:On a cultural note, I'd like Angelina to also know how much bonding goes on when mothers sit down to comb their daughter's hair; something that happens in almost every culture, but particularly in the African-American community. My fondest memories are of me sitting on the floor as my mother brushed and oiled my hair. During that time, we'd talk about my day at school, plans for the weekend, and anything else that crossed our minds. That was our time. Do I believe Madonna, another superstar with a child adopted from Africa, is actually sitting down and cornrowing daughter Mercy's hair? Probably not, but I do think she has taken the time to learn and understand how important it is that Mercy gets all the attention she needs from head to toe and inside and out."
I have many issues with this paragraph.
1) Just because combing hair is a common bonding ritual in the African-American community, that doesn't mean that it is the only way that a mother can become close to her daughter.
2) Why are you imposing a common ritual of African-American households on a multicultural household? I highly doubt that little black girls are born thinking that their mothers must comb their hair, and if not they don't love them. Again, you are not focusing on Zahara and how she feels about her hair, but on yourself and how YOU feel about her hair. These kinds of articles are not meant for global news publications. A personal blog, maybe.
3) If combing is a bonding ritual necessary to strengthen the bond between mother and child, then Angelina's relationship with her other daughter Vivienne, would not be as strong as her relationship with Zahara because Zahara's hair by nature would require more time and more careful combing. Wouldn't Vivienne feel neglected if she thought her mother cared more about Zahara's hair than hers? Would that strengthen the family and help them grow together.
4) The comparison to Madonna's child, Mercy. The implication is that making sure that a little black girl's hair is dressed to your specifications is more important than actually spending time with the child.
On a general note, I think you are more concerned with legitimizing your own opinion about Zahara's hair than you are about Zahara's well being. If you weren't, you wouldn't have written two articles on the same issue. Your opinion is not more legitimate than anyone else's, and it is certainly not more objective. So stop getting so worked up when people disagree with your ideas. People wouldn't roast you if you weren't trying to impose your opinion on everyone else like it was the law. Not everyone agrees with you, so stop trying to make us agree with you. It makes you appear childish, arrogant and condescending, and quite frankly, it's really annoying.
