ST Alpha - "ST Poll: This is making huge waves on a DC blog. Thoughts on the reaction of the poster/commenter?" (Reading a Post)

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ST Poll: This is making huge waves on a DC blog. Thoughts on the reaction of the poster/commenter?

Posted by MDH (aka MDH) Mar 23 '16, 11:28

Yesterday at about 330 pm I was sitting in the children’s section of the DC Public Library Branch in Tenleytown next to a shelf of board books for small children. I was nursing my son, as I have several times before there, and reading a book as he was starting to fall asleep.

A woman, who later identified herself as a library assistant, came over to me and said she wanted to “warn” me that “adolescent boys were on their way to the library since school was getting out”, and they were “not used to seeing women breast feed and might make fun of you.” She added that I might want to consider this while I was breastfeeding my son in the library.

I was completely stunned. I remained seated, and continued to nurse my son. I stated that I had the right to feed him in the library, and said I was shocked by these unsolicited comments, and would be posting about this online. She said “Why would you want to do a thing like that?” and began to raise her voice. She stated she would have to file “an incident report”. I asked for her name, and she thrust her identity card out and said her name, and then said “You can even talk to my supervisor, but she’s not here today. Why don’t you just take this to the Director of the Library?” I stated that I had a right to breastfeed in the library and that this was feeling very confrontational. She began to raise her voice, and repeatedly said “this is not a confrontation” and “I never said you can’t breastfeed here.”

I’m saddened that someone would feel they had to “warn” me to reconsider feeding my son in front of other children. I continued to feed my son and remained with him asleep in my arms at the library for another 30 minutes. Many kids, families, and yes – adolescents! came by, and not one person said a word.

There are several things that are confusing to me about her “concern”:

1. Why was the library assistant bothering to come over to me, unsolicited, and “warn” me? What was her motive? DC law clearly states women have the right to breastfeed in public places: http://breastfeedinglaw.com/state-laws/district-of-columbia/

2. A library is a sanctuary of information in our society, and it is a beacon against ignorance. It’s all the more shocking to me that my son and I would be treated this way in a library of all places.

3. I also feel her comments really underestimate adolescent kids, who, whenever I have breastfed around them, have never made inappropriate comments.

I’d like for the DC Public Library system, and especially the Tenleytown branch, to review the District’s law on breastfeeding, and ensure all of the District’s mothers have a right to breastfeed in the library without interference from library staff.”

Responses:

No good deed goes unpunished. -- nm - ReluctantCynic Mar 23, 11:47
I love that her first thought was to post about it online. -- nm - spamlet, spreading happiness and joy where he goes Mar 23, 11:44
Outrage machines have no off switch. - The Real Death Sceire Mar 23, 11:42
She completely has the right but I personally have never understood the need to breastfeed where ever you sit. - Name Withheld by Request Mar 23, 11:38 3
- Baby's gotta eat when baby's gotta eat. -- nm - znufrii Mar 23, 11:49
- You see it a couple times then it's no big deal, like two guys showing affection, only weird if you haven't seen it before or weren't allowed to -- nm - zeitgeist Mar 23, 11:42 1
  - I've got two kids, one who is still breastfed. I still personally think it's inappropriate in mass public settings, but completely get that... - Name Withheld by Request Mar 23, 11:55
One thing we have learned is that if there are treats (teats) you have to share with the class! -- nm - adolescent boys Mar 23, 11:37
I think they are both overreacting. - volnelk Mar 23, 11:35
Are you suggesting her motivation to warn was not sincere? Teen adolescents can be total assholes which is why they are segregated into midschool -- nm - zeitgeist Mar 23, 11:35 2
- (I don't think MDH is suggesting anything and the whole thing is c&p from the mom) -- nm - ty97 Mar 23, 11:36 1
  - Correct. This was the mother's write in to the blog. -- nm* - MDH Mar 23, 11:49
2. makes me think BS and the poster is not a mom at all - con_carne Mar 23, 11:35
personally #3 is whackadoodle to me -- nm - crash davis Mar 23, 11:34
was she hawt? -- nm - decline Mar 23, 11:34 1
- I'm gonna go with 110% odds of no -- nm - ty97 Mar 23, 11:35
Zealots gonna overreact - ty97 Mar 23, 11:32
i think she *completely* over-reacted. She was not asked to stop. She was given a head's up about something I feel pretty sure the librarian had a - Andie Mar 23, 11:31 2
- This was exactly my thought as well. -- nm - MDH Mar 23, 11:48
- exactly. and she's the one who turned it confrontational. -- nm - b. Mar 23, 11:33
Because, boobs. -- (edited) - znufrii Mar 23, 11:31
in all honesty, they should probably have a private room for that kind of shit. -- nm - groiny Mar 23, 11:30 1
- Right, they can't just allow adolescent boys to run around the place willy-nilly -- nm - znufrii Mar 23, 11:32

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ST Poll: This is making huge waves on a DC blog. Thoughts on the reaction of the poster/commenter?

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