why must everything be ad absurdum?

[some_stars]

...I think the breastfeeding/infant discussion is completely ridiculous, though. YOU CAN'T BRING YOUR BABIES EVERYWHERE. Just wait a year or two, for fuck's sake. I mean, choosing to breastfeed only and without pumping is an awesome choice, but it's a CHOICE that you make that has CONSEQUENCES. You can't bring your baby to a fucking bar, either.

clarification: I am 1000% in favor of breastfeeding in public and I think it should be allowed in every place babies are allowed. I just don't think everywhere in the entire world needs to allow babies.

Comments

(frozen comment)

[ellen_fremedon]

The person who needs an aide to attend is a paid member of the con. The baby isn't. There is a difference between accommodating the needs of con members and the needs of con members' families.

Which isn't to say there's not an argument to be made for allowing infants* at the con. But it's not the same argument.


*And the question really has to be about all infants. As cereta points out above, it's not fair to extend a privilege to women whose bodies are capable of producing milk, and deny it to those who can't.

(frozen comment)

[dancesontrains]

Well said; these points shouldn't be compared, and it's a shame that they are being.

(frozen comment)

[tavella]

There is a difference between accommodating the needs of con members and the needs of con members' families.

Yeah, it's the equivalent of someone who is a sole caretaker of a nursing dependent spouse; if the spouse is a member, the con obviously has a duty to accommodate if at all possible. But they aren't responsible for arranging someone to cover for the caretaker, and they wouldn't be bound to allow the non-member spouse to accompany the member to con functions.

(frozen comment)

[tavella]

If you wanted an aide to be with you full time during the convention, I'd expect that you would buy them a membership, and in fact VVC's policy was so last I saw.

(frozen comment)

[ellen_fremedon]

A disabled con member who is aided with access is not "extended a privilege" - using language like that for a disabled member would be HUGELY insulting

If nursing mothers are allowed to bring their children into the con, and non-nursing mothers aren't, then childrens' access is being treated as a privilege-- which it shouldn't be; we're in agreement on that much at least.

Forgive me if this is an ignorant question-- I've never been involved with the rearing of an infant-- but can you avoid the plugged ducts, etc., if you take along a pump and express your milk regularly that way? The existence-- or potential existence; as I said, I am ignorant about how this works-- of mechanical accomodations is relevant to this conversation.

Sorry-- read the post in a hurry and didn't see you'd already written about pumping. I'm sorry that didn't work out for you.

(frozen comment)

[(Anonymous)]

Aide means someone who assists. Your baby is not an aide. You assist the baby, it doesn't assist you.

(frozen comment)

[some_stars]

Not okay. Also, deleted.