Breastfeeding In Public

[Lauren]

I don't like it

*reminder* about the all age accepability of this forum

 

[Marc Chevalier]

And breasts are not public.

We Americans inject sex into everything, it seems. :eusa_doh:

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[nightandthecity]

Look on the brightside, bottle-feeding can be breastmilk on a detour. My one friend is doing that, partially for convenience and partially so the dad can bond with the baby by feeding her, and the milk is 100% natural.

Quite true.

BTW, do you really only have one friend?!

 

[Viola]

Quite true.

BTW, do you really only have one friend?!

Grrr, you and Baron Kurtz are trying to drive me crazy.:rage: If I wasn't drinking a sweet soothing cup of mocha right now I'd chomp your head right off.


Viola

 

[nightandthecity]

Sorry! Couldn't resist it!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

And breasts are not public.

Why should they not be public even when they are engaged in the one and only act for which nature intended them? An act, may I add, which is neither sexual nor of the "potty" variety?

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[ClassicIsBetter]

I completely ignore it. I'm offended by it but I also never see it. If it's a controversial subject that can't be agreed upon by a safe majority, or if itt's a subject that must be raised in a forum, then you shouldn't be doing it in public. However, it's better than having them cry that God awful the-world-is-ending-ear-piercing-cry that they have. :rage:

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I'm offended by it ...

Fair enough, but what I'm really trying to find out is why you are offended by it. You see, I'm puzzled by this point-of-view, and I'd like to come closer to understanding it. Explanations will be much appreciated

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[Rebecca D]

It seems that some folks (this is not aimed at everyone in this discussion) are offended by breasts only when they're not used for marketing or entertainment.

 

[ClassicIsBetter]

I'm a conservative person, raised old-fashioned I guess. At the risk of starting a bonfire, I think it's nothing more than feminists group trying to assert themselves. Like I mentioned, I never see it in public, therefore it's not really an issue. I don't see any kind of breast feeding epedemic anywhere yet.

 

[ClassicIsBetter]

It seems that some folks (this is not aimed at everyone in this discussion) are offended by breasts only when they're not used for marketing or entertainment.

Incorrect. I am also against prostitution and adult videos. Nice try though.

 

[Rebecca D]

I think it's nothing more than feminists group trying to assert themselves. QUOTE]'

Huh?

 

[Rebecca D]

Incorrect. I am also against prostitution and adult videos. Nice try though.

So am I. And, my post wasn't aimed directly at anyone.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I don't see any kind of breast feeding epidemic anywhere yet.

Most of the world's mothers breastfeed their children, and in public too. Perhaps, in some subconscious way, we associate public breastfeeding with poverty, the Third World, and people whose cultures are different from ours ... and perhaps this adds to our distaste for it.

Frankly, I don't know. What do you think?

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[Miss Neecerie]

This is, as I am sure Marc already knows, a highly culturally based issue.

It is also one that due to its cultural and 'what I was raised seeing' basis, that tends to be difficult to explain ones opinion on. People that were raised with public breastfeeding as a standard part of life, see no isse and cannot understand why people are prudish. Those who were raised in cultures (and i would say -most- americans fall under this category) that tended not to have long histories of public breastfeeding, tend to not approve of it and yet perhaps cannot really explain why.

Such is the joy of cultural relativity, and in some ways that tends to place this discussion into one of those grey areas where everyone has an opinion and everyone is likely to keep their original opinion regardless of discussion.

Just a reminder to please try and remember that what may be 'obvious' to you, may not be how someone else beleives, and to please remember to respect that and remain polite.

-D

 

[DancingSweetie]

I breastfed both my daughters and did in public only when absolutely necessary (screaming baby), but I always kept covered. I would never feel ok just whipping out the ol' breast like some women do. That's just because I am a very modest person. I don't get offended when I do see it though, I do realize it is the way we were intended to be fed so it's not something to be ashamed of. People need to get over it.

 

[Viola]

Fair enough, but what I'm really trying to find out is why you are offended by it. You see, I'm puzzled by this point-of-view, and I'd like to come closer to understanding it. Explanations will be much appreciated

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I don't really want to see anyone's breasts on the street, whether for marketing, entertainment, or utilitarian purposes. Also, most "obvious breast-feeders" (which I disassociate from the women where you can hardly tell what they're doing) seem to have an aggressive in-your-face style, sort of a cross between a self-righteous vegetarian and a flasher.

Me no like. (How's that for bad grammar?! A new low bar for the day!)

No offense to any present intended,
Viola

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Those who were raised in cultures .... that tended not to have long histories of public breastfeeding, tend to not approve of it and yet perhaps cannot really explain why.

I think you're right. I myself am trying to understand -- and to find a rational basis for -- the way that I react to certain behaviors. One way for me to find understanding is to ask others about their own reactions and the reasons for them. That's essentially what I'm trying to do in this thread.

Just a reminder to please try and remember that what may be 'obvious' to you, may not be how someone else believes, and to please remember to respect that and remain polite.

Yes indeed.

.

 

[nightandthecity]

I completely ignore it. I'm offended by it but I also never see it. If it's a controversial subject that can't be agreed upon by a safe majority, or if itt's a subject that must be raised in a forum, then you shouldn't be doing it in public. However, it's better than having them cry that God awful the-world-is-ending-ear-piercing-cry that they have. :rage:

actually this raises a point that no one has mentioned yet -when a baby's got to feed it's got to feed. The alternative is deeply unhappy kids and that earpiercing cry.

Unless you want mums to all stay at home......

Like Marc, I really do find it hard to understand why anyone could object to something so natural and indeed beautiful.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I don't really want to see anyone's breasts on the street, ... [including for] utilitarian purposes.

Fair enough, but why not?

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