One of the three major networks, the one starting with N, is hosting a television show called, Americ*'s F*v0rite M0m. There are different categories: single mom, military mom, working mom, coe mom ...and non-mom.
I find all of these distinctions offensive. Maybe it's just me. After all, I do think we should all just be Americans. I think distinctions are divisive.
Should you wish to nominate me next year, once d2b is home, you would not enter me under the categories of single mom or working mom. According to the rules, after more than two years working to bring d2b home I will be a non-mom.
Non-moms are those who take on the role of mom-- Grandparent, stepmom, or mom to adopted children, each one raising and loving a child. A priceless gift for everybody.
Things like this don't usually get under my skin. They're semantics. I think the network was trying to create a way to have more winners, more "favorite moms". I'll give them the benefit of the doubt regarding motive.
But.
I don't like the way they did this. At all. "Non mom" was a very poor choice of words. Very poor. NON mom?!? NON?!
Who wouldn't be offended by their categories? I think they've managed to alienate everyone. My sahm friends don't even have a category of their own. (Unless that's what coe means...I don't know...one of the coe nominees was blind, one had fertility treatments and multiples and the third...I don't remember.) Sorry, guys. I guess you're not even non moms.
And so I e-mailed and told them I thought they'd made a poor choice. Here's the address posted on one of my adoption lists: support @ americasfavoritemom . com . I also went to the NBroadcastingC website and used their feedback form.
If you find this inappropriate, I would encourage you to tell them. And to turn the tv off.
09 May 2008
non-mom
10 comments:
Are you kidding?? A non mom is characterised as a women who does not have any children! They are ridiculous! Off to email them now!
I can't even express how offensive "non-Mom" is! It actually hurts my feelings! After all that I've gone through and how outrageously in love I am with MY DAUGHTER!!!! how can I be a "non-Mom"???!!!! I have so many nasty things to say to whoever came up with that category!! Ooooh my head is full of "bad words" right now!!
Love to you from V and me anyway! :)
AAAAAAAAAAAAUGHGHGHGHGHGH!!!!! THE NERVE! Ooooooh!!! Where's my phone?! I have a few choice suggestions of what they can do with their categories!
are you kidding me.. Non-Mom
an old co-worker is a singer/songwriter and she wrote a song about a teacher's love for a child.. in it she wrote " I'm the childless Mother who loves you so"... before I became a Mom via adoption, I always considered myself a childless Mother but a Mother just the same.
Non- Mom is just nonsense
How? How could they do that to people. Where do they get off?! I will not be watching. I hope the network understands what they did.
Yipes. That is some serious stupidity.
It is surprising that people whose profession is language, can use it so stupidly. Could they really think ANYONE at all in the "Non-Mom" category would think that a nice term??? "Non-Mom"....I think that would be the woman who thinks parenthood is the last thing she wants. Dumb. Or, like the designated driver - "Let the 'non-mom' drive; the rest of us are shot."
As regards moms, I guess I do dislike distinctions - certainly for something like this, Mother's Day. I suppose there are times when it would make sense, but this is assenine.
By the time I learned of this this evening, they had changed the category to "Adopting Moms." I still don't like it, but it's a huge improvement, and shows they're willing to listen and take feedback seriously.
However...one of the "adopting moms" is listed as being “…mom to her own daughter, plus six adopted children.” I wrote and told them that all SEVEN are "her own" children.
Hiya Kate - to paraphrase what I wrote on AM's blog, I'm just flattered to make it into the same category with "neighbor"! Pretty much the same thing, right?
Yikes - not just one offensive, multi-tiered faux pas by NB...whomever, but by just changing the name they obviously STILL don't get it! (And the sponsor's president is an adoptive mom???)
Hi. I couldn't help but stop by your blog with the title "non-mom." Oh my goodness, was I PO-ed upon reading this post! I'm a mom by adoption and was incensed that anyone thought adoptive mamas could fit under the non-mom category. Argh! I blogged about some other frustrations with adoption lingo on my own website. Thanks for brining NBC's stupidity to my attention...
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