Bullying – An Overused Phrase That is Losing All its Meaning
Today, I saw a news story about a breastfeeding mom who received a letter from her school’s principal. Apparently, this woman had been breastfeeding her six-month-old in a middle school in Utah while participating in some ‘free meals’ program. The principal gave her a letter asking her to discontinue the practice.
I’ve never commented on the breastfeeding debate because I never did it myself. After I had my kid, I was way too pumped up on Fen-Fen and Ephedra to consider breastfeeding. Plus, after 9 months of sharing my body with another human, I decided I wanted it to be just mine again. I regret nothing.
But here’s the deal, I’m actually not ok with you breastfeeding in front of my 12-year-old. Yes, I know it’s beautiful and natural and everyone should bow at the knees of the almighty breastfeeding mother, but my son doesn’t think that when you pop out your boob in public.
I’m pretty sure all he thinks is “Holy shit! Tits! Tits! Tits!”
Call me a prude if you want, but I think it should be my right to decide when I need to explain breastfeeding to my son. Like it or not, in this country, breasts are private parts. This is why I’m not allowed to wander around topless.
So yes, I think people should make an effort to make breastfeeding at least semi-private (i.e. not in a room full of children). I mean Jesus, I need to sign a permission slip for my kid to go to Sex-Ed, but he can see nipples in his cafeteria? You’re fucking kidding, right?
That does not make me a bully. It doesn’t make me a prude. It makes me a parent who wants the right to explain the whole birds and bees (and yes tits are part of that) to my kid in my own way. Not because you feel like popping out a nip in the middle of a busy middle school cafeteria. Yes, I get you have your rights as a parent, but what about my rights as a parent? Does me wanting to exercise my rights as a parent by teaching him about certain things on my own time really make me a bully?
Because the nicely worded letter that the mother was given was immediately labeled as ‘bullying’ by the media.
Bullying is not a catch all phrase that you’re allowed to use against everyone that disagrees with you. Bullying is to “use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants.”
The principal was making a respectful request. Whether you disagree with that request or not, it was a request. It wasn’t bullying. In fact, the mom taking the letter to the news in order to intimidate the principal into taking it all back actually fit the definition of bullying a lot more. Let’s be honest, the second that shit went viral, I’m pretty sure that school started getting hate mail left and right.
So who’s the real victim here? The woman who was given a private letter, respectfully asking that she not breastfeed in front of children whose parents whose might be uncomfortable with it? Or the woman who started the fire storm by taking that letter to the media and creating a witch hunt?
We’re using every fucking disagreement as an excuse to scream bullying. We’re using bullying to crush free speech. Hell, I see authors with bad reviews calling those people who left bad reviews bullies. Apparently, if you and someone else share a different opinion, one of you is a bully.
Usually, the bully is the one whose opinion differs from the masses. Then, the ‘victim’ uses that as an excuse to bully their own alleged bully.
It’s getting a bit fucking ridiculous. Our witch hunts for bullies are creating more bullies than ever actually existed.
I’m allowed to feel how I feel. I mean Jesus, KKK members are allowed to hold parades in this country and the ACLU supports them, but I can’t say I’m uncomfortable with public breastfeeding in front of my kid without being labeled a bully?
People will always have differing opinions, and sometimes those opinions will be unpopular. I am the current holder of an unpopular opinion and yes, I will share that opinion. That doesn’t make me a bully. I’m not trying to intimidate anyone or hurt their feelings. I’m simply saying I don’t think they’re right. Expressing my opinion does not make me a bully.
It makes me an American adult who is allowed to express her opinions…you know, that whole free speech thing.
Well, here’s my free speech. Your boobies in my son’s lunch plate do not make me think ‘wow, what a miracle.” Instead, it makes me explain things to my child that I would rather not explain to him, because he’s only friggen twelve.
I’e. my son would like to know why it’s not ok for a girl to flash her titties in a “Girls Gone Wild” video but it’s ok to do it when she’s in his cafeteria.
Anyone else was to field this one for me?
It is not my job to change the world’s opinion on breasts. The fact is, right here in America, they are private parts. You can’t put them on TV, you can’t put them on a billboard, so why the fuck is it ok to put them in a kid’s cafeteria?
It does not make me a bully to mention my concern about the subject. It just makes me a concerned parent who has the right to parent how she feels fit.
That does not make me a bully. That just makes me a woman who disagrees with you. Deal with it.
