In response to a poll on Facebook

The question: "Do you think women should be forced to cover up when breastfeeding in public?"
My answer: "NO"
My rationale:


It's ridiculous how much Americans fear the human body / normal bodily functions / having a conversation with their kids about anything more relevant than Spongebob Squarepants (or whatever it is kids watch nowadays).


Face it...nobody's REALLY afraid of their kid accidentally seeing a nipple. Sure, people SAY it'll traumatize the child. Some even believe it. But the REAL reason Nipplegate became more than a "wardrobe malfunction" is that parents were angry that their kids all of a sudden wanted to ask them questions that make the parents feel icky and dirty: "How DARE an event force me to explain basic anatomy to my daughter? Those people should be ASHAMED of themselves for making me feel this way! And what about the children!?"

Newsflash: Nudity does not harm children. Parents' reactions to the child asking such a naughty question DOES, because the child is made to feel bad for even wondering. This feeling, if experienced often enough, may eventually give the child an excitement/fear relationship with sex. This child grows into a teen or adult who has unsatisfying sex that ABSOLUTELY NO ONE can know about. Birth control? No way! "If I carry a condom, people will think I'm a sexual person. And that would be the end of the world!" So the child gets herpes, partially out of ignorance and partially out of denial. Then the child gets pregnant, denies it for nine months, and gives birth in a toilet

Admittedly, this is a worst-case scenario, albeit a very American one. And all because of a simple question: "Mommy, what / why is that?" and, quite possibly, a smack--whether physical or verbal.

Let's contrast this mindset with Europe's.

Most places in Western Europe allow nudity on television. Those same countries have MUCH LOWER RA...TES of teen pregnancy / STIs than the US. Oh, did I mention that they also have comprehensive sex education and allow teens easy access to birth control? AND don't have a love/hate relationship with sexuality (as we seem to here)? Sex, in Europe, is a part of being human. No big deal. As a result, it is not feared or fetishized. And there are less sexual problems.

You know what Europeans DO object to? Violence (and yes, that includes guns) on TV and in the culture.

Yes, Europeans find violence more offensive than sex. Yes, they have different values than us. No they are not pussies.

They might just be more civilized and less perverted.