It’s World Breastfeeding week this week, and to honor mom’s around the world Tulsa-based Double Shot Coffee decided to temporarily ban nursing in their cafe. What follows are snapshots of the debacle as it played out on Twitter.
Owner Brian Franklin, with a history of Tweet Rage, posted this to Twitter on Monday afternoon:
Lactivists worldwide immediately started to organize. Boycotts, nurse-ins and breast-mobs were planned.
Brian then went back on Twitter:
Clear evidence of Anti-Breastism.
Brian gets back on Twitter:
In a snarky and curt non-apology open letter to media outlets, Brian explains:
Some of the people angry about this were concerned for their individual rights and the right of their baby to eat. It is as if I had tried to pass a law banning the practice of breastfeeding universally. The fact is, these people aren’t concerned with individual rights. They are concerned with THEIR rights. They would not fight for my right to ban breastfeeding in my establishment if I chose to do so. I don’t mind if people breastfeed in the DoubleShot, but it’s funny to me that people don’t consider the rights of others; only their own. If one really believes in the American dream of individual rights, they must believe in the rights of others to do or think or say things they don’t agree with. My capitalist ideals tell me that business owners should be able to make their own rules and individuals should then decide if they want to support that business or not. As it is, the over-regulation of our government seems to step in and tell us everything that we can and can’t do. I agree with the rights of people to boycott businesses they dislike, though in this case, people are mislead. We allow breastfeeding and women do breastfeed when they want.
Be warned: capitalism and breastfeeding make strange bedfellows.
The Tulsa Fox News Affiliate ran a story last night:
