Woman kicked off plane for breast-feeding baby

VictoryGin wrote:

What's weird is that seeing breasts in a sexual context is okay, but seeing them in the context for which they were made is not okay. If you look around you, sex and breasts are used to sell most things and you see them in sexual contexts in movies, on tv, (think about how much more 'normal' it is to see breasts than a penis on tv and in a movie) etc.

It really pisses me off when people get all worked up over breastfeeding. It's so amazingly stupid.

LOL Actually...

It would be pretty hilarious if most products were sold by displaying the buldge as the key marketing grab. (No pun intended)

Of course, if it had always been that way maybe it would just be normal?

ThumbingMyWay32 wrote:

LOL Actually...

It would be pretty hilarious if most products were sold by displaying the buldge as the key marketing grab. (No pun intended)

Of course, if it had always been that way maybe it would just be normal?

yeah, i think you're right.

pics?

Breast feeding a 22 month old toddler. That's definitely kind of awkward.

VictoryGin wrote:

no, but i think i know which book that is. is it a collection of women's stories who were labeled sluts? the problem with something like that (if i'm thinking of the right book) is that sure, you can put a collection of essays together to paint any picture when you're not using representative samples. i'm not dismissing the occurance of some women perpetuating that kind of oppression, but it's certainly not the whole picture. and i'm not sure that women could be blamed for originating that kind of thing.

I agree. I view the problem of female cattiness as a consequence of patriarchy. When women's achievements are many times assessed by the males who hold the majority of power, it can be natural that women might fight each other for the male-handed-out power. This means competing on the male terms, rather than developing one's own, and being true to one's nature. For example, partriarchical systems tend to be hierarchical, and therefore one person will "win out", rather than with lateral systems where each individual is appreciated for their own merits. Women's brains naturally work more laterally, although apparently we alter that with a lifetime of "selling out" to the other system. In hierachies, one is encouraged to win at the expense of another. Therefore this is by no means a woman-only way. And yet, it can manifest itself with women in a need to be "better" than the woman beside her, including all kinds of underhanded methods of doing so.

It nauseates me to see women support such hierarchies. And yet, the large majority of women most of us meet were also raised in a patriarchical system and naturally pander to and perpetuate it. It's just where we are at this time with men and women creating the imbalance.

The child is almost two years old, the parents knew they were taking a flight of less than 1 hr.1/2 could she not have prepared a bottle of breast milk, juice or water? No! there is nothing wrong with breast feeding. At 22 months, however, parents do have some control and options.

What puzzles me is why she did this at the boarding stage of the flight? The mother's location would not have prevented her from being exposed to passengers looking for their seats or placing their carryon bags. Again, why pick the boarding stage when a child is likely to be distracted by the activity on the plane or outside of the window?

If her "legal right" outweighed her indiscretion, why didn't she feed the child in the terminal while waiting for the flight? Why did she feel the need to wait until they were on the plane to immediately start breast feeding?

puremagic wrote:

The child is almost two years old, the parents knew they were taking a flight of less than 1 hr.1/2 could she not have prepared a bottle of breast milk, juice or water? No! there is nothing wrong with breast feeding. At 22 months, however, parents do have some control and options.

What puzzles me is why she did this at the boarding stage of the flight? The mother's location would not have prevented her from being exposed to passengers looking for their seats or placing their carryon bags. Again, why pick the boarding stage when a child is likely to be distracted by the activity on the plane or outside of the window?

If her "legal right" outweighed her indiscretion, why didn't she feed the child in the terminal while waiting for the flight? Why did she feel the need to wait until they were on the plane to immediately start breast feeding?

Its not so easy. Do you have children? At this age the mothere is not going to offer the breast in this situation, but the child will ask for it if it wants it. (And they do it much younger too) A breastfeeding child and mother are a long term cemented relationship. You just can't hand a kid that age who has never seen or used a bottle and expect them to know what to do with it. Additionally, breastfeeding (nursing) is NOT just about providing sustenance. There is also an important emotional factor involved too. To a child who is used to breastfeeding, it is used as a calming factor and a way to feel secure. Getting on a plane, in a crowded unfamiliar environment is not going to be the best feeling for a little one. To give him or her a few moments reassurance at the breast is the most natural thing in the world and my guess is that is what was going on.

Additionally, takeoff and landing with the pressure changes can be quite unpleasant on the eardrums particulary for little ones who don't understand what is going on, and that it will be over soon. (Remember how the flight attendants hand out mints to suck on when the landings are hurting peoples' ears?) Sucking on the breast can help the child decrease his or her pain level during the takeoff and landing, and perhaps the mother wanted the child to get settled so it wouldn't be in pain during takeoff.

JaneNY wrote:

Its not so easy. Do you have children? At this age the mothere is not going to offer the breast in this situation, but the child will ask for it if it wants it. (And they do it much younger too) A breastfeeding child and mother are a long term cemented relationship. You just can't hand a kid that age who has never seen or used a bottle and expect them to know what to do with it. Additionally, breastfeeding (nursing) is NOT just about providing sustenance. There is also an important emotional factor involved too. To a child who is used to breastfeeding, it is used as a calming factor and a way to feel secure. Getting on a plane, in a crowded unfamiliar environment is not going to be the best feeling for a little one. To give him or her a few moments reassurance at the breast is the most natural thing in the world and my guess is that is what was going on.

Additionally, takeoff and landing with the pressure changes can be quite unpleasant on the eardrums particulary for little ones who don't understand what is going on, and that it will be over soon. (Remember how the flight attendants hand out mints to suck on when the landings are hurting peoples' ears?) Sucking on the breast can help the child decrease his or her pain level during the takeoff and landing, and perhaps the mother wanted the child to get settled so it wouldn't be in pain during takeoff.

Being that the child is nearly two, it is not dependent solely on breast feeding. I have no doubt, barring any medical or disability issues, she drinks juice and water from either a cup or bottle. So, for all the reasons you have stated, the mother could have just as easily provided the same simulated nursing relief from flight pressure utilizing a bottle of breast milk, juice or water as they knew that would be flying. The emotional factor of being near the mother was not an issue. As the mother indicated that there were three occupied seats, she had already been holding the child.

The flight attendant offered her a blanket for privacy, not to stop the breast feeding process. If the blanket was unacceptable, why didn't the parents simply use something they had packed. The parents knew that they nursed this child, they knew they were taking a flight, why didn't they have a towel handy that could have been used? They could have used their jacket or sweater. I don't see where her rights were violated. I would speculate that the reason she was removed from the plane was because she became argumentative and disruptive with her "my legal rights" because I am mother and your not, you know nothing and, see, its just a breast speech and attitude while flashing it as a titty. [Its a titty when there's no baby attached, it doesn't make a difference what it was used for 5 minutes beforehand.]

Making the point that only parents can understand and appreciate the nursing process is absurd. Everyone can appreciate the need of a nursing mother. At the same time, nursing parents need to appreciate the fact that a request for discretion is not an insult to motherhood but simply a request due to the environment. It was the flight attendant's job to ensure that all passengers were comfortable.