I've just remembered how much people hate women.

[hazchem]

A women was asked to move to the toilets to feed her baby in a well known Sydney restaurant today. The law in Australia protects women from this sort of treatment. The management has responded well although has not yet apologized publicly.
What gets me is the bullshit on facebook. It's two fold really all the cover up, seeing women's boob in public is wrong shit but i hate the would you want to eat your lunch in a toilet because what that does is diminish the fact that the women is being discriminated for doing something that is part of her biological function. Also it seams like women are the ones, in this case, being all don't feed in public it's gross.
It's got me in a right funk. stupid facebook. I wish the good bits of it could be somewhere without the rubbish.
I've put this hear cause I'm more pissed off about the sexist shit then breastfeeding I hope that's ok.

[SirChenjin]

Shouldn't the title of your post be "I've just remembered how ignorant some people can be about breastfeeding" or "I've just remembered that FB is a load of crap"

'People' don't hate women.

[Onesleeptillwembley]

'People hate women' it's ridiculous generalisations like that that cheapen reasoned, justified statements.

[hazchem]

Either of those are also true but what I was trying to get across is that I think not upholding women's rights comes from a place of hatred.
Obviously not all people hate women but I think that the type of thing I've seen on the site suggest a hatred of women and it came from both men and women.

[hazchem]

See I used people as I wanted to include men and women in it. Probably should have used some people.

[SirChenjin]

No - I think it stems from a fear or hatred of breastfeeding in public which can be associated with the belief that breasts=sex and so either confuses some people or makes them uncomfortable. I don't believe that people generally hate one sex or the other.

[hazchem]

But I sort of think that breast =sex stuff is tired up with a whole load of weird and unhealthy ideas about what women are in relation to both sex and mothering.
I'm probably about to make an arse of myself here. But I guess I'd say that discrimination against people who are gay is often from a place of fear and hatred and I think that the same things occur to in regards to a persons sex.

[scallopsrgreat]

I think it is also about women taking up public space. Public spaces are traditionally dominated by men. Women breastfeeding in public is something that reminds men that public space is for women too and babies and children .

[hazchem]

Buffy and scallop thanks for articulating what I was feeling. Yes that's it. I do know it's a jump but not a big one.
I don't think all people hate women but I think a fair few do. Also I think there is a probably a level of internalized sexism in quite a few women.

[CailinDana]

I think hatred is perhaps the wrong word. Without a doubt some men do hate women, in a deep vitriolic way. When it comes to women I think it's more down to powerful social conditioning that is so effective that often men don't need to play any part, women police each other on behalf of the patriarchy - handy, eh? It's a tough topic in feminism (an aspect of which I've been discussing on another thread about challenging older women) because if you forgive women for having these attitudes because they've been socialised to think that way, do you then also need to forgive men their sexist views for the same reason? On the one hand you can argue no because men are the powerful group and thus their views are more damaging and also they have more scope to change things. However both women and men can have a lack of insight into how their views are formed and influrnced by society. They simply think "that's the way things are" and don't question it. So is that sort of ignorance equally fogiveable/unforgiveable in men and women?

[CailinDana]

It's apt that you mention the fight to hold onto ignorance buffy because that's essentially the problem I've been discussing in older women. In that case though I think it is easier and less painful for a woman who has accepted.patriarchal shit all.her life to reject the feminist view than to admit she didn't have to accept shit and that in fact her father/brother/husband is a sexist who actually should have done housework and helped look after children instead of sitting on his arse being waited on by women. So how should we view such willful ignorance when it's motivated by self-protection?

[CailinDana]

It brings home just how ingrained and pervasive misogyny is when women will defend misogynistic views because to question them would mean questioning such a large part of their everyday lives.

[CailinDana]

How many women have you seen "whipping them out" popular?

[bringonyourwreckingball]

Popular if you try to feed your baby with your dick you're doing it wrong.

[NiceTabard]

Hmmm

I have certainly never seen any tits while eating at my local caff... where the builders go... erm....



Oh fuck me they're everywhere!!!

populartalks I don't think you should leave the house again. It's just not safe.

[NiceTabard]

OH MY GOD there are TITS on the tube too! And the bus! And sometimes on the street!!!!

Hide hide hide!!!!

You know what, if we just stopped all the page 3 and everything, there would be SO many less tits everywhere. Let's concentrate on that. Rather than on hungry babies having a feed.

PHEW! Glad we got that sorted