Joker: Systems, Class Warfare, and the Cost of Being Unseen

Episode summary:
In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and Jay continue their mini-series on family policing in the media with a discussion of the 2019 film Joker. They unpack the film as more than a villain origin story—examining how failed systems, class struggle, and abandonment by institutions shape Arthur Fleck’s descent. They also connect the film’s themes to adoption, identity, and what happens when society refuses to care for the people it creates.

Content note:
This episode includes discussion of mental health struggles, violence, child abuse, systemic neglect, and poverty.

What we cover in this episode:

• (00:27) Series context and why Joker fits into conversations about systems and neglect
• (00:56) “Hope my death makes more sense than my life”: class struggle and societal failure
• (03:14) Quick synopsis of Joker and Arthur Fleck’s life in Gotham
• (07:21) Organizing across classes and why solidarity matters
• (11:19) Being unseen and disbelieved: how constant dismissal worsens mental health
• (19:21) Identity, adoption, and the power to control truth
• (21:17) Becoming the Joker: finally being seen and embraced by the crowd
• (23:09) Systems create what they refuse to care for
• (24:54) Guaranteed income, free childcare, and policies that actually support families
• (26:22) Poverty, homelessness, and how the U.S. treats poor people
• (27:45) Military recruitment and poverty as a pipeline

Call To Action:
Subscribe to Adoptees Crossing Lines wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow us on social media and Substack for more content and community:Website: adopteescrossinglines.com

• Instagram: @adopteescrossinglines
• BlueSky: adopteecrossing.bsky.social
• TikTok: @adopteescrossinglines_
• Substack: Adoptees Crossing Lines Substack

Connect with J Way:

• TikTok: @itsyagirl_jway
• BlueSky: @itsjway.bsky.social

Listen to these episodes next:

• The Blind Side: Ownership, Propaganda, and the White Savior Playbook
• Surveillance, Saviors, and Screens: Media & Adoption with J Way
• Adoptee Storytelling & Film Advocacy

Work With Me:
Email adopteescrossinglines@gmail.com for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Editing by J. Way (AV Editor)
Special thanks to J. Way for editing this podcast. To collaborate with her, email jwayedits@gmail.com

Episode summary:
Zaira and J continue the mini-series on family policing in the media with Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot. They break down how the film uses religion, marketing, and savior narratives to sell adoption as “justice,” while ignoring the root causes that push families into the system. They also connect the story to church state entanglement, coercion in congregations, and what real support could look like instead: resources that keep families together.

Content note:
This episode includes discussion of religion related trauma, child sexual abuse (CSA), adoption/foster care harm, and death by suicide.

What we cover :

• (00:39) Why Sound of Hope reads as propaganda (and why the marketing matters)
• (03:37) Faith, medical neglect, and children’s autonomy in health care decisions
• (08:29) PR machine + CBN coverage (“Small Town Big Heart”) and the film’s framing
• (11:18) Plot overview: the “calling,” the church push, and families adopting while struggling
• (16:01) Trauma care vs “laying hands”: what churches replace instead of providing real support
• (26:24) Coercion, tithing culture, and why many churches won’t meet basic needs
• (27:47) Zaira’s link: One Church, One Child (Florida) + church–state blending and harm
• (39:00) How the movie treats younger kids vs the older child (“Terry”), scapegoating, and stigma
• (45:42) Sexualizing minors, “modesty” culture, and the burden placed on children instead of adults
• (47:36) The alternative: mutual aid, material support, and keeping families together

Call To Action:
Subscribe to Adoptees Crossing Lines wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow us on social media and Substack for more content and community:Website: adopteescrossinglines.com

• Instagram: @adopteescrossinglines
• BlueSky: adopteecrossing.bsky.social
• TikTok: @adopteescrossinglines_
• Substack: Adoptees Crossing Lines Substack

Connect with J Way:

• TikTok: @itsyagirl_jway
• BlueSky: @itsjway.bsky.social

Listen to these episodes next:

• The Blind Side: Ownership, Propaganda, and the White Savior Playbook
• Surveillance, Saviors, and Screens: Media & Adoption with J Way
• Adoptee Storytelling & Film Advocacy

Work With Me:
Email adopteescrossinglines@gmail.com for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Editing by J. Way (AV Editor)
Special thanks to J. Way for editing this podcast. To collaborate with her, email jwayedits@gmail.com

Losing Isaiah: When the System Steals, and Hollywood Sells It Back to You

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and J Way continue their mini-series on family policing in the media with a critical look at the 1995 film Losing Isaiah. They unpack the film’s portrayal of Black motherhood, addiction, transracial adoption, and white saviorism. From courtroom drama to deeply racist tropes, they examine how the movie pretends to be about the child, but instead reinforces dangerous myths about poverty, morality, and what makes someone a “fit” parent.

In this episode, we cover:

• (00:20) Initial reactions and why this movie still hits hard, especially for Black viewers.
• (06:55) The “crack baby” trope, media sensationalism, and the reality of poverty-based family separation.
• (17:00) Power dynamics and the red flags of a white hospital social worker adopting a Black child.
• (23:00) The courtroom as a stage for white fragility, and the Black attorney who wasn’t having it.
• (30:00) What the film gets wrong about addiction, morality, and who deserves to parent.
• (42:00) Why the film’s ending reinforces saviorism, and erases the systemic harm it claims to confront.

Call To Action:
Subscribe to Adoptees Crossing Lines wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow us on social media and Substack for more content and community:

• Website: adopteescrossinglines.com
• Instagram: @adopteescrossinglines
• BlueSky: adopteecrossing.bsky.social
• TikTok: @adopteescrossinglines_
• Substack: Adoptees Crossing Lines Substack

Connect with J Way:

• TikTok: @itsyagirl_jway
• BlueSky: @itsjway.bsky.social

Listen to these episodes next:

• The Blind Side: Ownership, Propaganda, and the White Savior Playbook
• Surveillance, Saviors, and Screens: Media & Adoption with J Way
• Adoptee Storytelling & Film Advocacy
• Instant Family: Comedy, Consent, and Adoption Propaganda

Work With Me:
Email adopteescrossinglines@gmail.com for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Editing by J. Way (AV Editor)
Special thanks to J. Way for editing this podcast. To collaborate with her, email jwayedits@gmail.com

Instant Family: Comedy, Consent, and Adoption Propaganda

Episode Summary:

What happens when a comedy about foster care hides a deeper agenda? In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and J Way dig into the film Instant Family, its tone, tropes, and troubling narratives. They reflect on how comedy disarms audiences, how media normalizes adoption propaganda, and why who tells the story matters. From trauma, reunification, and religious narratives to Hollywood’s obsession with control, nothing is off limits.

Content Note:

This episode includes discussion of adoption, the foster care system, racism, abuse, sexual assault, and state violence. Please listen with care.

In this episode we cover:

(00:22) Introduction and content framing

(01:16) First impressions of Instant Family and the illusion of relatability

(05:30) What does it mean for a film to be disarming?

(08:16) Behind the scenes: The director’s role, Catholic influence, and who gets to tell the story

(13:30) Quick recap: The film's plot and its portrayal of the family policing system

(19:34) When adoptive parents fear reunification

(22:16) How poverty is framed as parental failure

(27:10) What kept people are taught to ignore

(33:30) The comedy-to-consent pipeline: Who owns a child’s story?

(47:12) Real life vs. “inspirational fiction” and the state’s role in violence

(52:56) The kids no one comes looking for: on isolation and invisibility

(55:42) What these films always leave out, and why it matters

Call To Action:
Subscribe to Adoptees Crossing Lines wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow us on social media and Substack for more content and community:Website: adopteescrossinglines.com

• Instagram: @adopteescrossinglines
• BlueSky: adopteecrossing.bsky.social
• TikTok: @adopteescrossinglines_
• Substack: Adoptees Crossing Lines Substack

Connect with J Way:

• TikTok: @itsyagirl_jway
• BlueSky: @itsjway.bsky.social

Listen to these episodes next:

• The Blind Side: Ownership, Propaganda, and the White Savior Playbook
• Surveillance, Saviors, and Screens: Media & Adoption with J Way
• Adoptee Storytelling & Film Advocacy

Work With Me:
Email adopteescrossinglines@gmail.com for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Editing by J. Way (AV Editor)
Special thanks to J. Way for editing this podcast. To collaborate with her, email jwayedits@gmail.com

The Blind Side: Ownership, Propaganda, and the White Savior Playbook

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira and co-host/editor J Way kick off a new film mini-series with one of the most infamous adoption movies of all time: The Blind Side. They revisit this Oscar winning film with fresh eyes, exposing its white savior narrative, racist tropes, and the insidious control adoption often masks as care. Together, they dissect the real life harm caused by this story, and why adoptees need to reclaim the mic.

In this episode, we cover:

(01:33) Why we had to start the series with The Blind Side
(03:26) Savior narratives, selective memory, and how adopters used this film as “family time”
(07:17) Hallmark vibes, propaganda beats, and the absurd plot construction
(10:08) IQ scores, protectiveness tests, and the racist assumptions they reinforce
(14:18) Control vs. care, and how Leigh Anne’s character weaponizes both
(20:20) Black bodies as tools: protector, athlete, project
(23:44) Christianity, purity culture, and domination masked as discipline
(30:51) Queer families, carceral systems, and why inclusion isn’t liberation
(36:24) “Do you have a mother?” and how the film dehumanizes Michael’s mom
(40:26) Ole Miss, Confederate nostalgia, and performative progress
(46:10) Final takeaways: who gets to tell the story—and why it matters

Call To Action:
Subscribe to Adoptees Crossing Lines wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow us on social media and Substack for more content and community:

• Website: adopteescrossinglines.com
• Instagram: @adopteescrossinglines
• BlueSky: adopteecrossing.bsky.social
• TikTok: @adopteescrossinglines_
• Substack: Adoptees Crossing Lines Substack

Connect with J Way:

• TikTok: @itsyagirl_jway
• BlueSky: @itsjway.bsky.social

Listen to these episodes next:

• Surveillance, Saviors, and Screens: Media & Adoption with J Way
• Adoptee Storytelling & Film Advocacy

Work With Me:
Email adopteescrossinglines@gmail.com for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Editing by J. Way (AV Editor)
Special thanks to J. Way for editing this podcast. To collaborate with her, email jwayedits@gmail.com.

Ashley Albert on Survival, Strategy, and Standing on Business

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira is joined by Ashley Albert—organizer, survivor, and founder of Stolen Children’s Month. Ashley shares her journey from foster care and incarceration to becoming the first parent in Washington state to legally enforce and modify an open adoption agreement. Together, they speak truth to power about the family policing system, the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), and the necessity of abolition. This conversation is about legacy, resistance, and the spiritual practice of staying alive and dangerous in the face of erasure.

In this episode, we cover:

(00:22) Ashley’s story of survival and her legal breakthrough in Washington State.
(06:08) What it really takes to fight for your children—and what the system demands.
(09:50) Why Ashley created Stolen Children’s Month and what it means to bear witness.
(21:20) The truth about ASFA, adoption incentives, and systemic erasure.
(34:30) Spiritual resistance, healing justice, and caring for ourselves as abolitionists.
(45:17) Messages for survivors, caregivers, and anyone who's ever felt broken by the system.

Connect with Ashley Albert & Stolen Children’s Month:

• Instagram: @stolenchildrensmonth
• Website: stolenchildrensmonth.com

Listen to these episodes next:

• What We Carried from the Black Mothers March
• Mutual Aid as Resistance: Building Systems of Care

Work With Me:
Email adopteescrossinglines@gmail.com for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Editing by J. Way (AV Editor)
Special thanks to J. Way for editing this podcast. To collaborate with her, email jwayedits@gmail.com.

What We Carried from the Black Mothers March

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira sits down with her editor and friend J Way to reflect on their experience attending the Black Mothers March in Washington, D.C. From the powerful teach in and the emotional impact of firsthand stories to the joyful moments of community and connection, they unpack what it means to organize, to protest, and to be witnessed. Together, they talk about the dystopian reality we’re living in, the role of media in shaping narratives around adoption and family policing, and how they’re carrying the work forward.

In this episode, we cover:

(00:22) The power of the Black Mothers March and what made the teach-in so impactful.
06:54) Surveillance, storytelling, and the intersections of state control and care.
(11:26) Joy, organizing, and finding community as resistance.
(20:39) Reproductive justice, dystopia, and the erasure of Black mothers.
(33:40) What we’re carrying forward—and what comes next.

Call To Action:
Subscribe to Adoptees Crossing Lines wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow us on social media and Substack for more content and community:

• Website: adopteescrossinglines.com
• Instagram: @adopteescrossinglines
• BlueSky: adopteecrossing.bsky.social
• TikTok: @adopteescrossinglines_
• Substack: Adoptees Crossing Lines Substack

Connect with J Way:

• TikTok: @itsyagirl_jway
• BlueSky: @itsjway.bsky.social

Listen to these episodes next:

• Mutual Aid as Resistance: Building Systems of Care
• Ashley Albert on Survival, Strategy & Standing on Business

Work With Me:
Email adopteescrossinglines@gmail.com for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Editing by J. Way (AV Editor)
Special thanks to J. Way for editing this podcast. To collaborate with her, email jwayedits@gmail.com.

Adopted Twice: Kinship, Control, and the Cost of Silence

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira sits down with Kat Shahinian-Buffa to explore the layers of secrecy, grief, and reclamation embedded in kinship adoption. From being adopted the day she was born to uncovering that her sister is also her cousin through a DNA test, Kat walks us through her journey of survival, family deception, and international discovery. Together, they dig into the ways adoption alters identity, why even kinship adoption can be deeply harmful, and what it means to raise yourself.

In this episode, we cover:

• (00:20) Kat’s adoption story, growing up with five siblings, and being raised by her biological uncle’s wife.
• (06:54) Realizing the burden of being “chosen,” perfectionism, and being othered in her adoptive family.
• (17:37) How DNA tests blew open family secrets—including discovering her sister is also her cousin.
• (27:15) Why even kinship adoption isn’t inherently safer or healthier—and how it distorts medical history and relationships.
• (42:10) The long road to healing, mental health support, and raising yourself.

Call To Action:
Subscribe to Adoptees Crossing Lines wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow us on social media and Substack for more content and community:

• Website: adopteescrossinglines.com
• Instagram: @adopteescrossinglines
• BlueSky: adopteecrossing.bsky.social
• TikTok: @adopteescrossinglines_
• Substack: Adoptees Crossing Lines Substack

Connect with Kat Shahinian-Buffa:

• Instagram: @kadasarus
• BlueSky: @kadasaurus.bsky.social

Listen to these episodes next:

• Raised by Auntie, Called Mom: The Complicated Truth of Kinship Adoption

Work With Me:
Email adopteescrossinglines@gmail.com for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Editing by J. Way (AV Editor)
Special thanks to J. Way for editing this podcast. To collaborate with her, email jwayedits@gmail.com.