Since the syndrome has been normalized, they have no resraint whatsoever and just let it ALL hang out and flap in the breeze.

Normal folks have been conditioned not to complain lest THEY be made a target of the psychopaths.

Is this Evolution?

Homo Psychopathien?

BAD HUMAN!

NAUGHTY NAUGHTY!

DON'T DO THAT!

STOP!

DISGUSTING!

CRUDE!

RUDE!

HUMAN!

A little girl who was breastfed and/or sees her mother breastfeed younger siblings is going to pretend to breastfeed her dollies, just like little girls stick their dollies under their shirts to pretend they're pregnant. They've been doing just that since dollies were invented. It's called PLAYING.

Seriously, THIS offends people? It's a cute picture!

and it's discouraging to see that America isn't the only place where people go nuts in this way.

Like, I wanna meet one in real life and hear them talk. Until then I am just going to hide over here and pretend they are made up, like batboy.

The idea of a little girl pretending to breastfeed is shocking, horrifying, and downright startling! What next - will she abort the baby too? Or get it circumcised with a rusty can opener? They should burn down that hospital with everybody in it!!*

Oh heck, I don't have the energy to fake 'outrage'. Some people just live to be 'outraged' by what's clearly harmless while they have no problem with illegal wars and torture.

*I am pretending to be outraged, this is just satire.

You know, just glancing at this article, I would have assumed that it took place in the Bible Belt. It's discouraging to see that it was actually across the pond...

If you follow the link to the Manchester article it states that the clinic was planning to "charge new mums for bottles of formula milk".

Now THAT'S disturbing. There's absolutely no hard scientific evidence that shows breastfeeding is better than bottle feeding. For some Moms, such as those who have a job outside of the home and an active schedule, they're being bullied into breastfeeding their children when it would make their lives so much easier to just bottlefeed.

Also, bottlefeeding gives Dads the chance to share in such nurturing moments and help with those responsibilities.

heya buncha L's

NOT charging for bottles of formula would be more disturbing. It is a product. Why should they give it away for free? (Well, probably because the corporations pay them to do just that.)

If I'm providing free food for my child, I shouldn't have to subsidize folks who require a bottle and manufacturing and formula and storage and all that jazz.

Yes, I'm one of those bad mothers who taught my girls that breasts are used to nourish a baby. I will run out and get a Playboy so they can see what breasts are really for. (And my girls even lifted their shirts when they fed their baby-dolls. Doubly shocking!)

I'm under the impression that there are a fair number of studies indicating breast milk is better than formula for things like immune system development and establishment of intestinal flora.

Summarized here:

http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/benefits/

I can dig into the primary literature later if people are interested.

Note there is substantially less evidence to support breast feeding vs. breast milk from a bottle, but its pretty well supported that its better for infant health than formula.

Couple of stories about our then three-year-old daughter (a resistant nurser at best, eventually bottle-fed):

When she saw her newborn brother nursing, she said, "What is he doing?"

Her mom said, "He's eating."

"He's going to eat that?"

Yup. Two meals and all gone.

A few days later we noticed her holding a doll to her bosom. Asked if she was giving her baby milk, she said, "No, juice."

"Oh? What kind?"

"A variety of juices."

The best way to deal with those outraged by this poster is to point and laugh.

They are unable to adapt to the times, and understand that an imposing set of [chose from: knockers, torpedoes, gonzagas, tits, boobs, headlights, jugs, lungs, love pillows, jamochas, breasts], especially those artificially enhanced by insertion of saline or silicon sacs, are for stupefying, and not for satisfying the base desires of immature nursing infants.

I posted a pic of my toddler doing just that, in a blog post that was about nursing hate (http://badladies.blogspot.com/2008/08/you-got-problem-with-my-boobies-punk.html). The comments were all lovely and supportive, for the most part - I deleted everything that wasn't, cuz, hey, that's my girl - but I did get some very critical mail suggesting that I'd publicly exposed my daughter in a sexual light. Which, seriously, would make me roll my eyes if it weren't disturbing.

My daugher breastfed her dolls. She went on the breastfeed stuffed animals (she would also put them to sleep like children and cover them with balnkets and hum to them.

The surprise was when my mother saw her mommy doll. A black cloth doll, boobs and all, take off her panty and there was a mini black doll in her tummy, that would come out the old fashioned way. The boobs of the mommy and the mouth of the baby had pressure buttons. Oh, doll had a sling to carry baby doll. (Made by Argentinean breast feeding association NuNu, i know, hippie stuff).

I was baffled when my mother made disparaging remarks. For all I know, I'm her daughter, and have a brother too! There were no surrogates then...

I think the whole issue is people have issues with the female body. Which is constructed the way it is for uses we all know we give them, and our partners like it too. Maybe the whole issue is human experiencing pleasure. God forbid!

but she's right on the money on this one. What the hell is going on in the minds of the people who see this image and find it prurient?(As Lenny Bruce would say, How dirty is your toilet?)

I would quibble with Kate on one point, however: Breasts are for food and sex.