Next Tuesday, June 6th, some of your LJ friends may be deleting their accounts. You might want to think about it too. Here's some info about the strike, and about why they're doing it and how it started.
Personally, I think the only thing that will make LJ sit up and listen is if people delete their paid accounts and don't come back. After all, money talks. Hopefully they will take notice anyway.
I've changed my default icon in solidarity, although it's a little silly (the icon, that is). I wholly support what these ladies (and hopefully some gentlemen too) are doing. You should think about showing your support too. Where will your journal be on June 6th?
[ETA: There's a meaty discussion going on about this at TNH's blog.]
Personally, I think the only thing that will make LJ sit up and listen is if people delete their paid accounts and don't come back. After all, money talks. Hopefully they will take notice anyway.
I've changed my default icon in solidarity, although it's a little silly (the icon, that is). I wholly support what these ladies (and hopefully some gentlemen too) are doing. You should think about showing your support too. Where will your journal be on June 6th?
[ETA: There's a meaty discussion going on about this at TNH's blog.]
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and omg great icon!
Fer the love of Peter (also not allowed in default icons), people!!! Just use something else as your default, and select to use your stupid icon with the baby latched on to your tit when you post! It's not unreasonable. Some people just look for reasons to get their panties in a bunch, IMO. Yes, breastfeeding is natural and a great thing to do and a beautiful bonding experience between mother and baby, but most people don't want it put in their face. I have nothing against women breasfeeding in public because I can just look away. I don't want to see it when I load up my friends page any more than I want to see someone changing a diaper or taking a piss. Sex between two loving people is a beautiful thing too, but I don't want it served up in front of me in my own webspace.
Sorry. That got rantier than I intended. This is just the first I've heard of the strike, and I think it's so stupid! Not just the reason for it, but come on? Delete your journal for a day and come right back? If it's something someone really believes is worth fighting for, they'd just go away. It seems extremely silly to me. And I, for one, support the no squirmy *default* icons rule.
Personally, I don't think the one-day blackout will work either. I've said that. If I felt as strongly about the issue as some of these folks do, I'd be voting with my feet and leaving LJ permanently, which is where I think this is headed anyway. I'm not that passionate about it myself, but I support those who are.
That may even be a feature now. I'm too lazy to go look, but I seem to recall that, as an LJ'er, I have some amount of control over how my friends icons are displayed on my friends page. If it's not a feature yet, it's just good planning to anticipate that kind of a need. Consider it like the v-chip in a television. I don't know for sure that's their reasoning and I don't care enough about the issue to put the time into researching it, but it seems perfectly logical to me.
And don't apologize for getting ranty, that was a good rant. :)
And don't apologize for getting ranty, that was a good rant. :)
LOL! Why, thank you. :)
I do think it's slamming breastfeeding though. They're lumping it in with sexualized nudity, which is as ridiculous as porn blockers that won't let you view a breast cancer awareness site.
I can see your points, but we disagree. :)
Honestly, I could understand a tasteful photo of a mother in soft lighting, smiling down on her peacefully breastfeeding baby. That could be done in a beautiful and artistic and *meaningful* way. Of course, in a 100x100 pixel icon, there wouldn't be enough boob showing in a picture like that to be inflammatory, and I doubt it would trip any alarms ...until maybe now, now that some people have made such a big stink over the issue. But, in the brief bit of reading I've done on this issue, I haven't seen *ANY* icons like that. The ones I've seen are all close up of baby sucking on boobie. Not pretty, not tasteful, just a functional feeding and strange to see in an icon. It very much has that LOOK AT WHAT I'M DOING! feel to it, and *that* is very annoying.
I think the people who are offended by all public breast feeding are being silly and prudish and even rude, but I do think some amount of discretion is called for, and *IMO* women who just flop a breast out there and put their baby on it without any attempt to be discrete or with any concern for other people's comfort levels... well, I think they're just as silly and rude.
I also see what you mean about the "look what I'm doing" feel to it, but I can see why some lactivists would specifically want that feel. Women do have the right to breastfeed in public, and I think it's important to get rid of the tabboo on public breastfeeding.
Sometimes (*most times*) you can't make the world see things your way, so you just have to agree to disagree and make an extra effort not to step on each other's toes. Too many people get caught up in the passion of these kinds of fights for "the right thing" and become far more interested in proving they're right than in getting along. I'm 210% for the getting along.
I'd like to see women breastfeeding wherever necessary, but doing it under a blanket or in an out-of-the-way quiet corner, at least making an effort to show some consideration for other people's comfort levels. Putting it "in your face" by posting pictures of it or doing it right at the table in a nice restaurant or in the middle of a busy shopping center to make a point isn't going to acclimate people to it, it's just going to make people mad that anyone would have so little regard for everyone else in the world. I agree with their intentions, but their methods are selfish and inflammatory and mostly counter-productive. That's my opinion, but also my observation. I see most people, even pro-breastfeeding poeple, getting turned off by this kind of "we're here; get used to it" attitude, and not a single person who is against public breastfeeding being inspired to stop and rethink things.
You have to show some respect to earn it. Catch more flies with honey, and all that.
LJ: Guys, no nekkid boobies in the default user icons, please.
People: *break rule*
LJ: *deletes people breaking rule*
People: OMG YOU TOTALLY DIS BREASTFEEDING!!!!1
Me: *fails to care, backs away slowly*
That's probably a huge over-simplification, but...*shrug*