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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu to want this presenter fired...

324 replies

Princess28 · 12/08/2015 20:07

I'm all for freedom of speech but I think as a radio presenter on BBC you do need to have some standards. He describes (from minutes 9-12) how breastfeeding is 'unnatural' and 'guys' don't want to see it in public. He describes a situation on a bus with a larger lady breastfeeding. He's not a rent a gob guest- he's the presenter. So aibu to want him off the airwaves?

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02y4dz4

OP posts:
Pneumometer · 13/08/2015 17:46

Pneumometer, bf women are protected under the equality act in England. These are civil offences dealt with in tribunals

Speech offences are dealt with in tribunals as civil matters? Do tell more.

Pneumometer · 13/08/2015 17:48

If he were sacked, it would be for breach of contract

They can just release him from his contract at the drop of a hat. He's probably on a three month rolling contract via a service company and has no employment rights whatsoever. All this complex legal theorising is irrelevant.

SmillasSenseOfSnow · 13/08/2015 17:48

Why on earth should he be sacked? I don't agree with his comments but he has done nothing illegal.

That's why people are saying 'sacked' rather than 'put in prison'. Hmm

haveabreakhaveakitkat · 13/08/2015 18:15

Oh god.. boring old Pat Sissons going on about his diet again tomorrow then.

woollytights · 13/08/2015 18:21

Those who take the view that breasts are not sexual, would you still consider it to be a sexual assault if someone grabbed your breast without consent? Presumably yes, whereas you probably wouldn't report a sexual assault if someone touched a baby's bottle without permission.

I believe that the argument that breasts are not sexual is potentially damaging to the cause. The sexual association is deeply ingrained in most people and its simply not realistic to expect to convince people that breasts are not strongly linked with sex. It would be far more effective to encourage and educate people how to deal with their own discomfort, rather than deny it exists.

It just frustrates me in breastfeeding debates when people object to the point of breasts being a sexual body part. For practically every woman, they are, so fighting for the breastfeeding cause with a "fact" that for most people is untrue, is not effective in my opinion.

Whiskwarrior · 13/08/2015 18:23

Limited

How dare you compare him to the lovely Garth! Shock

I nearly wrote that sentence in capitals - it would have read like a Howler from Harry Potter Grin

emotionsecho · 13/08/2015 18:23

He should be sacked not just for his comments on breastfeeding but his comments on women not only those he made on the show but those he made on his public facebook page which I believe is part of the Radio Station's social media output. It may well be that Radio Solent is a small, local station but it is still a publicly funded radio station and should not be condoning or broadcasting the comments he made against women in general and women breastfeeding in particular.

tobysmum77 · 13/08/2015 18:27

yanbu op, unfortunately we still love ina society where old fashioned sexism is considered to be OK. Thankfully racism and homophobia no but sexism (and also discrimination against the disabled) is still rife and accepted.

Its just horrible to think of new mums, struggling to get out listening to this shite Sad . Unfortunately they are in a no win situation because of they bf someone has a pop because they aren't 'discreet' enough but if they ff someone else tells them that's wrong Angry Angry Angry Angry

What a shame I don't live in the area so have no idea who this tosser is. Another good reason to avoid the south Grin .

Quintanimo · 13/08/2015 18:30

What I find really offensive is ugly men on the bus. Just flaunting their veiny flabby faces.

It's just totally unnatural. No need for it when God gave men the ability to grow beards - and there are so many choices for styling facial hair attractively.

I mean - maybe some men have a medical problem with growing a beard - but couldn't they be a bit discreet ? Like a hat, scarf and newspaper in front of their face would be much more considerate.

PUT YOUR UGLY MUG AWAY, LUV!

almondcakes · 13/08/2015 19:05

Woolytights, people have all manner of body parts grabbed, groped and penetrated and it be a sexual assault.

Sexual assaults don't just involve body parts that people think women should keep covered up.

Hamiltoes · 13/08/2015 19:08

wooly good point.

I'm sure I actually heard something once that said men find boobs sexually attractive because of breastfeeding.. I.e back in the caveman days, breasts were a sign of fertility and a symbol of the continuation of the species.

Also heard blonde hair evolved to differ themselves from all the brown hair and have a greater chance of furthering the species.

There was another one to do with certain women of different races having larger hips or bums depending on where they naturally carry a child.

What an interesting smoking hut discussion that was, I never googled it.

But yes, boobs should be recognised as multi purpose. What I mean is when theres a child latched onto one its clearly not sexual. But for some reason certain people can pick and choose which one is OK and which one offends them... I.e OK to BF but NO to p3.

I'm of the opinion lets all live and let live, so long as it hurts no one.

SmillasSenseOfSnow · 13/08/2015 19:11

Also heard blonde hair evolved to differ themselves from all the brown hair and have a greater chance of furthering the species.

I'm not sure whether you're just wording this really badly, but mutations don't occur with a purpose. I can believe that blonde hair that just happened to happen might have been found interesting and different and thus attractive, and thus more blonde offspring were produced. Suggesting that blonde hair came about in order to have this happen - not so much.

sleeponeday · 13/08/2015 19:18

Of course he's entitled to his opinion. Absolutely. He's entitled to hold it and speak it on his own time. He isn't entitled to inflict it on the rest of us as an employee of the state broadcaster unless he's a scriptwriter for Life On Mars.

He's a knobber holding a hugely competitive media job, who just flouted the BBC's own stated values in the most obnoxiously and vocally possible way. If he worked for any private company I've ever heard of and he admitted to saying this crap in a public place, while representing the company, he'd be looking at a formal written warning.

He sounds the same vintage as all the octopus-handed creepers Yewtree has unearthed, to be honest.

limitedperiodonly · 13/08/2015 19:18

I don't understand the Hmm face Smilla

I think it would be quite difficult to imprison him and utterly over the top so I don't know why you mentioned that.

My personal opinion is that even though I find his views irritating, he should not be sacked. I just wouldn't listen

If his employers want to get rid of him, then they can do so.

They might do that if enough people tune to another station.

Yes, he does work for the BBC but no, he doesn't work for us. That's a bit like people ringing up people in public sector jobs with grievances and ranting: 'I pay your wages.'

sleeponeday · 13/08/2015 19:19

Woollytights that's a really interesting perspective. Shall ponder it.

sleeponeday · 13/08/2015 19:21

If he worked for any private company I've ever heard of

Sorry, should be If he worked for any private company I've ever worked for. I doubt Loaded mag's personnel were slow to be this way, and pretty sure there are numerous other examples if I could be bothered to remember them.

tobysmum77 · 13/08/2015 19:26

limited would the same apply for racist views or are only sexist ones bit acceptable (both of which incedentally are covered by the equality act?)

APlaceOnTheCouch · 13/08/2015 19:28

Pneumometer you are wrong and obviously pig-headed. I'm not sure there is much point in trying to educate you since you'd rather spend your time googling offensive t-shirts than whether or not there have been cases where people have been charged for using the term pikey. But, just in case I am doing you a dis-service, there was a case in 2007 where someone was convicted of racially aggravated harassment for using the word ‘pikey’. You can google it.

badooby · 13/08/2015 19:28

Very good point woolly and I speak as someone who has bfed in public loads and often made no attempt whatsoever to be discreet (although I am pretty much permanently discrete)

I don't know whether making a free speech martyr out of this absolute bellend of a man is going to be very productive either, although I hope he's sobbing into his split ends right now. But I also agree that the combo of misogyny and racism displayed by one of the callers was particularly nasty and he perhaps deserves to lose his job just for failing to pull the plug on that one.

SoupDragon · 13/08/2015 19:28

I think it would be quite difficult to imprison him and utterly over the top so I don't know why you mentioned that.

It's quite straightforward. You said he hadn't done anything illegal. Smilla pointed out that that was why people were suggesting he should be sacked and not suggesting he should be put in prison.

tobysmum77 · 13/08/2015 19:32

I think the sexual point is interesting. In a society where no one bats an eyelid if a woman goes out in hotpants and a low cut top (no judgement from here people can wear what they want imo). Apparently the second a woman is breastfeeding people feel uncomfortable? I really, really don't get it.

StillFrankie · 13/08/2015 19:36

He's wrong of course but I get equally peed off at those who go n and on about how great BFing is. We get it, so stfu and get on with it.

tobysmum77 · 13/08/2015 19:38

I formula fed both of my children, its about the rights of women to me not breastfeeding.

badooby · 13/08/2015 19:40

I think it's to do with the sucking of nipples tobysmum. In any context other than bf, doing that in public would get you arrested. Lots of people can't separate out the two things and have a sort of irrational response when they see a baby sucking a nipple. I think their brains are shouting 'that woman and her baby are doing foreplay!' They know this is ridiculous, which makes them even more irritable and irrational Grin

tobysmum77 · 13/08/2015 19:42

It kind of makes me wonder what the obsession is for discretion then Confused

Other types of discreet nipple sucking would also be unacceptable.....