>It is a pity we live in a hi-tech society but we do.

Cultural beliefs and systems of behavior are the sum total of millions of
individual decisions to go along with the general practices of the day (the
easiest route) or to choose a different path.  Every time a woman puts on
makeup, she reinforces the idea that women should be judged by the way they
look.  Every time a person stays silent when someone makes a racist comment,
they reinforce the idea that people should be judged by the color of their
skin.  Every time a person buys a Big Mac, they reinforce the idea that
McDonald's is a good place to find food.  Every time a person uses a
gasoline-powered leaf-blower to clear the lawn of leaves instead of a rake,
they reinforce the idea that technology is better than nature, that the few
minutes of time or the few ounces of effort they save are worth or the
pleasure they get from the use of technology itself are more than clean air
and peace and quiet.  Every time a lactation consultant (or nurse, or LLLL,
or whoever) suggests to a mother that a breast pump is a useful and
necessary piece of equipment, she or he reinforces the idea that women's
bodies cannot do what they were designed to do.
Culture is not some monolithic entity that we are helpless to change.
Culture is us.  It is what we believe and what we do -- every minute of our
daily lives.  In the long run, breastfeeding and mother/infant health would
be better served by promoting a society where mothers and babies stay
together, where no one needs anything other than a baby to remove the milk
from their breasts.


Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Anthropology and Nutrition
Texas A&M University