Read this shocking article about the damaging effects of formula and the immoral practices of the companies who peddle this junk.

[moondog]

From The Ecologist magazine.

Here.....

Grim reading.

Must admit I am rather surprised Moondog hasn't returned to this thread. Perhaps she was simply putting the article out there rather than looking for a debate about it???

NQC, of course!

But the way things get reported for example in this apology for a piece of journalism just doesn't help anybody. And neither do threads like this which educate no-one. If I were a first time mum I would be desparately confused.

NCT, LLL et al often don't reach the very people who need the help, support & advice. That is, most of us.

I'm actually rather agreeing with something that Greeensleeves wrote on a different thread (nothing to do with bottle feeding)

"However I do think the thread title is a bit negative and could put people's backs up unnecessarily - well, it has

We ALL have unique problems and sorrows in our lives. I think this thread is fine and good, but the title doesn't help anyone. It's adversarial."

Well said Greensleeves. Absolutely.

Pity you didn't respond to it on the thread I said it on then, Jimjams

Massive thread now so haven't got time to read it. Read first comment and article and quite frankly - what a load of pants!

I have only scanned the article (has anyone except Greeny read it yet? ) but the title appears to be a fairly accurate precis, to me.

Couldn't Greensleeves, I wasn't a member at the time. So it is one rule for one set of topics one for another???

Franny - "damaging effects of formula" implies an active role by formula as opposed to an inactive not as protective as breastmilk
"peddling this junk" not only is insulting (if you care what terminology Moondog uses that is) by the use of the word junk. It also uses "peddling" which is a term associated with drugs.

"Please read this article about formula feeding and its potential negative effects on health"
I think that is quite eye-catching, yet not inflammatory.

I believe formula can damage health in some circumstances. I didn't realise that was in question, really.

Peddling an emotive word, yes. I think moondog's ire is aimed at the formula companies. The word junk was the term used in the article, I do know that.

I will leave this thread for now as am in danger of becoming a moondog apologist here and I hardly think she needs anyone to fulfill that role. I also think the title was inadvisable, but was thrown by the early sentiments on the thread that negative aspects of bottle feeding should not be discussed as could lead to guilty feelings for bottle feeding mothers. That's my gripe, really.

why has moondog not appear to this thread, even though it's her post?????????????????????????????????????????????

Well, I've read it too and I thought it was quite a good article. I can understand why Moondog wanted it 'out there', though the title of the thread is inflammatory. However, no more so, IMHO, than the tactics of the formula companies which are, frankly, absolutely shameless and utterly immoral, and I don't think that can be said too often or loudly enough. No blame to mothers here, whether they breastfeed or not. It's entirely down to corporate greed - no company makes formula milk because it wants to save babies' lives. And that's what the article says. Well, inter alia.

No, Jimjams, it's simply that the excerpt you've rather bizarrely copied and pasted refers to a thread with a title which IMO was tasteless and offensive. This thread title isn't, IMO. It's a bit OTT, but not offensive. Nothing to do with the topic.

I don't believe there are any rules about having to return regularly, or even at all, to caretake one's thread once started.

Or if there are I am in big trouble

Squarer - there is an argument that, as breastfeeding is biologically the "normal" way of feeding a baby, it does not have health advantages over formula. Rather, formula has disadvantages in comparison with breastmilk.

I think the early sentiments were fuelled by the thread title Franny, and that is the "problem".
I think the negative aspects of bottlefeeding should be discussed too, but what use is a discussion which alienates a whole load of people before they even get to the article.
Everyone talks about the big bucks that formula companies have to promote their product but it costs absolutley nothing to market the plus side of breastfeeding effectively in this forum. By being inflammatory the message is no longer as effective.

Well I think that Moondog who usually manages to express herself in an educated and passionate manner on breastfeeding threads has shot herself in the foot with this one.

Yes the highly dramatic (and to some insulting) title has drawn a lot of attention to the thread but for me it has just made me not want to read the article because the title just makes me think it is another piece of lazy and highly provocative journalism with a stink of tabloid about it.
Now it may be very informative and interesting but I will never know, and the one thing we need is more education to help breastfeeding levels, a lot of people may have missed out on a helpful article because of the choice of words in the title, and that I am afraid is down to Moondogs lack of judgement on the title.

I agree with that statement LucyJu, but the end result is semantics within the context of the statistics (IMO ).

Hey, Franny... didn't you know you were on the WANTED list????

Oh Greensleeves so YOU decide which topics are tasteless and offensive. If you look at the ahem previous thread you'll see that 90? 95?% of people contributing were quite a ease with it and understood exactly what the OP was getting at. I think the majority found it amusing.

And this one. Hmmm maybe slighly more of a split? Perchance?

Certainly appears to have upset a few more people.

I suspect this thread title could be described as adversarial.

jimjams, step away and make a brew. i have decided to leave this thread well alone.

I have this mental image of Moondog right now, down to her last 5 Pringles and poised to post.....

I'm watching lost in translation. I'm not upset (as I kind of count myself as a breastfeeder in the grand scheme of things), just interested in the whole contruction of arguments. Busman's holiday

Yeah, I'm off to watch a film before Measles Boy rears his spotty head... Good call Misdee

Jimjams, Greensleeves will of course decide which thread titles are tasteless and offensive to her, as is her right,and is free to share her opinion. I find your aggression towards her on this thread a bit disturbing tbh. Not everyone who found the other thread title upsetting posted as much, you know. Not everyone feels like going head to head with you every time they disagree with you.

i am watching My Breasts and I.

how apt!