Don't get me wrong. I have absolutely nothing against mothers breastfeeding their babies anywhere/anytime they like. But come on, Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Accreditation program manager?
I also noticed in the linked article (and for the second time this week) the, er, expression "to express milk."
Breastfeeding Association spokeswoman Tracey Kelly said many people were ignorant about expressing milk.
No kidding. I always thought mammals secreted milk. On the other hand, though, it gives fresh meaning to phrases like "wipe that expression off your face"...
Well, you are right when you say you are "ungracefully growing old." I always suspect people who begin a paragraph with "don't get me wrong I have nothing against women who wish to breastfeed...." of being what I have termed a "lactagonist". Some-one who actually does have a big problem with mothers who wish to breastfeed. How about some support for the fabulous mother, taking time out from her busy work day to express her milk for her baby? What about a big cheer for Tracey Kelly and the Australian Breastfeeding Association for supporting all mothers, especially those who wish to breastfeed their babies.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous wrote:
ReplyDeleteI always suspect people who begin a paragraph with "don't get me wrong I have nothing against women who wish to breastfeed...." of being what I have termed a "lactagonist". Some-one who actually does have a big problem with mothers who wish to breastfeed."
I was going to start with "with all due respect..." but I suspect you suspect people who begin a paragraph with that sort of phrase of something too.
So I'll just begin.
What Kyklops wrote was:
Don't get me wrong. I have absolutely nothing against mothers breastfeeding their babies anywhere/anytime they like. But come on, Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Accreditation program manager?
Now let us just read carefully.Key phrases to note: "I have absolutely nothing against mothers breastfeeding their babies anywhere/anytime they like."
Does that really sound to you like a "Lactagonist"? It's the frickin Title.
It's kind of funny that there is a position with that job title. Get it?
That's the point. If you really are serious about supporting the admirable work of Tracey Kelly and the Australian Breastfeeding Association shouldn't you be out there trying to find someone who really is antagonizing you?
I submit that you have missed the point and in so doing, you have lost a little credibility.
With every kind wish,
Colin
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to visit and leave a comment. Unfortunately, however, I tend to think people who use terms like "lactagonist" are zealots.
If you'd read a bit more carefully, you'd have noticed (as Colin pointed out) that I wasn't talking about breastfeeding at all in this post. In fact, I didn't actually refer to this story at all, except to point out a couple of linguistic details.
I was talking about language. In particular I was talking about awkward or just plain unnecessarily dumb language (in, I hope, an amusing, unoffensive way). On this topic I would welcome your views.
I think I expressed my views on breastfeeding in pretty clear and succinct English. You've left no question as to your views (but seem somewhat confused about who's with you and who's against you).
Let's stick to the topic, shall we?
At minimum, the title "Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Accreditation program manager" is in desperate need of a well-placed hyphen.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on how funny the whole thing sounds, though.
OTOH, I like the verb "express" in this sense. Could be just that I'm used to it, but I also think it offers a subtle distinction from "secrete." The former sounds more intentional, especially in light of the pumping; the latter sounds more like an involuntary/stimulated response mechanism.
Brendan,
ReplyDeleteYeah, I suppose "Let me wipe that expression off your face" has a better sound that "Let me wipe that secretion off your face".
;-)