(no subject)

[weaktwos]

I find it interesting that businesses in Sicily are trying to fight against the Mob. That should be interesting to follow.

Currently I am watching The Office Special, which serves as a follow up of the first two seasons. The music video was hilarious. Martin having to hear the obnoxious pregnant woman's tale of conception via the Kama Sutra was nicely done, too. Oh, I recommend watching this one, folks. Presuming I'm not the last woman on Livejournal who has seen it.

On Default Icons portraying breastfeeding: LJ does not stand for Lactating Journal, okay folks? phinnia raised some fine points in her journal here. I couldn't say it any better. Besides, it's just the default icon. Livejournal isn't a democracy, it's a business and a social networking site. If you want total freedom of expression, build your own webite and blog. Livejournal requiring some basic standards of conduct with regard to the default icon is not a hardship.

Comments

[namfle.livejournal.com]

re: default userpics

On the one hand, I agree with you; it's just the DEFAULT userpic!

On the otherhand, the message is clear; LiveJournal considers breastfeeding in the same catagory as graphic depictions of sex and violence. That bothers even ME, I wasn't even breastfed, let alone won't ever BE breastfeeding, from either end.
If, for example, LJ decided that pictures of specific race, creeds or skin colors, or the flag of particular countries were 'inappropriate', an entirely different yet similarly large group would be pitching a fit.
What it comes down to is people who enjoy LJ journal are being insulted by the thing. That's a little hard to swallow.

Man, I cannot NOT pake a mun!

-elf-

[weaktwos.livejournal.com]

I don't think it was breastfeeding that was the issue, per se, but what could be seen. If they are using the standards set forth by the Supreme Court, I'm thinking parts of the nipple could be seen, hence the furor over the icon. From my point of view, I think care should be taken for publicly viewed posts. Since some of us like to look at livejournal from work, you don't want to have racy pictures showing up to draw attention to what you're looking at. So, when I can, I try to remember what is work-safe and what isn't. I think the one icon I have that's busting the envelope of propriety is the Clockwork Orange icon. We don't breastfeed in the workplace here. I don't know if women in your place of work, do. But public displays of breastfeeding aren't standard across the board.

[namfle.livejournal.com]

I spent 3+ hours combing through the personal accounts regarding the issue; most of that was reading the intelligent and what should have been extremely moving letters to the LJ abuse folk, and the subsequent replies by those same LJ abuse folk.

The problem was not, in fact, that LJ was keeping with supreme court standards; those standards were cited in many letters, including the details of a number of specific court cases involving both indecency standards on a national level and their relevence to breastfeeding in particular, as arguments AGAINST LJ's decision. The LiveJournal folk basically said "We are not the government, we have our own standards, and we are classifying 'breastfeeding' as indecent exposure." The vast majority of the images in question that I saw passed the indecency exposure guidelines (i.e. no nipples, no aerola) with flying colors. In fact, women who were aware that their images DID show one or the other did not argue on their own behalf becuase they knew their images weren't up to snuff to begin with. By the end of my reading I was rather disgruntled at the closed minded intolerance that the LJ people showed. It was disappointing to say the least, but I expected something along these lines would happen once the ownership changed hands a few months ago.

I don't know many women who bring their nursing children to work. Most women that I've encountered that are still relying on breastmilk are on maternity leave. So, to answer your question, no I haven't seen anyone here breastfeeding, but that's because it's rare that the circumstances allow for the happenstance.

As for public breastfeeding, babies don't really get hungry on a schedule. They grow so damn fast that you can't reliably predict when they're going to get the munchies and plan accordingly. This means that women who breastfeed exclusively are going to have to stop wherever they are to take care of business. As natural and wholesome as this sort of act is, I don't see why women should be FURTHER inconvenienced by having to hide away somewhere to do this as if it's a crime, in much the same way drug users do when it's time to shoot/snort/smoke up. As for ME, when I see someone breastfeeding (and the time of year for that is upon us; oddly enough you don't see it so much in the winter. I guess they bottle the stuff) I simply look away respectfully.

And I don't know about you, but I'm terribly amused that as a guy I'm the one debating you, one of my favorite women, on what most might think to be the opposite sides of the debate than where we should be. Heh.

-elf-

[tunskit.livejournal.com]

As natural and wholesome as this sort of act is, I don't see why women should be FURTHER inconvenienced by having to hide away somewhere to do this as if it's a crime...

Agreed. When I was attempting to breastfeed Riley, I had to put forth the boob whenever there was a chance he would latch on. I don't eat in the bathroom, and I don't expect my baby to. Breastfeeding isn't about sex. LJ wouldn't have a problem if someone had an icon of themselves eating a burger. Since the nipple really can't show during proper latching, I don't see a big problem.

Having said that, LJ is privately owned, and they can do what they want. Unfortunately, I believe attitudes like theirs have contributed to the decline in breastfeeding. It really is damned inconvenient, though it's better for your baby than formula.

[namfle.livejournal.com]

It's funny, you talk about the decline in breastfeeding in this culture but in the medical field I've seen nothing but the singing of its praises. When my son was born his mother's doctor was really pushy about breastfeeding.
I'm not entirely sure I understand the aversion to breastfeeding, and breastmilk in general. A bunch of my friends were actually bothered that I've tasted breastmilk as an adult. If you step out of the box for a second, it's far more disgusting to consider drinking milk from another animal than one from your own species, yet the dairy industry is huge and supported nearly entirely upon the back of cow's milk.

Go figure.

-elf-

[myasma.livejournal.com]

I don't have much to say about it either way, but I did want to use this new user icon! haha!