So disappointed by brainpickings' latest newsletter...

[edamsavestheday]

for quoting this gem:

'Next to each positive event, answer the question Why did this happen? For example... if you wrote, My sister just gave birth to a healthy baby boy, you might pick as the cause She did everything right during her pregnancy.

Ruddy hell. I know they are quoting Seligman and I imagine they are American but did they not see the stupidity, misogyny and disablism in that line?

[[http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2014/02/18/martin-seligman-gratitude-visit-three-blessings/

right link this time

Eurgh.

I've seen poster campaigns like that before. It makes me angry and when they are in HCP's offices I complain. It's not just bad for women, it's bad science.

I saw a poster that said "breast fed babies are smarter than other babies"

And "I was born healthy and on time because my mommy didn't smoke or drink when she was pregnant with me"!

I then had to get in to an argument where I explained that some women do everything by the book and their children are still ill and you might as well slap them in the face as you just said it was their fault that they had an ill premature baby. Sexist and cruel double whammy.

And also explained that breastfeeding increases your baby's IQ. It does not make your baby smarter than other babies. Einstein would have been Einstein if he had been raised on Bovril and gravy.

And "I was born healthy and on time because my mommy didn't smoke or drink when she was pregnant with me"!

Wonder what the writer of the poster would say when confronted with the non-smoking, non-drinking did everything "right" relative of mine who gave birth to a severely disabled child (father had a de novo mutation).

These biologically clueless clots make me so

Yeah and it was in an office that provided health and nutritional advice to pregnant women and new mothers and run by HCP. I was furious and I've been very lucky to have (so far very healthy very overdue babies) while not being the "perfect pregnant woman". It must have just broken the heart of someone who gave birth to a sick baby. People always wonder what they "did wrong" in the first place, even when they haven't.. all you need is a poster to tell you as much

That's the point where I stopped reading the mail too.

Quite - it's plain wrong, it's horrible and cruel and stupid. From a publication that is supposed to be reasonably intelligent and from an author who thinks he is dead clever. Which makes it even worse. When someone doesn't know any better, it's less their fault - when someone who trades on his intelligence makes a crass, stupid, hurtful statement like this it's hard to avoid the conclusion that it's actual prejudice.

I'm dying to know what she actually said..?

Drinking in pregnancy's another area ripe for debate. The only evidence is that heavy drinking causes foetal alcohol syndrome. There's no evidence that the odd glass of wine will have any negative effect at all.