Just my crazy self

Random musing of a girl who aged out of the foster care system and is trying to make her way in the world

[crazyone1983]

Yeah, Jem the Movie ruined Starlight House

There’s an interview with Molly Ringwald out that sort of explains who Aunt Bailey is.  In the cartoon, Mrs. Bailey is the caretaker of Starlight House. In the movie, Molly says Aunt Bailey is the MOTHER of Aja and Shana and adopts Kimber and Jerrica.   So, it’s not a foster home, and it sounds like Aja and Shana are her biological children.

As a person who aged out of the foster care system, this seriously pisses me off.  Anyone who reads my blog knows that adoption is a sore point for me and there is a misconception that foster care = adoption.

Also, if Kimber and Jerrica are Aunt Bailey’s nieces, then adoption would not happen.  Imagine both of your parents die. Your aunt is your legal guardian with all rights of a parent.  All adoption would do would be to give Jerrica and Kimber new birth certificates with Aunt Bailey’s name rather than Emmet and Jackie Benton and new last names. It would erase your parents, which is upsetting to kids.  It’s also pretty much unheard of for two middle class kids whose parents die to be in foster care long term.  The situation with Laura Holloway in the Jem cartoon would be more typical - kids waiting for a relative to show up .

This really makes no sense.  Why change something like this?  Is trying to be all modern and having the two little white girls as kids adopted from foster care rather than the minority, ethnic kids?

But I have a hunch I’ve put way more thought into this than John Chu and the idiot that wrote this mess.

[johnpocalypse]

[crazyone1983]

Jem and the Holograms are out for blood.  I can’t seem to get away from this song since the video keeps autoplaying every time I log into Facebook and I hate it.   The refrain is like “blood, blood, blood” over and over.

[crazyone1983]

Why the heck is Aubrey Peeples being auto-tuned to death in the Jem & The Holograms‘ song?

The Jem and the Holograms movie has been one disappointment after another.  Everyone is complaining about robot Synergy and Eric/a Raymond knowing Jerrica is Jem and the lack of the Misfits .  But my current beef - the song.  No, not One Direction - but that Youngblood song being so over-produced and auto-tuned.

While I don’t think Aubrey Peeples is the ideal Jem - I do believe she is a talented singer.  I respect the decision to cast someone who can actually sing and play guitar better than Jerrica Benton actually should be able to play, over someone who was more eye-candy with no talent.

If Aubrey can actually sing, then why AUTO TUNE her?  They could have cast anyone if they were going to do that.  They could have found some tall, leggy blond who fits what the Jem doll looks.

You had one good thing, Jem movie, and you blew it.

I know there’s no time to fix the other problems with this movie, but could they f’ing fix the music so it’s at least passable and actually show the talent they have?  Jon Chu was the wrong director and Jason Blum needs to stick to low budget horror flicks. But Scooter Braun is really bad at music. He can promote teen heart-throbs - that’s it.

[crazyone1983]

Wanna help foster kids now...

Rather than just waiting for them to be adopted and only then can they have things like a suitcase rather than forcing them to transport their stuff from foster home to foster home in trash bags?

There are a lot of local groups, but one national group that I support is: http://togetherwerise.org

They have a ton of great projects, including helping provide foster youth with suitcases and duffle bags.  They also have an interesting way to help with the transportation issues many foster youth have - by providing bikes.  The vast majority of teens in foster care cannot get drivers licenses. It’s practically impossible for them to drive in many states.  But that’s a rant for a later date.

[darkhorsecomics]

[bryankonietzko]

The Legend of Korra will continue as comics written by Michael DiMartino, published by Dark Horse! I’ve been working on the story with Mike, and I’ll be consulting on the art (once we secure an artist/artists). I made the images above for our announcement at the Dark Horse panel, which just finished up. Exciting stuff!

[crazyone1983]

My adoption rant

I don’t eat fast food, so I’m not going to Wendys for their #share4adoption promotion.  But I saw it on my tumblr feed and thought I’d put my 2 cents in in case anyone is actually paying attention to it.

I aged out of the foster care system.  I never wanted to be adopted but was forced to go to adoption events until I was annoying enough at them that they stopped forcing me to go.  What really really bothers me is that adoption is promoted so much as being the only answer to the issue of foster youth aging out and so many people think that the solution is simply more families willing to adopt and take these poor orphans in,

People hear that there are 100,000 kids in foster care and assume they can simply find 100,000 adoptive homes for these kids and the problem is solved. But its not.

Part of the problem is the perception of kids available for adoption as being orphans. Of having no ties. No family. No roots.  Many kids in long term foster care have these things and don’t want to be adopted. So they are stuck in terrible group homes, in foster homes that are clearly only doing it for the money.  These are kids who are going to split the minute they turn 18 to go back to whatever extended family and friends will take them in- people who were deemed unworthy to take them by Child Services but will let them crash on a couch once they turn 18.

There are so many teens in foster care who need mentors, they need school supplies, they need a decent backpack for high school.  They need a decent place to live.  But many do not want to be adopted. 

So it’s nice for Wendys and Dave Thomas to help those few that do want to be adopted.  But what about everyone else?

Another pet peeve of mine. Why can’t tv news do weekly segments about helping foster kids, not just promoting adopting them like they are cats and dogs from the pound?  The kids who don’t have shoes to wear even though their foster parents are suppose to buy them.

[funnyordie]

These Photos Of A Crow Riding An Eagle In The Sky Are The American Dream

USA! USA! USA!

[iglovequotes]

http://iglovequotes.net/

[snapgif]

[njgeekgirl-blog]

WANNA HELP FOSTER CHILDREN IMPACTED BY THE FLOODING IN TEXAS?

One Simple Wish’s founder, Danielle Gletow has tweeted that they will be supporting any foster children who have lost items due to recent flooding. One Simple Wish is a charity that grants wishes for children, often in the form of items. A laptop isn’t just a laptop, that’s something you store your only pictures you had left of your family. A doll isn’t just a doll, it’s the only toy a small child will have in their first foster home. A gift card isn’t just a gift card, but a way to purchase clothes because they have lost everything. You can make a monetary donation or grant wishes of new items directly. Please signal boost this. If you can’t donate, spread the word. Please visit One Simple Wish and help if you can.

[dog-pictures-deactivated2016051]

Dog Pictures #NewPost [1]

[crazyone1983]

TLC Needs to Help the Duggar Victims

What troubles me about the details about the Duggar scandal is how it seems like every time the Duggars could have done something to help treat the victims and abuser, there were others involved who also victimized children or failed to help: a state trooper who was convicted shortly afterwards for child pornography, the director of the faith-based clinic Josh Duggar was sent to has been accused on sexually harassing over 30 young women and CPS did nothing after the sexual abuse was reported.

It’s nice that the victims that Josh Duggar have forgiven him and accepted his apology. But have they received any actual therapy?  Has Josh? Or has his only learned to say the right things so that people don’t suspect him?

Sexual abuse is a vicious cycle that keeps going and going. Something has to happen to stop it.  So many people associated with the Duggars are abusing girls and women.  Why?  Could it be that saying you’re sorry, praying and spouting off about Jesus is all that someone needs to do to avoid getting in trouble for sexual abuse. Had Josh Duggar being arrested and charged with felony sexual assault, his parents wouldn’t have had any choice. But too frequently it’s swept under the rug and nothing is done, then victims continue the cycle by sexually abusing others.

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar need to be compelled to get their kids actual therapy and their motivation is keeping their show on the air show the money keeps rolling in.  TLC cutting Josh out of the show and continuing on like nothing happened is likely what the Duggars want. To help the victims, TLC should demand  that they actually see a license therapist - not faith based and they actually get these young people help dealing with that happened to them.

[impurhity-deactivated20160517]

Reblog this if you have ever been bullied for being in foster care or adopted.

I just wanna see how many people have had those same stupid ‘you have no parents’ insults. It’s really upsetting.

ALSO! JUST A SIDE NOTE TO THOSE WHO AREN’T IN CARE AND ARE A LIL CURIOUS: Care homes/residential homes are NOTHING like the ones in the Tracy Beaker series. They’re worse, depending on who lives there.

[jadetinkrules]

[crazyone1983]

What I think the Jem & The Holograms movie is...

[crazyone1983]

Starlight House & Jem The Movie

I’m still trying to get over my disappointment over the Jem & The Holograms movie. I suppose if it was called “Flem & the Telegrams” I wouldn’t have watched the trailer and it would have had more to do with Jem cartoon I grew up with. It’s not a movie that will appeal at all to people older than 8, so maybe that’s the reason for the backlash.  It’s no different than Disney Channel movies. 

But I’m very unhappy to hear that Starlight House with all of the Starlight Girls is not included in the movie. That was a major part of the cartoon series and having the 12 foster girls was one of the key motivations for what transpired.

I’m also a little unclear about the whole sister/family angle and foster children. Sure, there are people out there that feel like their foster siblings are siblings, but it’s not always the case.  Most foster siblings I couldn’t barely stand and only tolerated living together. With shows like The Fosters, there seems like there’s this perception people want to have of foster siblings becoming an instant family, and it’s not the case at all in reality.

IMDB lists Aurora Perrineau‘s 6 year old sister and a girl who’s about 8 playing young Jerrica, my guess is that there will be a flashback to  when Shana and Aja arrive at Starlight House. Or Aunt Bailey’s? I’m not sure about this whole story and what will happen with Jackie Benton.

But if Aja and Shana are foster kids for 10 years with Aunt Bailey, then why haven’t they been adopted?  I’m not pro-adoption, but even I would call that a problem with the system.  It’s one thing for teens (like me) to make the decision to not be adopted, and Aja and Shana were both portrayed in the cartoon as being at least 12-ish when they arrived at Starlight House and mentioned other relatives. It’s not uncommon for kids that age to have close connections to extended family who cannot care for them. But it’s different for younger children.

Maybe that’s less of an issue than no Synergy, no Misfits, YouTube and teenage angsty Jerrica.  But the way foster care is portrayed in the media is something I do care about and whether this is a complete reboot of Jem with no relation to the cartoon, it’s something I will keep an eye on.  The Jem cartoon was something that I absolutely related to when i was growing up in foster care and I hope kids in the system now to have the same type of inspiration.