barbara walters rant

[talloulou]

Please forgive this rant but I am fuming mad and need a quick outlet to vent my frustrations.

I just finished watching MSNBC's coast to coast and the topic was breastfeeding and whether or not women should be allowed to do it in public!!!!!! Apparently this topic was prompted because Barbara Walters said she finds breastfeeding on planes offensive!!!!!

Am I crazy. This makes me want to scream! Barbie looking Monica from MSNBC agrees with Barbara Walters and she feels that breasfeeding is private, personal, and intimate and should not be done in public!!! Hello babies eat like every half hour and when they need to eat they need to eat immediately. I guess woman should remain imprisoned in their homes for the first year or spend every half hour searching desperately for hiding spots to breastfeed in shame. What the hell is this all about??? Women who bend over and their butt crack sticks out, belly shirts, major cleavage, restaurants called Hooters for God sakes......But Barbara and Barbie are offended by a breastfeeding mother. And MSNBC gives these morons airtime to actually argue and debate their ignorance. I'm sorry but if Barbara Walters said she finds transexuals offensive because they are too "in your face" she would be forced to apologize and the networks would be outraged at her political incorrectness.

I breastfed my first child under blankets and my shirt so noone ever saw by breast. However my second child refused to eat if something covered her face. She would just scream so I had no choice but to breastfeed with tiny parts of my breast showing. Can't people just get over it! If your uncomfortable look away. According to the idiot on MSNBC I was doing what she calls "in your face breastfeeding." She doesn't feel it is right for women to inflict this type of breastfeeding on others.

Please someone agree with me that these people are morons before my head explodes in anger.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I'm kind of both sided on this. If a mother is walking around Wal-Mart breast feeding her child, I don't think that should be done in public. That's why those places have bathrooms. BUT, if you are on an airplane and you need to feed your child, I think you should be able to as long as you cover yourself from others. Meaning either putting a blanket over yourself or turning to the side or just simply asking the person next to you if they mind. Most people don't mind. I surely wouldn't be offended if a woman sitting next to me on an airplane asked if I would mind if she breast fed her child next to me. It's just a little excessive to look outside and see a woman walking down the street breast feeding a child. That's probably a little more extreme than you meant, but it's just an example.

 

[Meredith]

There was actually a protest outside of where they tape the view. A "nurse in" if you will. A bunch of mothers with babies breastfeeding on the street. I nursed my daughter in public. I tried to keep covered when I did. I am not offended by people who wont cover up though. Its your babies food. That is what they are FOR. I feel bad for Barbara. I think she is uncomfortable with it because she doesn't understand what its all about.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

That's the same line of thought that I was thinking. I would think that people who are offended, don't understand why mothers breastfeed. They are not a mother and have never breastfed a child before.

 

[TankGirl]

I agree. All you have to do is turn on MTV anytime and you can see mostly naked women performing lewd acts, and in public it is nothing to see more skin than not, so I do not understand people who are uncomforable with breastfeeding. However, breasts are seen not as a functional thing for feeding babies, but an attribute used to attract a partner, so I think people are uncomfortable seeing a baby attached to a body part that is associated with, um, a physical relationship between adults.

A similar thing was in the news in S. Florida where I lived when my oldest was a baby 12 years ago. I took her everywhere and was glad to be able to nurse her whenever necessary, but I would not have done so in a Walmart bathroom - pathogen central! I also nursed the twins but nursing the two of them in public was not such a simple thing.

I wish more women breastfed their children just for the benefits for the baby and for the mother (you burn some serious calories making milk) and more probably would do it if there was not such a stigma attached to it.

 

[talloulou]

Well, I just think if someone has a problem with a baby nursing in public then that someone should be offered a towel to drape over their head and they should also quickly be given instructions on how to get to the nearest germ infested bathroom or utility closet where they can crouch and hide until the baby is finished eating.

 

[deli_conker]

That's why those places have bathrooms.

Do you make it a habit to eat your meals in public restrooms? Conversely, you won't catch me taking a leak next to the table you're sitting at. Why should a baby, who's vulnerable in so many ways to so many things, have to be exposed to such an environment? There was an Australian commercial that had a guy sitting in a stall eating a salad with all sorts of bathroom "noises" going on around him. At the end of the commercial they said "You wouldn't eat your lunch there would you?"

I think it's pretty much retarded to to get mad at women breastfeeding in public. What are you in fifth grade? Grow up already. My girlfriend breastfeeds our child in public. Puts a blanket over the "offensive area" and moves on with life. Thus far nobody has said anything. I pity the first person who does.

Maybe I'm just sick of all these "Holier Than Thou" ***wipes being offended by non-violent, non-abusive, non-threatening behavior. Not just with breastfeeding, but with any form of political correctness issues. It's been taken too far and people are going to start snapping. Like I said, first person that says anything to us about it is going to get served.

On a positive note, we went to a local science museum and the baby had to eat. We later filled out a comment card where we noted that we were glad that none of the staff complained about it. We got a letter back from them saying that they had no problem with it and were building a lounge specifically for that purpose (special chairs and everything). That's the smart thing to do if you're worried about oversensitive idiots wanting to assert their self importance over you; create a space for it, don't condemn it to a bathroom.

 

[Menagerie]

I pity the first person who does.

Me too!

 

[fishyrican]

My wife breast-fed both of our daughters. There were times when we were in public and the girls wanted to eat. We would pick a discreet corner and my wife would breastfeed the girls with a towel over her shoulder. I completely agree with Tankgirl. Our culture today has seen/condoned worse. My attitude on this topic has always been: Become an engineer--build a bridge and get over it.

 

[Toirtis]

People who have an issue with this are apparently not very experienced.....3/4 of the world's population does not have issues with public breastfeeding....I just don't get Americans, rampant, bloody, gruesome violence on TV is entertainment, but the sight of a woman breastfeeding in public is too horrible to tolerate....I'm glad that its legal for women to go topless in Canada.

 

[ReefRaff]

hey I'm all for the breast feeding thing.

 

[Rach101]

Seriously!
Whats worse to see, a mother caring for her adorable baby.
Or a baby screaming its head off because they are hungry?
If you don't like it you can merely move away from the woman,
Id rather see a womans breast fully exposed even then hearing a poor little baby screaming its lungs out because its hungry and the woman cant feed the baby yet.

 

[cJw]

To put it simply, some people are stupid. :|

Actually, ignorant would be a more appropriate word.

 

[fishyrican]

To put it simply, some people are stupid. :|

Actually, ignorant would be a more appropriate word.

IMO, "ignorant" is someone who does not know the facts. "Stupid" is someone who refuses to acknowledge the facts or take the necessary steps to learn them.

So, in the case of this thread, both may be correct, although I suspect many people just do not want to be bothered with the facts.

 

[malkore]

If you don't wanna see a woman breast feed her baby....don't stare at her in awe when she does.

Some solutions are so simple.

 

[Melody]

Ahhh... I can feel my blood boiling right now...
I nursed my daughter for three years. I refused to hide to feed her, although I will add that after about 1 1/2 years I stopped nursing her in public. To nurse my daughter it was so handy. The milk was always warm, I never had to sterilize a bottle, I lost very little sleep because we had a family bed, and she knew how to find it on her own without waking anyone up.
The US is the only country that it is customary to ween an infant before 6 months. Does anyone know the world wide average age of weening a child??? (Last I checked) It was 6 years old... SIX!!! Some civilizations will nurse up to 9! That seems a little excessive to me, but to each their own.
While I nursed, the major problem I had was WOMEN! The men dont care, and I am not even sure they ever knew that there was a child being nursed, unless they had been around it before and then what do they care. The most grief I received was from older women, There would be little whispers as they walked by, *ewww...yuck.... why cant she do that at home* *That baby is to old to be doing that... thats just wrong*

As has been said already... what about all the skin we are seeing on TV.... Well forget TV, when is the last time anyone went to the mall.... How about these overweight teens, wearing the hip huggers and the too short shirts. they have 5 inches of fat hanging out from under the shirt... but no one is having a problem with that!!!????

It makes me wish I was still lactating... I would be right along with the nurse in.

 

[cJw]

IMO, "ignorant" is someone who does not know the facts. "Stupid" is someone who refuses to acknowledge the facts or take the necessary steps to learn them.

You're absolutely right - iirc, those defs are fairly close to the dictionary ones.

fyi, my wife's a labor and delivery nurse, and we had our daughter a little over a year ago, so I'm fairly well versed in this (whether I wanted to be or not ).

Ignorant being the right term in this sense, most women (and men), especially those who grew up before the 'breastfeeding boom' in the 70s, don't know the true benefits of breastfeeding - immune system benefits, emotional benefits, even an increase in IQ of 10 points or more - but instead were brainwashed by the media into using formula due to ease of use (psyeah!) and supposed health benefits. There are still many societies today who still adhere to this false truth for whatever reason.

Fat hanging out from under a too small tee is much more offensive, imho, than the excessive b00b than is shown on the television 90% of the day. :|

 

[deli_conker]

they have 5 inches of fat hanging out from under the shirt... but no one is having a problem with that!!!????

Thanks for ruining my appetite. I think it's part of the "be happy with who you are for a better self image" campaign gone too far. There are too many people wearing tight clothes that just shouldn't. I know, I know, it's their right to wear whatever they want. But it's my right to say "Cover that fat up. You're frightening my children."

I'll see if I can find that commercial. I'll post a link when I do.

 

[Melody]

I think its gross when these girls have all the fat hanging out... but I am still not bashing them. If thats what they want to wear, thats fine. I still think its gross, but I am also not going to scream about it and demand they build rooms where they can flaunt their fat. If I see it I just turn away. I always have my camera with me wherever I go. I have thought more then once... just take the pic of her from behind, and show her what she looks like from the back side. Then I would RUN!!! I know I could outrun her....
The last thing I want to sound like is that I am critizing all people that may have a few more pounds then they are supposed to. I am not. There are plenty of ways we all can dress to look good, neat & tidy, without having rolls hanging out. Buying clothes that fit would be a start for some of these girls I am talking about. I am getting off topic... I am so sorry. I am really bad at that sort of thing. But I feel it all ties together... SOMETHING is going to offend SOMEONE. Its just absurd that someone as well educated and professional as Barbera would condemn something as natural as breastfeeding. She only stated that it creeped her out. There are alot of things that creep me out... but I am not going to talk to the world about them.

 

[talloulou]

Well, breastfeeding for at least one year does reduce the amount of fat cells a baby has, thus putting them less at risk for obesity later in life, so I guess that ties the bf and fat topics together. LOL