Allright. Now, anybody who knows me will know that I am NOT a breastfeeding Nazi. I do it because it's easy and cheap and really, because I love it and it works for me and Li. I have no problem with people who do not breastfeed- they have their reasons, I'm sure.
Well, I'll scratch that. I have no problem with people not breastfeeding in general. I DO have a problem with people who don't do it, or who have a problem with me doing it, because it's "creepy" and "disgusting". And mostly people who feel this way about doing so in public, and feel like it's okay to spread around that it's "creepy" and "disgusting". Worse yet, some people feel like it's okay to tell people who do it that they find it "creepy" and "disgusting".
WTF people? Tact? Civility? And what the hell is wrong with feeding your child the way nature intended you to? I don't think formula feeding is creepy or disgusting (well, formula is kinda disgusting, but even a lot of people who formula feed think it's disgusting but only in that it smells horrendous and makes for even nastier baby poop. No, really, it does.), but even if I did, I would KEEP IT TO MYSELF. Just because I have an opinion does NOT mean I have to spread it around everywhere like a bad rash.
It seems like nursing in public in particular finds itself at the wrong end of this sort of judgment. I mean, seriously. I think those ear plugs where it looks like there's a gigantic hole in your lobe are creepy and disgusting. Doesn't mean I'm going to go around telling people- and certainly not people who have them! It is their right to do whatever they want to their bodies, and if I don't like to look at it, I just WON'T.
And I guess this isn't even about that. It comes down to that basic desire to bring down other peoples' opinions in favour of our own. We can't just disagree- we have to tear apart, degrade, destroy the other person's opinion. We don't want to hear that the other opinion is just as valid. Like somehow bringing them down makes our personal stance more 'right' and theirs more 'wrong' and acknowledging theirs makes our stance less 'right' and theirs less 'wrong' and that's completely unacceptable.
I'd guess that's where cyber bullying comes from. It's sad, really. We have to gang up on, or just individually rise against and beat down people who don't agree with with us. I say 'we', but really, I strive to be as little like this as possible. It's probably one of my biggest goals in life- to acknowledge, and even understand, the differences in every person- whether they be opinions or choices or anything else.
I have friends who are more creative than I am (hi Doot, PRG). I have friends who are smarter than I am (hello Godwyn, Laura) I have friends who have completely opposite political views to myself (hello Gaaz, at the least) and friends who have different lifestyle choices than I do (hello Diana, and many many others in much more minor ways). And I value these differences greatly. I love learning about them, understanding them, talking to them, debating with them.
What kind of world would this be if we were all the same? I think I'd hate that more than just about anything else this world could be.
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