Just in the last couple weeks, I have read posts from 2 LN members who were
pressured or outright hassled for breastfeeding their babies in their
workplace. Then, on 2/24 Ann Einhorn posted about an article in which an
artist was made to

> remove her artwork depicting a breastfeeding baby. It was part of a series of
> 4 paintings titled "She Nourishes."

Now, contrast this with the link (posted by Jan Reynolds) to the publicity
sheet for Bottle-Feeding Without Guilt (now titled When Breastfeeding is Not
an Option) by Peggy Robin.

http://www.adlerbooks.com/bottlef.html

Now, besides the glaring lack of attention to actual evidence based research
(which as we know is available by the truckload) on the inferiority of ABM,
and the outright denial of the superiority (and normalcy!) of breastfeeding
another phenomenon is apparent:

bottle-feeding parents are persecuted by both breastfeeding parents, and
breastmilk "ideologists".

This is what Mary Daly (Gyn/Ecology) called Reversal - the deliberate
mirrordom of obvious fact in order to pervert and obscure reality. This was
apparent to feminists in the early 90's when there was suddenly a "Men's
Movement" claiming that white men are the oppressed minority. Similarly,
white supremacist groups also claim "reverse descrimination" although the
staus quo has not changed one bit. Occasionally, a Reversal is so
preposterous it is ignored, but when it serves that status quo, people come
out of the woodwork to embrace it. The loss of the breastfeeding
relationship, whether early termination or from never having started is not
to be ignored. Being reminded that one did *not* do something that was
obviously good for their baby, and instead did something clearly and
irrefutably "bad" (for lack of a better term) always raises defensiveness.
This, in turn brings up accusations of inducing guilt. In Robin's case, it
also means writing and publishing outright lies. (My favorite from this page
is: " Now most obstetricians, unless told otherwise by their patients,
simply assume that the new mother will breastfeed her baby." ha!)

Robin claims the bf-ing moms *used* to get disapproval, but now they are
embraced, and instead: "The simple act of taking out a formula bottle can
make a parent the target of repeated unsolicited advice, and even public
criticism."

When has a bottle-feeding parent ever been told to hide in a bathroom?
Portrayed as a kook on primetime tv? Harrassed at work (even for the
increased "sick days" they often need)? called indecent? Lost custody of a
child for "sexual abuse"?  There are at least 2 lawyers here on LN who I
understand work continually with these issues.

Reversal exists to confuse and befuddle issues, and take pressure off
dominant groups to acknowledge and do something about unfair treatment to
*actual* oppressed groups. Normal bf-ing mothers are lumped together as a
"cult" (a very negative correlation indeed). Not as a minority struggling to
regain what has been stolen from women and society.

Michelle DePesa

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