Milking an attitude of entitlement

Freedom, respect, privacy and common sense.

These core values have always sprung eternal from America’s bosom. But unfortunately, a new generation is hellbent on changing that, preferring instead to milk every opportunity for controversy, all in the pursuit of media fame and politically correct social engineering.

Even worse, children are increasingly being used as accomplices. A recent incident sheds light on how America is being sucked dry of that which makes it so unique.

Once upon a time, mothers breast-fed their children in public without a problem. Why? Simple. They used common sense and discretion.

But now, an increasing number of militant moms infected with “I’ll do whatever I want, whenever I want” entitlement disease think it’s perfectly acceptable to bare all, in front of everyone, without covering anything.

Such a situation just occurred at the Mora public pool in Mora, Minn., which, predictably, has exploded into a national uproar. Upon seeing that their babies were hungry, sisters-in-law Stephanie Buchanan and Mary Davis decided against taking their other children out of the kiddie pool to have them eat lunch, play cards, use the swings, etc. (like women used to do when they had to breastfeed), and instead started breastfeeding in the pool, with nary a towel over shoulder and breast.

One might imagine the understandable pushback the women received. Another female pool patron asked that they simply cover up. They refused. Pool management requested the same, or that they move to a more suitable location – to no avail. Things grew so untenable that the police were called, who labeled it a “ruckus.”

The objective of the police officer was not to arrest anyone, or ask the women to leave the pool, but simply to calm everyone down – but was met with an “are you kidding me?” response by Ms. Buchanan.

So did the pool have a right to ask them to move? Of course. Such overt breastfeeding was disturbing other patrons and was wildly inappropriate. The pool has an obligation to keep order and accommodate all its members – not just some.

Let’s be honest: This has nothing to do with children and breastfeeding, and everything to do with those who believe they have the “right” to do anything they want, regardless of how it affects others. Common courtesy and discretion have been unceremoniously dumped in favor of rudeness and, yes, we’ll say it again: unfettered entitlement. How ironic that the “offended class” – who feels slighted at everything they don’t agree with or like – doesn’t give a damn about offending others. So where do things stand? 1) This incident will clearly stigmatize breastfeeding – and that’s the last thing we need, since fewer women are breastfeeding for the recommended time frame. And that hurts children, given that science cannot duplicate the unparalleled health benefits of breastfeeding.

2) This author is pro-individual rights, and pro-breastfeeding (though that will surely be called “mansplaining.” Whatever.). If only a modicum of common sense had been utilized, everyone could have had their cake and eaten it, too. But a caveat: Freedoms are not unlimited. Just as NFL players do not have a “right” to protest during a game – that is a privilege afforded them by their employer – public breastfeeding also has its limits.

3) This situation perfectly exemplifies the “pattern of disenfranchisement” in today’s America: Flaunt traditional norms out of misguided sense of entitlement, become “offended” when others legitimately call you out, create a highly public scene, post on social media in the hopes of becoming a viral sensation, stage a protest/boycott/sit-in (the women already had a “nursein” at the pool, with another one scheduled), and of course, threaten to sue for “discrimination.”

Which Buchanan and Davis have also done, looking for a quick payday.

It’s time to push back against those who turn things upside down simply because they are seeking fame or don’t give a hoot about manners and courtesy.

The more quickly we can shame the concept of sucking at the teat of social media, the more quickly we can nip things in the bud and get back to common sense.