Americangirl

American Girl Company Sells 'Homeless' Doll for $95

Video by Opposing Views Editorial Staff
(September 24, 2009) in Society / Headlines
The popular American Girl Doll Company is making headlines with its newest doll, Gwen Thompson. Each American Girl comes with her own story, and the unique thing about Gwen is that she lives in a car with her mother. According to the story, Gwen's father abandoned his wife and child, forcing the mother and daughter into homelessness. Fox News reports:

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American Girl Company Sells 'Homeless' Doll for $95

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  • SolarSanitizer
    What better way to introduce the scourge of homelessness...

    To your child than to spend $102 for a doll and a comb (which is, naturally, $7 extra.)

    I went to the website to see if any of the proceeds were donated to charity, but there is no mention of such a practice, meaning it does not occur. I guess we will have to keep relying on the oft demonized religious right to give charitably.

    - SolarSanitizerUS September 24, 2009 6:49PM

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  • ufcarazy
    Another problem

    I am also bothered by the story involving a dead-beat dad. I don't want little girls to be sent the message that 1) a father is likely to abandon them and 2) mothers can't survive economically without husbands.

    - ufcarazyUS September 30, 2009 2:43PM

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  • Khannea Suntzu
    Crap country

    The US... I get bile up my throat thinking about it. It just needs to go away. Fortunately soon it will.

    - Khannea SuntzuNL September 30, 2009 3:51PM

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    • Alayna Staggers
      Homeless Doll Unnecessary


      Show how one can help homeless people by taking your kids with you to donate and assist organizations which are working to help people, such as the Seventh-day Adventist Church or the Salvation Army, especially around the Holiday Season. Love is "work in action."

      - Alayna StaggersUS September 30, 2009 4:04PM

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      • Khannea Suntzu
        Not necessary

        Both are very small or insignicant movements in my country. But still.... some 7th day adventists are in fact paying my tuition for school, as a matter of fact, and I'll probably never be able to repay them.

        Besides, we don't need those kinds of organizations to mop up the societal rejects - I live in a country where we have wellfare, social workers and free housing . We don't have homeless people, unless they really want to be homeless. I know it's different in the social darwinist states of notgiveadamn.

        - Khannea SuntzuNL September 30, 2009 4:15PM

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        • Alayna Staggers
          Seventh-day Adventists


          The only thing the Seventh-day Adventists would ask is please love the Lord and await His return! They will help you you and expect nothing in return God Bless..

          - Alayna StaggersUS September 30, 2009 4:42PM

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          • Khannea Suntzu
            They know

            ..that in my case inability to treat an unprovable as a deity, let alone a metaphysical figure completely inconsistent with my other assumptions, impossible. 'Unbelief' is deep-ingrained in me and I just can't even conceive of an alternative.

            So while I love them all dearly, they do so for being charitable human figures as I am concerned, not for a reward from above they'll see in this life. Whereas if my ideals would manifest, I'd see them rewarded right here on earth.

            - Khannea SuntzuNL October 1, 2009 2:26AM

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            • Alayna Staggers
              No God


              I'm sorry you feel so alone.

              - Alayna StaggersUS October 1, 2009 12:35PM

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              • Khannea Suntzu
                Please do not

                prey on me. Nor pray for me. Do not assume, project or make assumptions. Please do not project, envision, expect what me come of me. Do not lament for me, or mourn for me.

                As far as you are concerned - you van go on believing in this whole god business, that is your prerogative. But as for your beliefs regarding me, I invoke a "notice of disimplication" clause - which involves a prophet unknown to you, who has set me free in any way you care envision, from what you know as "god" but was revealed to me as "demiurg" or "ialdabaoth". The unknown prophet released me from all authority regarding this whole "god" business, cancelled all debts or claims, and revoked any metaphysical entanglement. The unknown prophet liberated my soul, then revoked it - so when I die, I die and what you see is what you get. I am a complex object only. There is nothing supernatural about me. I was born in a complex biological process and nothing will remain of me, and no power created by this "god" phenomenon you refer to, his "demons" or his "angels" can affect me.

                What's better, the blessing and exorcism of the unknown prophet is spreading, and more and more people are becoming like me, unseen, completely immune by either this "god", his "holy spirit", his "sun" or anything.

                In effect we have been saved from the tyranny of a terrifying patriarch and his jealousy. In being saved, he has become invisible to us, as if a fata morgana was magically dispelled and for the first time we woke up and could breathe freely.

                So, knowing this, who is being alone the only thing you worry about?

                - Khannea SuntzuNL October 2, 2009 2:31AM

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            • Parrotisla
              who pays?

              I could care less about this god arguemnt, but Who pays for all of your homeless or not so homeless. There is no such thing as a free lunch. So your gov't is paying for these people to live in so called "free housing " and you pay the gov't in taxes . Your country is smaller than ours. Therefore it costs more and we have more people here to take care of. we have welfare, which just keeps people from getting a job. hell I would love to get a check from the Gov't for doing nothing.

              You think it's so easy to solve these problems but there's a cost to everything. And giving people free housing and money is not the solution as they will not better themselves by finding a job.

              - ParrotislaUS October 2, 2009 2:01PM

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              • Khannea Suntzu
                Heypercomplexity

                The world is becoming more complex and the intelligence any single human needs to cause harm is dropping every year. Hence the societal cost of desperation is skyrocketing more and more. It isn't about cost. Every single human is richer, society as a whole is richer than it was, we all were, ever in human history. We can afford just about anything.

                But in the end it is about faith. And if you believe that humans, who are fed, clothed, housed and provided with dignity cost more than if they are not, well you have a nice future aheads of you. My estimate - desperation will cost many times over the alternative.

                Feeding those you hold in contempt may not appeal to your pleistocene tribal collectivist brain hardwiring, but progress will overcome even that.

                - Khannea SuntzuNL October 2, 2009 5:25PM

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        • countryboy
          Choice

          I know its different in the social darwinist states of notgiveadamn
          Do you like government doing everthing for you?And we do have welfare,social workers and free housing also in the USA.And yes we have home less people here also thats because they don't wont government in there life.Should we drag them to free house?Most people here in the US try to make it on there own with out the government.

          - countryboyUS October 3, 2009 10:18PM

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          • Khannea Suntzu
            Bless you then

            The US is a systemically ruthless society , and yes, that is largely because of the conceit of people who set out to do things on their own. That is a choice, good for you.

            But still, how many are in US prisons out of desperation?

            Let's give you an example - if I were in the US, I'd be angry. I'd want to get even, and I'd feel left out. Thing is, what should I be able to do to protest. In fact I would be able to do lots of things. For instance - me saving up for a trip to a few African countries, do a little research, collect a dozen or so insect eggs and plant seeds here and there. Then make a road trip across the US, drop those seeds here and there, under cultivated conditions . Such a little act of protest would end up costing the US tens of billions of damages. And that is just one example. I have a list of over ten low investment, high impact little protests I could do, each causing massive damage to all aspects of public life.

            Think about it, every year it becomes easier and easier to cause widespread damage and every year you require less and less resources. Arguable a whole lot of people are left out of the loop, and basically at rock bottom desperation. What will stop those millions to one day say, "screw all of you" and do the above or any of a million variants?

            Can any society afford to sustain a widespread layer of completely disenfranchised people in the future? Or you want to throw everyone who might have a grudge in a concentration camp?

            - Khannea SuntzuNL October 4, 2009 1:58AM

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            • countryboy
              Grudge

              OK whats your grudge.

              - countryboyUS October 4, 2009 7:28AM

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              • Khannea Suntzu
                Irrelevant

                What my grudge is not relevant. Whether or not I even have grudges, is immaterial.

                What IS material is that a society -any society- that leaves out people from the benefits of society, will either polarize these people into crime , vandalism, despair or (worst case scenario) nihilism. My point is that emerging technologies can turn vandalism and nihilism into enormously dangerous costs for society. My point also is that the old systems to treat these don't work anymore. You cannot apprehend and lock up every single person who drops an anonymous brick on the cars from an overpass. You cannot apprehend anyone who drains a liter of certain chemical additives in a public toilet (and causing a water cleaning crisis costing half a million euro/dollar with every incident). In the future this will only get worse - an investment of some time on the internet , a few friends in far away countries, a few DHL packages send here and there - all in all an nearly untracable investment of a fewhundred euro/dollar, and you have a major disease epidemic, a food crop crisis, a habitat infection, a vermin epidemic or worse.

                What is worse, there comes a point when people are so effectively left out of the loop, and feel effectively useless, I personally can hardly blame them for what they do, especially if they don't cause human lives, but use simple sabotage to inflict significant corporate damage.

                To asking me what grudge I beside the point. Sure I have grudges. But I have imagination too.

                - Khannea SuntzuNL October 4, 2009 8:13AM

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  • Hans
    On Charity

    I have had several experiences with christian charities in the past 4 years. Most were fronts for criminal activities. The best was an abominable waste of money .

    A worthy charity will not hesitate or make you feel uncomfortable asking to see their financial records and IRS reports. You owe it to yourself, and to the people you are trying to help to READ THE RECORDS.

    - HansUS October 1, 2009 12:04AM

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  • countryboy
    Homeless doll

    Homeless Doll.Welcome to the American way.
    Why would a parent buy a doll like this for there child? They grow up to fast as it is.

    - countryboyUS October 3, 2009 10:02PM

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