Disney, Adoption and The Avengers...

[roxysmum123]

Watch Thor again.

[FlightlessDuck]

[LilyWDW]

Originally Posted by Doug7856

I did see both The Avengers and Thor. both very good movies. In "Thor" there was not a connection to Loki's actions and his adoption. I have no problem with that presentation.

I do have a problem with adoption presented as the reason: "Loki's adopted". It's a reason for the evil aspect of the character. It's the thought that "He's not really my brother, he's adopted" that I object to. Families created through adoption are no less family.

Your comments are appreciate and no doubt I'm sensitive to how adoption is presented to my children and the cultural acceptance of adoption in general.

There was very much a connection in his decisions and the fact he was not actually from Asgard. It had a huge impact in what happened in Thor. It is very important to note that he is NOT the same race as Thor and the others.

[lemondog]

YES! I am an adoptive parent and it did bother me. Not enough to get me in a huff and boycott the movie or anything, but it did bug me and I didn't find it nearly as funny as everyone else. I am VERY glad my 10yo (adopted) did not come with me to the movie as I know it would have upset her.

And yes, I did see Thor so I understand the connection.

[Jedana]

Originally Posted by Shyvioletisme

You're reading too much into it.

This.
It's one line in a movie.

[EMom]

Originally Posted by Jedana

This.
It's one line in a movie.

True. But it is one line that could be like a knife to the heart to a kid who was adopted and just wanted to see a fun movie. Consideiring how many non-adults will see this movie and how many of them will have been adopted, the line has the potential to hurt many children. And sadly, it will once again, give ammo to those who want to make fun of kids who have been adopted. Why not something like, "Loki was not born Asgard," to make the same point without the old cliche of, "He was adopted."? I fear the answer is because (1) resorting to adoption as a punchline is easy and/or (2) some people fail to realize their quietly held prejudices.

Yes, I saw Thor. I was looking forward to The Avengers. This has taken a lot of the fun out of seeing it and I am relieved we are not taking DD.

[Doug7856]

Originally Posted by EMom

True. But it is one line that could be like a knife to the heart to a kid who was adopted and just wanted to see a fun movie. Consideiring how many non-adults will see this movie and how many of them will have been adopted, the line has the potential to hurt many children. And sadly, it will once again, give ammo to those who want to make fun of kids who have been adopted. Why not something like, "Loki was not born Asgard," to make the same point without the old cliche of, "He was adopted."? I fear the answer is because (1) resorting to adoption as a punchline is easy and/or (2) some people fail to realize their quietly held prejudices.

Yes, I saw Thor. I was looking forward to The Avengers. This has taken a lot of the fun out of seeing it and I am relieved we are not taking DD.

Hi EMom,
I opened this thread because it really bothered me as a parent. I have expressed my thoughts to Disney, for what it's worth. We did enjoy the film immensely. My 10 year old son has been talking about it ever since we saw it.

For us, it was out of the blue and unexpected. We did discuss it and that there are members of society who hold prejudices with regard to children who have been adopted. It's just so frustrating that modern media portray the adopted child as the wayward child. Such a thin plot line, can't they do any better?

The movie is great and you will most likely enjoy it. We may even see it again.

[LilyWDW]

You all are still reading way too much into it in my honest opinion. The movie is PG-13... you should be able to have a discussion with your child on how the line makes sense in the context of the movie if they are old enough to see it. It DOES make sense. It was not thrown in their purely as a jab to people who have been adopted. It has a point in the movie, just like the fact Loki was adopted had a point in Thor.

[CurlyJo224]

Originally Posted by Doug7856

I did see both The Avengers and Thor. both very good movies. In "Thor" there was not a connection to Loki's actions and his adoption. I have no problem with that presentation.

I do have a problem with adoption presented as the reason: "Loki's adopted". It's a reason for the evil aspect of the character. It's the thought that "He's not really my brother, he's adopted" that I object to. Families created through adoption are no less family.

Your comments are appreciate and no doubt I'm sensitive to how adoption is presented to my children and the cultural acceptance of adoption in general.

Did you watch Thor? Really?

Loki does what he does BECAUSE he finds out that he is not Odin's son. Loki's own feelings about being adopted have bearing on everything he does. The line from this movie aside (which was most likely just intended as a quick joke), Loki is the only one who has a problem with the fact that he is not of the line of Odin. Thor still loves him and thinks of him as his brother, and Frigga and Odin still think of him as their son. In the comics, this only changes after all of the awful things he does.

[Jennasis]

Originally Posted by EMom

True. But it is one line that could be like a knife to the heart to a kid who was adopted and just wanted to see a fun movie. Consideiring how many non-adults will see this movie and how many of them will have been adopted, the line has the potential to hurt many children. And sadly, it will once again, give ammo to those who want to make fun of kids who have been adopted. Why not something like, "Loki was not born Asgard," to make the same point without the old cliche of, "He was adopted."? I fear the answer is because (1) resorting to adoption as a punchline is easy and/or (2) some people fail to realize their quietly held prejudices.

Yes, I saw Thor. I was looking forward to The Avengers. This has taken a lot of the fun out of seeing it and I am relieved we are not taking DD.

You clearly aren't earning your living as a screenwriter.



Good thing I brought enough for everyone...

[Poohforyou]

Originally Posted by Doug7856

I took my son to see The Avengers on Saturday. In one key scene, as the Avengers are assembled they review the evil committed by Loki. Thor confronts the rest of the Avengers because Loki is his brother. When the Avengers list the atrocities he has committed, Thor volunteers that “Loki was adopted”. It got quite a laugh from the audience, yet it implies that an adopted sibling is less family than biological children.

Children don’t need to be told they are inferior or defective or less of a family member because they were adopted, especially from someone as trusted as the Walt Disney Company. There are 73.8 million children who are a part of families created through adoption. It’s odd that Disney would choose to send a message that adopted children are less part of a family than biological children, but in my opinion, that’s exactly what happens in The Avengers.

The movie was excellent and I don’t regret taking my son to see it. I just thought we had moved beyond these stereotypes about adoption.

This is my point of view as the father of adopted children.

Did this scene bother anyone else?

As the mother of an adopted child I think you're reading too much into it if it happened as you stated. I would interpret it as one brother making a joke about another because the one brother was a trouble maker. It's just something siblings do and no harm is meant by it.

I have 3 brothers and we're all biological siblings. We joke that one of our brothers is adopted because he doesn't look anything like the rest of us. I'm sure my DD has heard these jokes but she's confident in that she's as much a part of our family as any other person. Her being adopted as just a non-issue for us and her.

[snarlingcoyote]

As an adoptee, I must say, I think the line more obnoxious now that I've heard the convoluted apologetics for it.

So we have cliche #1 Adoptee isn't told he's adopted matched with melodrama cliche #2 Adoptee goes nuts when he finds out he's adopted because of cliche #3 Adoptee is a just a Bad Seed and you can't do anything about it.

Jee. I feel so much better about that line. Before I thought it was just a dumb throwaway line in a not bad summer movie. Now I'm just v. glad I've never seen Thor.

[EricQelDroma]

I don't think anyone here's being "too sensitive" about anything. Thor was clearly implying that Loki was not a true part of the Odin-line family. Well, guess what? If someone's adopted, they're part of the family. The end, that's it.

But maybe you’re right. Maybe it's just one line. Maybe one little joke won't hurt anyone. Maybe the next movie should have some throw-away lines about how Fury couldn’t get the job done because he’s black, or how they should have had a man do the Widow’s job, or how this was all the Hulk’s fault somehow because he’s a stupid r—-d. Let’s see how funny “jokes” like that are when spoken by someone kids are supposed to look up to. Maybe next time Captain America can make those jokes instead of Thor.

Give me a break. Marvel dropped the ball here, big time.

[EMom]

Originally Posted by snarlingcoyote

As an adoptee, I must say, I think the line more obnoxious now that I've heard the convoluted apologetics for it.

So we have cliche #1 Adoptee isn't told he's adopted matched with melodrama cliche #2 Adoptee goes nuts when he finds out he's adopted because of cliche #3 Adoptee is a just a Bad Seed and you can't do anything about it.

Jee. I feel so much better about that line. Before I thought it was just a dumb throwaway line in a not bad summer movie. Now I'm just v. glad I've never seen Thor.

That's what I meant. It's the easy way out and a cheap joke at the expense of a group of people. It's just that it is still apparently okay to make jokes at THIS group of people. No, I am not being too sensitive. I am being a mother who is tired of the "less than/bad seed/doesn't fit" jokes.

[Styx Fan]

Originally Posted by EricQelDroma

I don't think anyone here's being "too sensitive" about anything. Thor was clearly implying that Loki was not a true part of the Odin-line family. Well, guess what? If someone's adopted, they're part of the family. The end, that's it.

But maybe you’re right. Maybe it's just one line. Maybe one little joke won't hurt anyone. Maybe the next movie should have some throw-away lines about how Fury couldn’t get the job done because he’s black, or how they should have had a man do the Widow’s job, or how this was all the Hulk’s fault somehow because he’s a stupid r—-d. Let’s see how funny “jokes” like that are when spoken by someone kids are supposed to look up to. Maybe next time Captain America can make those jokes instead of Thor.

Give me a break. Marvel dropped the ball here, big time.

Another adoptive mom here. Haven't see the movie yet, but while I might get the why of the comment, it doesn't mean it couldn't be hurtful. While I'm sure I would laugh at the joke in the movie, I would be wondering if some kids weren't hurt.

Like the above poster, I don't get why it is OK to joke at an adoptees expense, but not at other special interest groups. Either we can accept that a joke is just that and move on, regardless of what group is at the center of the joke, or we can't. Not fair to only call foul for some groups and not others.