# Burger King's lamest apology EVER! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 12, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857 "2003-11-12T17:55:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/81 "2003-11-13T00:18:38Z")
I don’t mind women breastfeeding in public. Doesn’t gross me out, doesn’t spoil my appetite, doesn’t bother me in the least. But we need fuckin’ _laws_ about it? It’s a “right” now? Someone being grossed by it is comparable to a racist? There aren’t enough roll-eye smilies in the world. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/82 "2003-11-13T00:27:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > \*\*I don’t mind women breastfeeding in public. Doesn’t gross me out, doesn’t spoil my appetite, doesn’t bother me in the least. But we need fuckin’ _laws_ about it? It’s a “right” now? Someone being grossed by it is comparable to a racist? > > There aren’t enough roll-eye smilies in the world. \*\* Yes, we need laws about it, because nursing women were being asked to leave public places all over the country. There apparently were enough people out there who were so squicked out by the sight of an innocent child suckling at his mother’s breast that they had to go get cops and store managers involved and make those “horrid perverted women” leave the premises immediately. I don’t know that it’s comparable to being a racist, but, yes, shit like that was happening all over the place and laws had to be put in place to protect women who needed to breastfeed their children. ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/83 "2003-11-13T00:30:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Twiddle \* > \*\*As a breastfeeding mom who does nurse in public frequently (my walking, talking 15-month-old - horrors! :rolleyes: ) I carry a card with me at all times: > \*\* :eek: I don’t have a problem with breastfeeding in public, in general, but I have got to say that I’m not sure how I would feel about this. What if the kid is five years old (as has happened)? Should moomy still get to “feed” their five year old? Irrespective of what the law says, I probabaly would not like to see that in a B K Lounge. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/84 "2003-11-13T00:56:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BiblioCat \* > \*\*Yes, we need laws about it, because nursing women were being asked to leave public places all over the country. > There apparently were enough people out there who were so squicked out by the sight of an innocent child suckling at his mother’s breast that they had to go get cops and store managers involved and make those “horrid perverted women” leave the premises immediately. > > I don’t know that it’s comparable to being a racist, but, yes, shit like that was happening all over the place and laws had to be put in place to protect women who needed to breastfeed their children. \*\* Not to be a dick about it, but so? Why is being asked to feed your kid somewhere else such a massive invasion of someone’s civil rights? And if there were so many people who were freaked out over it (God only knows why…), why should their feelings take a backseat to the feelings of people who think breastfeeding is just spiffy? (Which, once again, includes me. I have no problem with it, I just don’t get the outrage at people who _do_ have a problem with it.) ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/85 "2003-11-13T01:12:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rhum Runner \* > \*\*:eek: > > I don’t have a problem with breastfeeding in public, in general, but I have got to say that I’m not sure how I would feel about this. What if the kid is five years old (as has happened)? Should moomy still get to “feed” their five year old? Irrespective of what the law says, I probabaly would not like to see that in a B K Lounge. \*\* First, re: _moomy_. Fuck you and the cow you rode in on. Second, my 15-month-old still gets valuable nutrition from breastmilk, better than the crap at BK, notwithstanding that I like the occasional order of onion rings m’self. Luckily your opinion of breastfeeding in public matters not one whit outside of your ability to restrict it on your own property. And there is no mention of age in the CA breastfeeding law. My guess is you don’t have kids, but as any mom of a little toddler will tell you they are really still babies, and not just short adults with all the associated hangups about sexuality some might like to project onto them. Twiddle ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/86 "2003-11-13T01:50:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Twiddle \* > **First, re: _moomy_. Fuck you and the cow you rode in on.** Guess you aren’t going to believe that was an innocent typo, eh? > [@](#): > > \*\*Second, my 15-month-old still gets valuable nutrition from breastmilk, better than the crap at BK, notwithstanding that I like the occasional order of onion rings m’self. > > Luckily your opinion of breastfeeding in public matters not one whit outside of your ability to restrict it on your own property. And there is no mention of age in the CA breastfeeding law. > > My guess is you don’t have kids, but as any mom of a little toddler will tell you they are really still babies, and not just short adults with all the associated hangups about sexuality some might like to project onto them. > \*\* Yeah, I’m sure it does get valuable nutrition. I suppose if it was 5 years old it still would get valuable nutrition. Are you saying that you ought to be able to breastfeed a 5 year old child in public? Again, irrespective of the law, surely the public is entitled to be a bit weirded out by watching a mother suckle its five year old spawn while trying to enjoy a flame broiled piece of delectable fast-food goodness? No? If there is a breastfeeding-weirded-out-spectrum with newborn baby at one end and twelve year old middle schooler at the other, I’m not sure where I think 15 months lies. That was really my only comment, and I was only sort of pondering it out loud. 15 months just strikes me as being old to still being breast fed, and in particular to be brestfed in public. By the time the little rat can run around one would think it would be able to eat some solid food and not keep drinking din din from mo **o** my. Or do you just let it wash down its happy meal with a nip of milk? Either way, there’s no need to get all hostile about it. I’m not trying to take the bottle, or boobie, from your “baby.” You aren’t one of those rabid earth mother types are you? You know, the placenta soup crowd? I don’t know, but I’m getting a distinctly earth-mother vibe here. ---
**Author:** ![MrWhy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@MrWhy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrWhy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/87 "2003-11-13T02:42:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cheese Monster \* > **I can see _why_ someone might not like public breastfeeding, insfoar as I can see why someone might not like to see a public bare breast in general** Really? Why? It’s just flesh. Assuming the person in question is not doing anything offensive - that the breast is simply visible, what’s the big deal? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/88 "2003-11-13T03:01:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Truth Seeker \* > > Could a restaurant decorate their premises with white supremicist posters? I’d probably say yes, so long as the restaurant doesn’t _actually_ discriminate in serving patrons. > > By the same token, a restaurant probably could, technically, politely _request_ a patron to go elsewhere even for a discriminatory reason so long as it doesn’t actually discriminate in any way when that request is refused. > > In the U.S., I don’t know that the “hostile environment” doctrine applies outside of the workplace. Any case law in support of that proposition? ---
**Author:** ![Truth\_Seeker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Truth\_Seeker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truth_Seeker)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/89 "2003-11-13T03:28:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bricker \* > \*\*Any case law in support of that proposition? \*\* Only negative. I did a very cursory search but only turned up instances of the “hostile environment” theory being used in employment discrimination cases. However, it does make a certain amount of sense. First, there are some First Amendment issues that arise in the context of communications to the public. Second, there are lots of businesses that create “hostile environments” for certain sections of the public, e.g. strip clubs. Allowing such an environment in a work place would clearly be illegal sex discrimination. However, it’s _not_ illegal sex discrimination even though many women would feel extremely uncomfortable about going in for a drink. Now if these clubs actually refused to serve a woman who did come in, it would be illegal. But it isn’t, apparently, illegal for them to create an environment that makes women uncomfortable since these strip clubs (I assume) do not actually discriminate. Why couldn’t you extend that analysis to race, or anything else, for that matter? Would it really be actionable for the manager of a Burger King to privately and politely say to a black patron, “Sir, you’re welcome at Burger King and we’ll be very pleased to serve you if you want. But in this part of town, most of our customers are slack-jawed, racist rednecks. You don’t have to, of course, but I would consider it a personal favour if you would eat lunch at the McDonalds across the street instead.” Just to forestall any tedious squeeling and running about, I’m not suggesting this is a good idea. I’m suggeting that it may not amount to actionable discrimination. ---
**Author:** ![milroyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@milroyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milroyj)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/90 "2003-11-13T04:02:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by autz \* > \*\*By the way, there are similar laws in all 50 states. \*\* Are you sure about that? So far, we have references to the law in UT and CA, but how do you know there are similar laws in all 50 states? I kinda doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/91 "2003-11-13T04:58:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MrWhy \* > \*\*Really? Why? It’s just flesh. > > Assuming the person in question is not doing anything offensive - that the breast is simply visible, what’s the big deal? \*\* I agree. If a glimpse of a bare breast is OK, then it’s OK, whether it was bared to feed a child or just for fun. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/92 "2003-11-13T05:08:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by autz \* > \*\* > What this lady was doing is 100% legal. They have no more right to ask her to go to the bathroom than they would to ask someone to go to the bathroom in order to eat their French Fries there. > \*\* What does legality have to do with it? It’s not illegal to burp or fart but if it becomes a problem they might ask you to leave or take it to the bathroom as well. Personally I think there are more appropriate places to breast feed then in front of everyone else in a public place. Marc ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/93 "2003-11-13T05:10:26Z")
What is inappropriate about breastfeeding in public? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/94 "2003-11-13T05:12:24Z")
Jesus, I never knew we had so many boob-a-phobes on the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/95 "2003-11-13T05:25:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diogenes the Cynic \* > \*\*What is inappropriate about breastfeeding in public? \*\* I don’t really think it is appropriate at a restaurant where there are many other people eating. Not that I’d make a big deal out of it. I’d rather eat lunch in a restaurant populated by lactating women then have to sit next to a smoker while I eat. Marc ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/96 "2003-11-13T05:27:18Z")
Ya know, I started reading this thread thinking that it was a pretty lame **OP**. However, as a father of twins who were nursed for longer than **Twiddle** ’s has been so far, I gotta say that there are some mightily narrow-minded people in the world. Perhaps I’m an eternal optimist, but I expected the SDMB to be more enlightened than that. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![Snake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Snake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snake)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/97 "2003-11-13T07:44:38Z")
I don’t care if women breast feed in public. They could set up a conga line and pass along a whole bunch of kids to play Duck Duck Nurse. I do have one problem though. Ok , as far as I can tell, BK never asked her to leave. They merely asked her to be more discreet. Nurse in another area where the other customers can’t see or cover up a bit . Whats the big deal ? They didn’t say “Stop doing that or leave.” I think she’s making a big deal out of nothing.This doesn’t sound like a reason for a big call to arms to defend womens’ rights to me. She’s making it sound like BK told her to wash the dishes cuz she’s a woman. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/98 "2003-11-13T08:21:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MrWhy \* > **Really? Why? It’s just flesh.** Hypothetical: If my erect penis was sticking out of my fly at a restaurant, would you be disgusted or offended? (It would obviously be illegal, but that’s not what I’m asking.) > [@](#): > > \*\*Assuming the person in question is not doing anything offensive - that the breast is simply visible, what’s the big deal? \*\* Ah, there’s the rub. Lots of people consider breastfeeding in public to be offensive. I’m not saying I agree with them, but there are plenty of people who believe that. “Offensive” is in the eye of the beholder. As to the corporate apology, it was weak, but better than nothing. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/99 "2003-11-13T08:46:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by quietman1920 \* > \*\*The corporate lawyers would never approve that language, as it could expose the corporation to a possible suit. \*\* You poor bastard. No nipples, no “natural”, no “decency”, no “Won’t somebody think of the children!”, not an erect penis in sight, no hot buttons at all. All you’ve done is fight ignorance. A **quietman** indeed. The still, small voice on this one, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857/100 "2003-11-13T09:00:20Z")
Before I start, I want to say that this question has absolutely nothing to do with my opinion on whether public breastfeeding is a big deal or not. That’s why I say the following is “tangential”: Hmm. Here’s sort of a tangential question that’s come to mind. A woman is breastfeeding in public. A man stops and starts staring at her bare breast with a huge grin on his face. He’s obviously watching for salacious reasons, but he’s not expressing this in any way directly to her. My question, especially to those who firmly believe that public breast feeding is no big deal, is: can he be arrested for sexual harassment or anything of that nature? If the breast feeding is NBD, then one might be able to argue that the action is no more dangerous or salacious than staring at the legs of a passing woman wearing a short skirt. Hope I’m being clear, here… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-kings-lamest-apology-ever/212857.md?page=6)