To wonder why people get so inflamed over breastfeeding on here?

[DaisyLovesMetronidazole]

I'm not bashing Mumsnet in general - I think it's a great site.

I fully understand the benefits of BF. I breastfed all of mine for 18 months. It was great.

Some of my friends did it for longer, others not as long, others not at all.

On here, as soon as someone says something less than 'Mumsnet Mainstream' about it, they seem to get jumped on a lot more heavily than anyone flaunting even very controversial opinions on other matters. In the other thread, I'm guessing almost 50% of replies involved telling the OP to fuck off.

Is anyone else confused at all, or am I completely alone?

Spudulika, what you said a few posts back is exactly what I think and why I care about whether people breastfeed or bottlefeed, and the attitudes people have about infant feeding. Good posts from you, and I'm sad to see that they seem to have been largely ignored here.

DLM - I'm not riled up by Porphyria's opinion, but I am riled by the way she expresses it.

Porphryia:

1. you haven't answered my question about your choice to cause offence by using an analogy between breastfeeding and defecation.
2. I can't speak for that mother. I can't be sure that how you perceived it was how I would have perceived it. But are you truly trying to argue that women are regularly sitting around in British cafes with their breasts fully exposed before feeding? Honestly? I've not only never seen this happening myself, I've never heard of anyone say it's happening until you did. I suspect that it is a wildly rare occurrence. So why spend your time talking about an edge case like that?
3. In the end, when it happened, why did you want to not see the woman's breast? Did the sight revolt you? How could you be anything but indifferent to it? It's only some flesh, fgs!

MarianneM, agree that spudulika's post was very right and very important.

Never understood all this comparisons of various body parts and behaviours, to save confusion why not address what breastfeeding actually is...a baby eating.

Nothing more and nothing less. Simply a baby eating, how can anyone object to that ?

"You see, I disagree with porphyria but can't really bring myself to get riled up over her opinion."

But that's probably because you're not considering the fact that attitudes like Porphyria's are part of what contributes to our poor breastfeeding rates in the uk. Or maybe you do accept that it has a negative impact on new
mums' experiences of breastfeeding but you just don't care?

She probably just forgot she's got her boob out, got distracted - I'd have discreetly reminded her.

Americans have hooter hiders??? And UDDER COVERS???????

Vastly rather see a bare breast that a massive wobbly arse in a tight pair of cheap white leggings, but wouldn't take it upon myself to question the morals of the person wearing them.

UDDER COVERS?????????? Sorry, still in shock here.

Hooter hiders nowt to do with HOOTERS the 'restaurant' chain of course. Hooter hiders definitely wouldn't be welcome there.....

lenin surely this would be counted as having boob shoved in his face rather than your link?

LeninGrad, the image you posted - does Hugo Chavez look uncomfortable to you? He is touching the woman's shoulder while talking to her. What exactly is the problem? People have such ridiculous issues with breastfeeding it really would be laughable if it wasn't so sad.

Yuk at udder covers.
I doubt I would leave my boob hanging out while standing up, looking in rucksack etc. But I have been known to have a bit of nipple on display for thirty seconds or so as I deal with DD. Eg if she comes off the boob and immediately tries to launch herself off my lap onto the floor.

I think the problem is we're all forgetting that boobs are primarily for feeding babies. It's the sexualisation of breasts that has caused a lot of this hoo ha. IMHO.

Porphryia:

1. "It was simply intended to illustrate a point."
   That is a description of your intention. But you have said that enlightened people curb their behaviours to avoid causing offense. The road to hell and all that... You behaved in a way that caused offence to others to, in your words, "simply illustrate a point". I'm not sure why you'd think that was acceptable given that you think mothers who leave a breast exposed simply in the course of feeding their baby are doing something unacceptable. I think you should retract your comments that caused offence. It would be hypocritical to do anything else.

2. I asked why you've spent so much time on something you've agreed is a very unusual occurrence. After all, you did so in the context of a debate about BF vs FF in general. You didn't post your story on AIBU and ask about the specifics. You were surely illustrating a general point, no? Why use an extreme case to do that?

3. "Surely whatever I say here is going to be wrong in some way?"
   That was kind of my point, you've been offended by nothing that it's sensible to be offended about. You said you were offended by:
   a) the exposure itself
   b) the obliviousness of the mother to the impact of her actions
   So, you've agreed that the sight of the flesh, in and of itself, offended you. Why?