children and they're doing just fine," Huckabee told radio host Michael Medved on his show Monday. "I think it gives a distorted image. It's unfortunate that we glorify and glamorize the idea of out-of- wedlock children."she is a 29 year old successful and smart woman who is engaged. i dont think anyone is glorifying or glamorizing the fact that she is pregnant. sure, the media talks about her being pregnant, but that's because she is a HUGE star in the spotlight right now, and her bring pregnant is another thing to chat about. she is engaged and will soon be married. Calling Portman's pregnancy "troubling," Huckabee went on to say that many single parents don't have the resources to hire help, the way someone like the Black Swan star would."Most single moms are very poor, uneducated, can't get a job, and if it weren't for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death and never have healthcare," he said. "And that's the story that we're not seeing."to generalize and say that most single moms are very poor, and uneducated is a strong and (i think) insulting assumption. if he is trying to say that the majority of people who are having kids out of wedlock look at natalie portman and think, "oh! i can do that too!" is ridiculous. now, with the show "teen mom" i would be COMPLETELY agreeing with him. i think those shows on MTV are a TERRIBLE idea because they DO glamorize babies. sure they show SOME tough parts, but overall, they are showing how "everything is fine...and what a cute baby!" but again, he chose natalie portman, who graduated from harvard and is 29 years old, and completely capable/able of having a baby. In her acceptance speech Sunday night, Portman thanked Millepied, saying he gave her "the most important role" in her life.Medved quipped back that Millepied "didn't give her the most wonderful gift, which would be a wedding ring!"
...wait a few more months??? she's going to get that wedding ring! she's in a stable relationship! they are engaged, things happen. is he suggesting they get married like right now? while she is still pregnant? what will that do?
again, this whole article would have been a lot smarter/more people would be agreeing with him had he chosen the teen mom shows instead. singling out natalie portman makes no sense, and he should have been smarter in his choice because his point that he was trying to make just gets lost if he can't even choose the right person/thing to use in an argument.
just my opinion of course!
jacqui + erik 7.10.10
**Planning Bio**
I agree with the majority that this is like comparing apples to oranges.
If he is trying to say that having a baby out-of-wedlock is wrong?
Or is he saying that having a baby when your not prepared is wrong? Because married does not = prepared.
I think the whole idea about being married before having children is absolutely ridiculous and as long as both parents are mature and ready (prepared) it is absolutely no ones business wether they choose to marry or not.
In this day, there are not a ton of single moms because simply they are having babies as teenagers, but also because of the high divorce rate. I became a single mom, when I divorced at the age of 26. I worked as a waitress at PizzaHut, and provided for me and my children just fine. We didn't have a lot, but we had our basics needs met. Today people feel like they need a huge house, tones of food to waste, and multiple luxuries to be considered non-poverty. I don't agree.
We have more now than when our parents were our age, until I was 9 we (family of 5) lived in a 3 bedroom one story house. no running water, outdoor washroom. (I am 36).
My parents just simply could not afford it, were our basic needs met? Of course, and my parents were married. Does this mean they weren't prepared? maybe not, they were young(in teens) when they started a family, as so many in the 50's. But, like I said our basic needs were met.
Where were the politicians then? Not, making such bold public statements about the age of our parents.
I think the real pressure should be put back on parents, to give their children the information that is needed to help them prepare for such decisions. I sit my (11, 12) year olds down and show them how much money is costs for us to live where we live, what it costs to feed them, clothe them, activities, gas to get places, and so on. I tell them how much we make, and how much we spend every month just to have a roof/shelter/food(basic needs met).
I have also sat down with them and told them how many diapers we change, times we wake up with infants, disgusting stories about pooping/throw up. Worried about sicknesses etc...in other words it is time to be honest with our kids, and stop sugar coating.
Sorry for the tangent!