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Often I enjoy writing because I can go back and edit, reread things and find a meaning I didn't intend and fix it, and so forth. But with things like, well, speaking or fast-paced Twitter, editing can't or doesn't happen.
But I bet NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne is sure wishing he had an edit button after he tweeted not one, not two, but three negative comments in a row about a nursing mom in a grocery store, and then called a Twitter follower and fan of his a pretty nasty name when she tried to call him on it.
Eek.
On December 27, he tweeted:
Just walking through supermarket. See a mom breast feeding little kid. Took second look because I was obviously seeing things. I wasn't!
Innocent enough, really. As much as I wish it weren't true, seeing women breastfeed in public is still shocking to some people, especially if the child isn't an infant. If this is all he had said, it'd be no big deal. Not perfect, mind you, but not worthy of taking insult. But sadly ... it wasn't all he said. He followed up with:
One boob put away one boob hanging!!! #nasty
Nasty? Oh lordy. He since deleted this individual one, but not before people got screenshots of it. And then:
I don't feel like shopping anymore or eating
Sigh. Okay, see, that's offensive. When a fan, KnittingRad replied (albeit pretty, um, harshly), Kahne replied with:
and your a dumb bitch
Not only is that pretty rude itself, but I feel bad for him that he doesn't know how to use your/you're properly.
After a huge negative backlash, he has issued many apologies at this point. His Facebook page has a post he has been tweeting that says:
I understand that my comments regarding breastfeeding posted on Twitter were offensive to some people. For that, I apologize. It was in no way my intention to offend any mother who chooses to breastfeed her child, or, for that matter, anyone who supports breast feeding children. I want to make that clear.
In all honestly, I was surprised by what I saw in a grocery store. I shared that reaction with my fans on Twitter. It obviously wasn’t the correct approach, and, after reading your feedback, I now have a better understanding of why my posts upset some of you.
My comments were not directed at the mother’s right to breastfeed. They were just a reaction to the location of that choice, and the fashion in which it was executed on that occasion.
I respect the mother’s right to feed her child whenever and wherever she pleases.
Kasey Kahne
Honestly? I say good for him. I feel like it's a great apology that really understands what it was he said that upset people. Sadly for KnittingRad, though, the insults keep coming. Four days later, she's still being Tweeted by rude, angry people saying some of the nastiest things, just because she tried to stand up for a fellow breastfeeding mom. Ouch.
I guess that's the other downside to the Internet ... not only can you not have people forget what they've seen (or make them delete their screenshots), but you open yourself up to a whole host of crazy just by commenting once on someone's Tweet. I hope things die down for her soon.
Do you think what Kasey Kahne said was rude?
Image via clared23/Flickr
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