The Associated Press ran a story today by reporter John Rogers, about the initial fascination with and current backslash against Nadya Suleman, the now famous woman who gave birth to the longest-surviving octuplets. But, Rogers writes, ” in short order the public learned that Miracle Mom was also Single Mom, Unemployed Mom and Welfare Mom. And as fast as you could Twitter ‘I hate Nadya Suleman,’ scores of Web sites were dedicated to denouncing the so-called Octomom, others to making fun of her…”
Rogers consulted Julie Albright, a sociologist at the University of Southern California who said that Suleman finds herself “caught in a perfect storm of events guaranteed to outrage the public, some of her own making, some not.”
“First, we’re in particularly sensitive economic times, people are losing their jobs,” Albright said. “Second is that physical resemblance to Angelina Jolie.”
Whether it’s coincidental or not, Albright said, the resemblance has led many to think Suleman is a “copycat” trying to elicit the goodwill much of the public feels for actress Jolie, who with partner Brad Pitt has adopted three of their six children from other nations.
People might normally overlook that as just silly if they weren’t already worried about losing their jobs and their homes and if California wasn’t broke and facing the prospect of paying more than $1 million in medical bills for Suleman’s babies while the state issues IOUs instead of tax refunds.
“If someone isn’t stressed and something happens like their car breaks down, that’s just annoying,” Albright said. “But if their parent has just died and they lost their job and their kid’s in jail and then their car breaks down, that risks a nervous breakdown. … That’s what’s triggering this angry, emotional response in so many people.”
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