Michael Medved & Mother's Milk

During his second hour today, Medved was discussing the "lactivists" who staged a "nurse-in" outside ABC studios to protest comments Barbara Walters made on The View. I called in to politely disagree with Michael. Michael, whose wife avidly nursed their three children a total of 9 years, said he supported breastfeeding, but not so much in public, and definitely with much modesty and discretion. I agree that nursing in public should be modestly done. There is a nice line of clothing, Motherwear, that allows for such modesty. I even offered that I wish I could've comfortably nursed in public [I couldn't because I felt really clutzy without my home environs]. However, in this situation, nursing a child on a plane, I told him that I believe the woman did the "least worst" thing given the situation. On an airplane, what was she to do? Go to the lavatory and tie that up for 20 minutes? I suggested that I couldn't believe Barbara was flying coach and that it was possible that she, an adoptive mother, might've been uncomfortable about the whole idea of breastfeeding and not the passing glimpse of her female neighbor's exposed breast. I don't like nursing mamas to get "all activist", but I think there's a cultural disconnect in America when it comes to breastfeeding. There seems to be a whole generation of women who were encouraged not to nurse. I grew up never seeing anyone nurse a baby. I don't like the "flaunters", but I also think a nursing, contented baby is far preferable to a screaming tot. This is a difficult issue because it stirs up a lot of feelings in many people. Politeness is always in vogue and we should attempt to be discreet, modest and unobtrusive in all our public encounters. The discussion on this subject was quite interesting over at Althouse.