# Dear paper towel filler person....or non-Christmas mini-rants **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 25, 2010, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389 "2010-12-25T23:54:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/401 "2011-02-02T18:22:24Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Please educate yourself before spouting off such nonsense. Not all woman can pump enough milk. Not all babies will take a nipple over a breast. Most women make an effort to be as discreet as possible. I have news for you: you’ve probably been around breastfeeding mothers in public and not noticed. > > I fully intend to breastfeed this baby wherever and whenever I damned well please. If that bothers you tough shit. Breastfeeding in public is completely legal in [nearly all states.](http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=14389) > > Anyone who finds reasonably discreet breastfeeding in public grossly offensive is a juvenile moron. A baby needs to eat when it needs to eat. Get over it. I have news for you - my mother managed to raise four babies and never breastfed in view of anyone, much less in public. This business of forcing it off on the general public is simply another way of say “look, my girl bits work - aren’t I special?” There are a lot of things that are legal that are still rude. One of those is sitting right down next to a stranger and whipping it out. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/402 "2011-02-02T18:32:31Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > Yes, breastfeeding offends me when it is RIGHT beside me. Nice you got over it, many of us haven’t. I especially didn’t appreciate that he seemed to set me up by asking if it was OK if HE sat there, and then five minutes later No he wasn’t setting you up. It’s considered polite when you see an empty chair next to someone to ask if it is ok to sit down. He wasn’t even considering whether the breast feeding would offend you, and good on him for that. All in all, it sounds like he acted correctly in this situation. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/403 "2011-02-02T18:38:14Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Dude, I don’t whip out my boob in public and neither should others. It’s fucking gross and not socially acceptable. I was going to respond to this, but I think \*\*LavenderBlue \*\*hit the nail on the head with her reply. Honestly, **lindsay** , the person you’re agreeing with here is **curlcoat**. Just think about that a minute. Boobs make milk for babies. It’s what they’re there for. Some women can’t produce milk; some women pump instead. But there’s nothing wrong, bad, or shameful about feeding a baby from a breast, in public or in private, anymore than there’s a problem with feeding a baby from a bottle in the same situation. If you disagree, get the fuck over yourself. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/404 "2011-02-02T18:48:54Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > I have news for you - my mother managed to raise four babies and never breastfed in view of anyone, much less in public. This business of forcing it off on the general public is simply another way of say “look, my girl bits work - aren’t I special?” > > There are a lot of things that are legal that are still rude. One of those is sitting right down next to a stranger and whipping it out. No one is forcing anything on you. A woman isn’t nursing to annoy you. She’s nursing to feed the baby. Nursing helps decrease a woman’s chances of several kinds of cancer and provides all kinds of health benefits to the baby. The truth is that you’d be far more offended if the baby was crying because it was hungry. The AAP recommends nursing at least a year while the WHO encourages women to nurse for two years if possible. This whole “women who nurse in public” have an agenda to offend other people is an idiotic misreading of the situation. For many women nursing is simply much easier than formula feeding. You don’t have to worry about outside sources, contaminants, sterilization and/or refrigeration issues. Most of us try to be as discreet about it as possible. If you see an occasional flash of breast once in a while that’s because babies sometimes kick fabric away. Most women then do the best they can to keep covered under those circumstances. Believe me the last thing most nursing moms want is some creepy stranger trying to get a peek at our baby chewed boobs. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/405 "2011-02-02T19:00:02Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Please educate yourself before spouting off such nonsense. Not all woman can pump enough milk. Not all babies will take a nipple over a breast. Most women make an effort to be as discreet as possible. I have news for you: you’ve probably been around breastfeeding mothers in public and not noticed. > > I fully intend to breastfeed this baby wherever and whenever I damned well please. If that bothers you tough shit. Breastfeeding in public is completely legal in [nearly all states.](http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=14389) First of all, bringing legality into it is hilarious and pathetic on your end. You know what’s illegal? Gay marriage. You know what else is illegal? Gay men fucking in certain states. I like how you said “almost all” states. Clearly it’s enough of a problem for some to outrule it entirely. Breastfeeding in public need not be made into a nanny-state issue, it merely should be socially shunned. I’ve seen coffee shop or store employees ask a nursing mother to please stop or leave. Same with restaurant employees. I’ve left places where I’ve told the manager that the nursing mother is making me and a few friends leave. Sometimes they just nod sadly. In certain semi-public places like a gym lockerroom (due to general nudity) it would be fine to nurse, or an airplane where you literally can’t go elsewhere. But I don’t want to be gagging on my latte while you get Junior to latch on. Sure, maybe 1/10 mothers is super discreet like **Kimstu** said. Mostly mothers who nurse in public have no sense of propriety whatsoever. The same mothers who would never change a diaper in public don’t hesitate to whip out their tits. I have breastfeeding coworkers now and in the recent past. They all abhor public pumping. Incidentally, they’re all sane, nice mothers, of the non-helicoptering variety. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/406 "2011-02-02T19:03:48Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > I like how you said “almost all” states. Clearly it’s enough of a problem for some to outrule it entirely. Actually, no state has banned public breastfeeding, although most have legislation expressly _permitting_ it. Apparently legislators (and most normal people) don’t think it’s a problem. Why don’t you propose a referendum and see how far you get? ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/407 "2011-02-02T19:07:10Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > . But I don’t want to be gagging on my latte while you get Junior to latch on. This says significantly more about you than breast-feeding in public says about the mother who chooses it. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/408 "2011-02-02T19:20:23Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Dude, I don’t whip out my boob in public and neither should others. It’s fucking gross and not socially acceptable. In a developing country where people shit in fields and walk around with scraps of cloth covering their loins, then whipping out boobs is irrelevant. But in a fucking Starbucks in middle America? Fucking pump at home. The only people who should see a woman’s tits are her baby and her husband. Wow. That’s a lot of invective for a breast. You have some serious issues to deal with. Frankly, you can see a lot more boob at a beach or a public swimming pool than you’ll see when most women breastfeed in public. I’ve seen a lot of public nursing, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything I’d call inappropriate. And “gross”? What’s wrong with you? Feeding babies is what boobs are _for_. There’s nothing gross about it. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/409 "2011-02-02T19:21:05Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Anyone who finds reasonably discreet breastfeeding in public grossly offensive is a juvenile moron. A baby needs to eat when it needs to eat. Get over it. > [@Kolga](#): > > This says significantly more about you than breast-feeding in public says about the mother who chooses it. But… OMIGOD BOOBIES! The knowledge that other women have them and that they use them is unacceptable! The next thing you know, pregnant women will be out in public, flaunting their uteruses and forcing us to see that they have had SEX! ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/410 "2011-02-02T19:31:27Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:408, topic:565389”] Wow. That’s a lot of invective for a breast. You have some serious issues to deal with. Frankly, you can see a lot more boob at a beach or a public swimming pool than you’ll see when most women breastfeed in public. I’ve seen a lot of public nursing, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything I’d call inappropriate. And “gross”? What’s wrong with you? Feeding babies is what boobs are _for_. There’s nothing gross about it. [/QUOTE] One of these days I want to see this mythical creature that some people see everywhere. Because I’ve also seen a lot of public nursing. I’ve yet see even one “let it all hang out” nursing exhibitionist that some people apparently see all the time. The only grief I ever remember getting on this issue was ironically when I pumped and fed my daughter a bottle of expressed breast milk at the mall. Some busybody saw the bottle and actually went into a little minirant over the evils of formula. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/411 "2011-02-02T19:38:54Z")
There are a lot of nursing women out there…and for the most part, you aren’t going to notice them, because most have learned to be fairly discreet. Many people are absolutely charmed by the sight of a woman nursing her baby. Hell, I don’t like most human babies, and _I_ am charmed. There are some people who think it’s gross. What about bitches feeding their puppies, or queens feeding their kittens, or cows feeding their calves? It’s the same action. No matter what people do, there are always going to be some people who will find it offensive. Breastfeeding is one of the best ways to start a kid off right. Personally, I find it offensive to see a baby who has a bottle propped up, so that s/he has to drink the formula or milk without any human contact. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/412 "2011-02-02T19:47:42Z")
**lindsay** , shut the fuck up. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/413 "2011-02-02T19:58:10Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > First of all, bringing legality into it is hilarious and pathetic on your end. You know what’s illegal? Gay marriage. You know what else is illegal? Gay men fucking in certain states. I like how you said “almost all” states. Clearly it’s enough of a problem for some to outrule it entirely. Breastfeeding in public need not be made into a nanny-state issue, it merely should be socially shunned. I’ve seen coffee shop or store employees ask a nursing mother to please stop or leave. Same with restaurant employees. I’ve left places where I’ve told the manager that the nursing mother is making me and a few friends leave. Sometimes they just nod sadly. > > In certain semi-public places like a gym lockerroom (due to general nudity) it would be fine to nurse, or an airplane where you literally can’t go elsewhere. But I don’t want to be gagging on my latte while you get Junior to latch on. > > Sure, maybe 1/10 mothers is super discreet like **Kimstu** said. Mostly mothers who nurse in public have no sense of propriety whatsoever. The same mothers who would never change a diaper in public don’t hesitate to whip out their tits. > > I have breastfeeding coworkers now and in the recent past. They all abhor public pumping. Incidentally, they’re all sane, nice mothers, of the non-helicoptering variety. Wow. I’ve never particularly been a fan of yours, but this just seals it. You realize that there’s a huge different between changing a diaper—which by its very nature involves urine or shit—and feeding a child, right? Weren’t you supposed to be going to dental school or something? If a bodily function as benign as nursing grosses you out, I can’t imagine what diseased gums are going to do to you. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/414 "2011-02-02T20:05:24Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > I’ve left places where I’ve told the manager that the nursing mother is making me and a few friends leave. Sometimes they just nod sadly. And if I saw a mother being asked to stop breast feeding or leave, I’d leave the place, and make sure the manager knew why. I’m pretty certain I wouldn’t be the only one either. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/415 "2011-02-02T20:06:32Z")
Hey, neighbor, thanks for deciding to do your hammering on the one day that everyone is home from work because of the weather. Bonus points for doing it when I have a headache! ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/416 "2011-02-02T20:17:05Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Hey, neighbor, thanks for deciding to do your hammering on the one day that everyone is home from work because of the weather. Bonus points for doing it when I have a headache! Super duper bonus points for doing it while nursing! ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/417 "2011-02-02T20:22:33Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > **lindsay** , shut the fuck up. Did it ever occur to you that perhaps they’re hammering because they too have the day off? > [@lorene](#): > > Weren’t you supposed to be going to dental school or something? If a bodily function as benign as nursing grosses you out, I can’t imagine what diseased gums are going to do to you. Does your dentist work out of the local Starbucks? Would you leave the Starbucks if Tobacco-addled patients spit their black blood out in full view? I don’t get paid to see tits at Starbucks. > [@lorene](#): > > Wow. I’ve never particularly been a fan of yours, but this just seals it. You realize that there’s a huge different between changing a diaper—which by its very nature involves urine or shit—and feeding a child, right? Never been a fan! Oh why my I’m so flattered. The Washington Redskins serve beer in their bathrooms and Starbucks serves food and drinks in their establishments. So clearly there’s no difference in the eyes of business operators. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/418 "2011-02-02T20:24:37Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Does your dentist work out of the local Starbucks? Would you leave the Starbucks if Tobacco-addled patients spit their black blood out in full view? I don’t get paid to see tits at Starbucks. > > Never been a fan! Oh why my I’m so flattered. The Washington Redskins serve beer in their bathrooms and Starbucks serves food and drinks in their establishments. So clearly there’s no difference in the eyes of business operators. Are you drunk or something? You’re not making a lick of sense. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/419 "2011-02-02T20:31:37Z")
Aww, let me spell it out for you honey. Food is served in proximity to piss and shit. Other people do it, so it _must_ be okay. Therefore it stands to reason that it’s perfectly okay to change a diaper in public, which involves piss and shit. If breastfeeding is okay at a Starbucks, then changing a dirty diaper is also okay at a Starbucks. Yet you’ve drawn an arbitrary line between whipping out tits and diaper changing. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389/420 "2011-02-02T20:38:05Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Aww, let me spell it out for you honey. Food is served in proximity to piss and shit. Other people do it, so it _must_ be okay. Therefore it stands to reason that it’s perfectly okay to change a diaper in public, which involves piss and shit. > > If breastfeeding is okay at a Starbucks, then changing a dirty diaper is also okay at a Starbucks. > > Yet you’ve drawn an arbitrary line between whipping out tits and diaper changing. Um, _ **honey** _, you’ll have a difficult time convincing most health inspectors that it’s OK to have food in the same area as piss and shit. I don’t know the particulars of the Washington Redskins beer bathroom, but no one is saying that a little pee never hurt anyone’s food. And the whole _whipping out tits_ meme is so tired. As LavenderBlue said upthread, most nursing mothers are much more discreet. Frankly,\*\* lindsay\*\*, you’re not the expert you claim to be in most things. And you’re tiresome. ETA: Selling beer in the bathroom is [not legal or sanctioned by the Redskins](http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1009/669969.html). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-paper-towel-filler-person-or-non-christmas-mini-rants/565389.md?page=22)