Thursday, November 16, 2006

BYOB


A mother was kicked off a Freedom Airlines flight for breast feeding her baby. Freedom operates a Delta Airlines commuter flight between Burlington, Vermont and New York City.

Emily Gillette of New Mexico was asked to leave the flight after she declined a flight attendant's offer of a blanket to cover her baby's head. She was seated by a window in the next-to-last row with her husband between her and the aisle. No part of her breast was showing, she said.

The flight attendant told her, "You offend me."

Gillette replied that she had a legal right to breast feed her baby. Soon after, a Delta ticket agent approached and said the flight attendant had asked that the family be removed from the flight. They complied, but have since filed a complaint against the two airlines.

"It embarrassed me. That was my first reaction, which is a weird reaction for doing something so good for a child. And then helpless," she said.

And in the Christmas season, too. We can only imagine how helpless Mary must have felt when she was denied room at the inn. Good thing she didn't try to get on an airplane with all those donkeys and lambs.

The boobs working for the airline are the ones who offend me.

28 comments:

Kevin Charnas said...

shit...that's some shit right there.

Kevin Charnas said...

profound, aren't I?

Anonymous said...

You're right. There's nothing offensive about breasts. It's the boobs who are the problem!!

urban-urchin said...

This post made me so MAD! As a mother and a woman I will boycott Freedom (ironic name huh) airlines. Assholes. It's hard enough as it is travelling with kids- that flight attendant should be fired.

Law Fairy said...

Oh BROTHER. Why are people so freaked out about breastfeeding?? If that's so offensive then we should ban men scratching or "shifting" in public, 'cause that's WAY grosser and it happens ALL THE TIME and no one bats an eye.

I hate that there's such a taboo about breastfeeding. It's like it subtly undermines the breast-as-sex-object obsession we have in western (sexist, misogynist) society. Heaven forbid a woman actually use her breast to do anything but titillate!

Law Fairy said...

Hehe. "Tit"illate. I just noticed that ;)

Pendullum said...

I can not believe it!
Really?
This happened?
I can not believe it!
I breastfed my kid on every flight until she was a year and a half...Never a problem....
But then again, I never flew with Delta...

Lex said...

AMERICA get a grip!!!! All mammals do it. This is how we feed our young. Not rubber nipples and Similac, Enfamil or whatever else you want to add water to and shake.

I am outraged by this. For the love of God, she was nursing her BABY!!! If she were nursing DAD, perhaps there could have been a decency issue at hand, but not for the baby.

Why are we so touchy about nudity in this country? At least non-pronographic nudity. I bet if the mom had pulled out the magazine in her seat-back pocket she would have found be-THONGED, be-ITTY BITTY BIKINIed women showing more flesh than this women in order to sell Audi's or something.

This burns me!

Christina_the_wench said...

Pansy-ass flight attendant. Because it offended the flight attendant they were ejected? Why the F does the flight attendant (asswipe) have more rights than a breast-feeding mother? The mother obviously wasn't a terrorist or some shit. This is madness.

OMG.....

mist1 said...

I got kicked off an airplane once for the same thing. Of course, he wasn't my baby. Nor was he an infant.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Kevin,

Yes, dear. You are.

Profound as in deep? Deep shit. Somebody stop me, I can't help myself.

Anonymous,

When a woman actually using those boy toys for their intended purpose offends someone, we're in trouble as a society. But then we knew that. People are sick.

Urchin,

I noted the irony of the name, too. And I thinkk she should not only be fired, but excommunicated from the human race.

Law Fairy,

Titillate. Pretty funny!

I suspect that if men were capable of breast feeding their young, everybody would just go with the program. So manly, you know?

Pendullum,

I breast fed all three of my children on planes, discreetly, and nobody asked us to leave.

They should ask people who get stinking drunk after imbibing the whole beverage cart to leave. In midair.

Lex,

I'm sure you're right. Titties sell cars and everything else in this country. But when even women conspire to make breasts sex objects and nothing else, it's a sad thing.

Christina,

I would prefer that flight attendants watch for terrorists rather than humiliate mothers. Motherfuckers.

I hope this woman gets a settlement big enough to put her baby through college.

Anonymous said...

That is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard! Kicked off a flight for breast-feeding her baby. Lord have mercy! (Never thought I'd use that phrase! LOL)

Jansky T said...

Ugh. Exactly what is it that some people find offensive about that?

*~*Cece*~* said...

OMG that's aweful! *shaking my head*

Crankster said...

The thing that gets me the most is the idea that the flight attendant's disgust trumped the customer's needs and desires. Ugh.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Mist,

I think you commented at the same time I did, so I didn't know you were there.

Well, was he at least immature?

Chani,

The flight attendant is buying herself some industrial-sized bad karma. Someday, she will be hungry or thirsty, and there will be no milk of human kindness anywhere.

Kevin,

I think this betrays that they think of breasts solely as sex objects. If they thought of them in their nurturing capacity, there would be no problem.

Cece,

Shaking right along with you.

Crankster,

What ever happened to "the customer is always right?" The whole incident was shameful.

djn said...

Heart, what a story! Read your notes in the comments section as well, and can't agree with your more about identifying terrorists rather than humilating mothers nurishing their children. I was such a young mom first time around and I honestly wouldn't have even been able to comprehend what was happening if someone was offended by me nursing my daughter. What a strange thing.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Djn,

Just when we think people can't be any more stupid, they prove us wrong.

If I had been evicted from a plane with one of my babies, I would have been so angry my milk curdled.

I feel terrible for that young mother. I'm glad she's suing them.

katrice said...

I agree with you. I hope she gets enough to put her baby through college and then some. That flight attendant needs a clue. And a heart. And a conscience. She or he probably pinches babies.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Katrice,

Oh, ouch. Let's hope you're wrong. But LOL anyway.

Odat said...

There's a lot more that offends me on airplanes! Bitchy flight attendants are one of them...

Peace

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Odat,

Ya know, there's always something new to get offended about. I've made it my business. And I'm damn good at it.

I've never actually had a run-in with a flight attendant that I can remember. But I would have had to defend this woman if I'd been there.

Lee said...

If memory serves, breastfeeding my son during take-off and landing was the best way to avoid the much more intense offense of "screaming, hysterical baby in tight enclosure." What a dumbass twat.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Lee,

Of course. They don't have to look, but it's hard not to hear a screaming baby.

Twat! Excuse me while I go play with my new word.
TwattwattwattwattwattwattwattwatTWAT!!!

curmudgeon said...

On the one hand, breast feeding is as natural as childbirth. But since nannies are trying to force everyone into p.c. euphoria, what else do you expect?
On the other hand, would it really have killed her to hold up a blanket for a few minutes?
On the other hand, what's a little bit of tit now and then? I enjoy seeing them. :)
It seems it's a bigger sin and even more more illegal to expose an occasional nip, than to watch someone die on the news, or someone get hacked up in a movie.
Violence, murder, torture, rape, all that shit is okay to show, but a tit exposed at halftime, or maybe in a baby's mouth? How could they?

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Curmudgeon,

I've wondered for years why violence is ok for viewing by children, but not nudity.

What did you mean about nannies trying to force everyone into p.c. euphoria? I never had a nanny, so all I know about them is what I see on Law & Order.

Anonymous said...

What the...?

Anonymous said...

You're right. There's nothing offensive about breasts. It's the boobs who are the problem!!


Rock on. Great statement.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Roonie,

Where do we stand on tits?