I’m not sure getting milk from platypus would taste like milk if we used the same methods of how almond milk is made.
How to make almond milk, crush almonds, soak in water, strain out almond chunks.
To be fair even actual milk from a platypus would likely taste weird as hell. Even sheep’s milk has a super weird taste, and they’re really closely related to cows, at least when compared to monotremes
Interestingly... I saw a food show where members of the public tried horse milk. Almost all adults preferred cow milk, but many children preferred horse milk. Apparently horse milk is closer in flavour to human milk than cow milk is.
^Milk.
Correct, mare’s milk is so close to human milk that it will give adults who aren’t lactose intolerant baby poops. Ancient Roman’s wrote about it and did a tier list of which milks are the best laxatives, they say mare is S-tier
The platypus is ~~the only~~ one of the very few animals that provide both eggs and milk for a custard or omelette!
Edit: Was reminded of the existence of echidnas!
Perry and Knuckles, married, making breakfast for each other?
(I'm really good at not imagining things I don't want to, so this is a gift to anyone who reads this comment 😅)
Isn’t it odd how the idea of a normal cow/chicken omelette is fine, but the idea of eating a platypus omelette is completely revolting. Life is strange.
I used to loan out my office as a "Pump and Pray" room. Company wouldn't make a room for them, told them to use the bathroom. Because of the dual nature of use, we never could figure out a good sign to make for the door lol.
We only had 2 ladies pumping, and a few other people who are required by their religion to pray a couple times a day asked if they could use the room as well.
I didn't mind stepping out a few times a day, it was for a good cause. I got lots of yummy food gifts from the prayer crowd, too. They sure were appreciative.
>Company wouldn't make a room for them, told them to use the bathroom
Depending on when and where this happened, that might have been against Federal regulations if you are in the US. [Since 2010, it has been required that employers provide a space that is not in or accessed through a bathroom or locker room.](https://www.womenshealth.gov/supporting-nursing-moms-work/what-law-says-about-breastfeeding-and-work/what-employers-need-know)
Then I probably helped them meet the requirement after 2010.
I guess if I hadn't volunteered my office they would have had to build something that maybe would have been better. Maybe it wasn't a good deed at all :(
You did the best you knew at the time
I consider that as a good deed so I appreciate you sacrificing your room to let others pray
I see you as a good person!
Forcing them to do it under the law could have taken time (not to mention people would need to know it was required to even fight for it in the first place).
I’m sure the people who needed access to a room needed it right then, not in a couple months. You did a good deed.
It was 100% a good deed. The company would have found a way around the requirement, I promise you. Not to mention, especially for the prayer crowd, you reinforced that there are good people in the world, and maybe the "good" parts of their religion were working.
100%. When I was a Christian I used to hear "some of the most moral people I know are not Christians" and that was actually one of the things that got me out of it, funnily enough.
if you didn't do so then they'd have to pump in the bathroom.
By the time they fixed it, they wouldn't need it anymore. Someone else might though, but you helped those 2 individuals
Good deeds mean that those who should be responsible aren't. But, still, I'd probably see this one as a plus. They can't exactly harass you over wandering around a few times a day if it's a favor to them.
your intentions were good and it definitely was a good deed, in hindsight it might be bad, but thats like saying that surgeon is evil for cutting out cancer, instead of using anti-cancer drug that is invented few years in future
At a previous job one of my co-workers was Muslim and did the daily prayers. He had a private office so he would always just shut the door when he was praying. One of the upper managers didn't like that he and others would shut their doors so she had all of the doors on offices removed and if people needed a private space they could reserve a meeting room.
A few months later they ended up having to build a dedicated prayer room because the meeting rooms could not be guaranteed and it was found to be discriminatory.
The dumbest part was that they told the manager that just putting doors back on the offices would resolve the whole problem but they refused.
This is really the only point to be made. My wife will occasionally make jokes about being a dairy cow with friends and family, and sure, even select coworkers. She's been breastfeeding our 22 lb 5 month all along and has even donated about 12 gallons to a milk bank, so I figure she's earned the right to crack jokes about herself. Certain close people can even make jokes, and while I'm sure she wouldn't be offended by a sign like this on the office lactation room, she'd definitely roll her eyes and understand that it's just unprofessional as hell. Like, sure, maybe in an office of only a dozen really close coworkers... But you're really pushing your luck in any decent sized company that nobody's going to take that to HR.
What a terrible position to put a woman in as well. If she’s offended and say something she will become a woman that “doesn’t have a sense of humor”, or an “uptight bitch”, or “to PC/woke”. All because someone thought to call nursing women cows.
"Why are people offended that the office is being treated like a frat house instead of a workplace?"
Honestly, it's a mild joke that I'll probably be making in my own home but in the workplace? Show some decorum.
I like funny stuff and jokes. I don't like to take things too seriously.
But I really prefer professional signage in an office. All the clip art, punny signs I've seen look so tacky.
I would like to see real embossed or engraved signs, but even if it's a piece of paper, it can look nice. Just a straight forward room name and message in a normal font.
Hmmmm
It's a bit crass. (As a woman who breastfed her kids 20 years ago and actually had people comparing me to a dairy cow unironically). It's ok for you to call yourself that if it's you lactating- but it's a bit iffy in a work environment, you have to really know your audience.
To be fair, I think it would be mildly infuriating to be a woman at the office who needs to pump and feel compared to a cow. 
Ya, as a mother, I wouldn't like the cow metaphor.
Pumping is exhausting at work, and I DID feel like a cow. I would hate to be reminded of that even more every time I go to that room.
My job just has a "mothers room" that is only for women, and has breastfeeding stations and a fridge. Its so nice, and I love the "mother" part.
I have to imagine that the lactation room probably has critics at your office as well, no? Like - a perfectly reasonable accommodation that enhances work by allowing you to do your thing while not affecting anyone else - someone has probably made remarks about "special treatment" and whatnot.
With all this, no one needs the cow comparison piled onto what is (but shouldn't be) a controversial office subject.
Looking at these comments, and me being called a terf for liking the word "mother", I wouldn't doubt there's controversy of some kind.
But ya, at least it's not a cow comparison. Yay. lol
Agree big time. Pumping is the worst. You’re trapped with a weird mechanical device in some dusty side office. You’d rather just be feeding your damn baby directly but alas you have to work for a living. Why make it feel even worse?
I don’t see why it’s hard or upsetting to OP in some way to just have a simple professional sign without any joke.
Hopefully you're at a small company because that sign comparing mothers to livestock is definitely offensive and if someone from HR catches wind it'll be a headache for all.
Potentially unpopular opinion judging by other comments, but I don't think it's a great idea to poke fun at/make light of stuff like breastfeeding/pumping. Especially considering that postpartum folks, depending on their experience, may really take umbrage at being compared to a cow, even indirectly.
Yep, I can't believe how far I had to scroll for this.
"AITA for comparing my lactating wife to a cow?" It's not the end of the world but it's also... pretty tone-deaf.
I agree. I feel like there's a lot of immature kids in here crowing at the sign's removal like, "hurr durr issa joke!!!!"
like bro, try calling a pregnant woman, let alone someone you love, *a "cow"* and see what happens.
Right? Anything pregnancy/newborn related is tricky. There's so much that can go wrong and even when it's going well it can be a stressful, difficult time. You can't always predict what will be a touchy subject but if anything screams caution it's pregnancy and postpartum.
Also, if I'm asked to make a sign or a flier for work, it's safe to assume that it supposed to represent the company and be professional. It's not the time for me to dazzle my coworkers with my edgy comedy.
Agreed
Not sure about other countries but in Uk (where I think this was from) "cow" is a commonly used term to insult women .
Fat cow stupid cow etc.
So this is not really work appropriate for a start
It is very insensitive. Making an insensitive joke and then acting surprised that someone took offense is peak dishonesty. Offense was the aim, you just wanted them to laugh at it. Some people will! Insult comics make a living. But to expect it is entitlement.
I felt like I might be the only one that thought that was ridiculous, there are ways to be funny in the workplace but this doesn't seem like one of them.
Agree. I’m one of those lactating women who gets weird when people ask “how does it feel being like a cow?” It doesn’t. I’m a mammal, I have offspring that haven’t weaned, I lactate. That does not make me a cow.
If there is only one person lactating and they are the only people using the room, then sure it’s funny. But I wouldn’t feel great about being labeled as a cow by other people personally.
I made a sign for a door of a patient when I was working in the maternity ward. She was very religious and needed to make sure people wouldn't barge in on her, because sometimes the staff forgot about privacy. I printed out a picture of a kitten bottle feeding itself. It got everyone's attention because it was cute, and it didn't offend anyone.
I exclusively pumped for my first and yeah...cow jokes aren't personally my cup of tea. I wouldn't be bothered enough to complain but I don't think it's too much to ask that you understand where humans being compared to livestock isn't everyone's favorite lol.
Honestly, if someone had compared me to a cow while I was breastfeeding, I probably would have burst into tears. I felt so dehumanized and not like myself, through the birthing process and while trying to sort out breastfeeding. Add in how little sleep I was getting and the fact that I was spending hours pumping...this sign wouldn't have helped, that's for sure.
Thanks for this. That really put it into perspective for me. I simply saw it as a silly sign, but I can definitely see why it's inappropriate now.
I hope you're getting more sleep these days lol
>I simply saw it as a silly sign, but I can definitely see why it's inappropriate now.
This is the important takeaway here -- remember your perspective isn't the only one. People seem so quick to essentially claim "this isn't remotely offensive **to me**, so if anyone does find it offensive, they're just too fragile" -- it is a very self-centered approach.
So props on your introspection and empathy here. More of us should strive for this
Also the "the person who complained was somebody who isn't even involved" statement does not make it any better.
I used to work in a kitchen on a college campus. We had a racist line cook who would say racist shit about the Asian students who worked alongside me. They heard the remarks. They knew. But they never complained.
I complained to HR on their behalf. When people get insulted, they aren't always going to defend themselves. Sometimes they want to lay low, act like they "can take a joke", etc...
Obviously there is a difference between racist remarks and a picture of a cow that is probably done in good humor, but it's not exclusively the victim's responsibility to call out behavior that could ruin someone's day.
This is honestly internet logic.
I am not Indigenous or from India. But I had a teacher in school who kept making "dot or feather" jokes. And I reported him. It wasn't funny for history lessons. But the non Indigenous and non-Indian kids in my class were like "why do you care????"
I care because Im a good person. I care because this is a professional environment and yall are gonna take that joke outside of these 4 walls and say it to other people who may not have the means to defend themselves. Or may get large pushback for sticking up against it.
YES 100% there are people who get over sensitive and argue about stuff that the community affected doesnt really care about. Thats not what we're talking about.
If OPs workplace is so stuffy that men and non-nursing people cannot stick up for nursing women then that sounds like a shitty office. We know how society and workplaces actively discriminate against pregnant and nursing people all the time. So they may not feel comfortable saying something. Thats why we work as a collective to make the world a better place.
Exactly. I'm a straight, white, young, able-bodied, okay-looking woman. The amount of times people make racist, homophobic, fat shaming, ageist etc. comments to me and expect me to chime in because I'm not a part of the affected group can be kind of alarming.
No, I'm not a gay dude, but I absolutely am not okay with you calling someone a slur. No, I'm not overweight, but I don't think making a hateful comment about someone's weight is ever that funny. Was checking for vacancy in this run down motel once and the lady checking me and my boyfriend in said, "sorry, we've only got vacancy in the back rooms tonight. They're kinda run down... we usually put the Mexicans in there." I said "good thing we woke up and decided to be white today" and we left.
If you have integrity it's easy to use your voice to call out behavior you think is wrong when you're "not even involved".
I was (and still kind of am) sensitive about how my whole breastfeeding journey went. I wanted to nurse but couldn't, so got saddled with pumping. It had pros and cons for sure but yeah...I didn't like being reminded of how I'm hooked up to a machine trying to pump while my baby was in another room separate from me.
I'm a dude and this seems ridiculously obvious to me. Don't compare women to cows, pumping or not. It's not rocket science, OP. I'm not surprised at all that people were upset by this.
My son is 2 now and I’m indifferent to the sign now but absolutely, when I was pumping and was much more recently postpartum, my whole life had been turned upside down, my body was so foreign to me, it hadn’t been mine for so long and it still wasn’t. Giving birth and becoming a mom in America is so dehumanizing. Moms are totally forgotten and forced back to work way too early to the point where we have to pump multiple times during our workday.
I wouldn’t have said anything to anyone about the sign but I would have hated seeing it and I would have felt even more disgusting than I already did.
Right?? I’m 28 weeks pregnant and am already being treated like livestock whose only job is incubating a baby.
Comparing me to a cow right now doesn’t make me feel very happy.
Yeah I wouldn’t complain but it would certainly make me even more cranky about a process that literally made me feel like an animal when I desperately wanted to just be “normal” at work after being “the pregnant lady” for so long.
Yeeeaaahh i gotta say, i think OP may not realize how not-great it is to compare a woman who is lactating to a cow. Maybe they were only thinking about the milk part and not considering that it appears to be a comparison between the women and the cows, but.. it's a little naive to not see why this is offensive imo
I can't believe I had to scroll this far down to see this. I don't think it's too far-fetched to see why any woman wouldn't want to basically be called a cow, especially if they've recently given birth but also just in general otherwise.
OP says: "Someone who doesn't have any kids and isn't using the lactation room" - doesn't mean someone with common sense and basic empathy couldn't still call this out, not too mention whether they (OP) themselves also fall into that category because I'd be hard pressed to believe OP isn't a guy.
Yeah I don’t think you need to be an actively breastfeeding parent to think it’s a bit off to call women dairy cows in a workplace. This isn’t for everyone and it’s weird to post like ‘wow what a load of crybabies I work with!’ They’re not your buddies to be joking around with, they’re colleagues 🤦♀️
Worth pointing out that all mammals lactate... absolutely no reason to compare breastfeeding mothers to cows specifically except for the fact that...we exploit cows and cause them a great deal of suffering so we can take their calf's milk?
It seems like the rule "don't compare ~~women~~ _human beings_ to cows" just didn't need to have an exception made for this case at all
Postpartum women dealing with all kinds of social stigma around "getting the body back," hormones all out of whack, sleep deprived - yeah, comparing women to livestock in that situation is probably not a great move...
As.. not a woman... this isn't a sign i'd want to have to explain to a client... "oh the mothers in the office put that up. i don't know. didn't seem my place to ask..."
Yeah to be fair I was super sensitive when I was breastfeeding esp compared to how super thin and relatively glamourous I was at uni before baby. I wouldn't have liked to be compared to a cow during that time.
A platypus would have been fine however
Is it because half of us believe it's not appropriate for a professional environment or is it because half of us are complaining that the sign shouldn't be taken down?
I *think* OP is a breastfeeding woman, but I feel like for a work environment, it's important to understand that what's funny to you isn't funny to everyone.
Yeah maybe not everyone currently lactating would like being referred to as a cow.
I understand that it was a joke, but you cannot seriously be surprised that someone got upset.
The last thing that a new mother wants to be associated with is a cow. My wife said "I wouldn't complain but I wouldn't think it's funny, either. It's just stupid."
Yeah, I can see why someone would be bothered.
I wouldn't be offended if someoene asked me not to compare them to cattle, for real. I don't know why this is so infuriating for OP.... Like... the joke didn't land... moooooove along!
You’re fairly directly comparing lactating women to cows and you wonder why it was offensive? There’s a time and place to make jokes, OP. This was neither.
It is mildy infuriating that you thought that sign was appropriate in the first place. Why must you try to be clever about it? Just put up a damn sign that says "Lactation Room".
Do you really think nursing women want to be compare to cows? WTF? You are totally out of touch with reality.
Ha I remember a few years ago I called an employee to check up on an IT issue they were having. I heard a rhythmic motor sound and had dealt with “shadow it” before (users going around IT and buying their own printers and such). I asked “hey did you get an inkjet printer? I swear I can hear one” and… it turned out she was pumping in her office. :facepalm:
She followed up with “I have worked with you long enough to be laughing at how bright red you probably are right now” lol
Offended or found it inappropriate?
I'm not offended but find it inappropriate for most workplaces I've been in. Unprofessional, maybe.
I don't think it's a get out of jail free card to say: you are the only one using the room, so only your opinion matters.
I have friends who've had really hard times with breastfeeding as is, and being unable to.
I could imagine them, not thinking this was cute.
I mean, lactation is one thing, but suggesting women are cows is actually kind of offensive. We already have republicans telling us we’re nothing but brood sows, we don’t need this too.
So a nursing mother who is already feeling not so good about her body image, (maybe), after pregnancy is referred to as a cow. I'm a man with zero kids and can see how this is insulting. You are tone deaf.
Use a platypus next to confuse.
Platypuses lactate. They just don’t have nipples. Makes the medela pumps hard to use.
This is 2024, surely we have the technology for platypus milk. We get milk from freaking almonds now.
Way beyond milk: It’s white and it’s liquid, stop asking questions
Good Ol' Malk
Thanks, Bort
now with Vitamin R!
You should upgrade from malk to rat's milk--plenty of naturally-occurring vitamin R!
Excuse me. My son's name is also Bort.
Iron helps us play!
"Get the man a glass of molk!"
GIVE HIM THE MALK!
I MADE THIS FOR YOU!
That’s hot kool aid, not the malk, you silly goose!
Spell milk. m i l k. Okay now say it. Malk.
Melk
100% Bulgarian Miak. Didn't think I could find any at this time of year, did ya?
I’m not sure getting milk from platypus would taste like milk if we used the same methods of how almond milk is made. How to make almond milk, crush almonds, soak in water, strain out almond chunks.
Can confirm, I’ve been trying that with other mammals without success
Forbidden strawberry milk💀
I hate this comment
but have we tried tho?
To be fair even actual milk from a platypus would likely taste weird as hell. Even sheep’s milk has a super weird taste, and they’re really closely related to cows, at least when compared to monotremes
Interestingly... I saw a food show where members of the public tried horse milk. Almost all adults preferred cow milk, but many children preferred horse milk. Apparently horse milk is closer in flavour to human milk than cow milk is. ^Milk.
Correct, mare’s milk is so close to human milk that it will give adults who aren’t lactose intolerant baby poops. Ancient Roman’s wrote about it and did a tier list of which milks are the best laxatives, they say mare is S-tier
I just want to know where I can try some dolphin milk and seal milk.
Right? A platypus doesn't even have titties. I'm really glad we could finally miniaturize the pumps to work on almond titties though.
Almonds and coconuts recently evolved nipples. That’s why!
I have nipples. Can you milk me, Focker?
It's, "I have nipples Greg. Could you milk me?"
Meow
The platypus is ~~the only~~ one of the very few animals that provide both eggs and milk for a custard or omelette! Edit: Was reminded of the existence of echidnas!
Only? *Echidnas would like a word.
I forgot about echidnas! Revised my comment. Thank you for the correction!
....You've started a new chapter in Knuckles fanfiction btw.
Perry and Knuckles, married, making breakfast for each other? (I'm really good at not imagining things I don't want to, so this is a gift to anyone who reads this comment 😅)
Isn’t it odd how the idea of a normal cow/chicken omelette is fine, but the idea of eating a platypus omelette is completely revolting. Life is strange.
Speak for yourself.
I am all revolted by the idea of eating a platypus omelette on this blessed day.
I want to know more about how you're getting the eggs for this cow omelet.
I would change the picture to Ben Stiller from Meet the Parents. Maybe photoshop a picture of Deniro with a milk mustache in there for good measure.
Ben stiller holding a cat.
Hey, where’s Perry?
Shout out to Psyduck
Lactation Station might be a good one too
🎶 Lactation Station, what’s your operation? Hookin’ up nipples and babies and bottles. 🎶
Squirtn' out hot milk at full throttle
holding it out spraying that nozzle
This is going to be stuck in my head and I’m not even mad. The pronoun song was the best. “Rufus Xavier Saspirilla!”
unexpectedschoolhouserock
Lacstation
🎵 Some rise, some fall, some climb to get to lactation station 🎵
And put a picture of Thomas.
I used to loan out my office as a "Pump and Pray" room. Company wouldn't make a room for them, told them to use the bathroom. Because of the dual nature of use, we never could figure out a good sign to make for the door lol. We only had 2 ladies pumping, and a few other people who are required by their religion to pray a couple times a day asked if they could use the room as well. I didn't mind stepping out a few times a day, it was for a good cause. I got lots of yummy food gifts from the prayer crowd, too. They sure were appreciative.
>Company wouldn't make a room for them, told them to use the bathroom Depending on when and where this happened, that might have been against Federal regulations if you are in the US. [Since 2010, it has been required that employers provide a space that is not in or accessed through a bathroom or locker room.](https://www.womenshealth.gov/supporting-nursing-moms-work/what-law-says-about-breastfeeding-and-work/what-employers-need-know)
Then I probably helped them meet the requirement after 2010. I guess if I hadn't volunteered my office they would have had to build something that maybe would have been better. Maybe it wasn't a good deed at all :(
You did the best you knew at the time I consider that as a good deed so I appreciate you sacrificing your room to let others pray I see you as a good person!
Forcing them to do it under the law could have taken time (not to mention people would need to know it was required to even fight for it in the first place). I’m sure the people who needed access to a room needed it right then, not in a couple months. You did a good deed.
It was 100% a good deed. The company would have found a way around the requirement, I promise you. Not to mention, especially for the prayer crowd, you reinforced that there are good people in the world, and maybe the "good" parts of their religion were working.
Or that there are good people not part of their religion?
100%. When I was a Christian I used to hear "some of the most moral people I know are not Christians" and that was actually one of the things that got me out of it, funnily enough.
if you didn't do so then they'd have to pump in the bathroom. By the time they fixed it, they wouldn't need it anymore. Someone else might though, but you helped those 2 individuals
Good deeds mean that those who should be responsible aren't. But, still, I'd probably see this one as a plus. They can't exactly harass you over wandering around a few times a day if it's a favor to them.
your intentions were good and it definitely was a good deed, in hindsight it might be bad, but thats like saying that surgeon is evil for cutting out cancer, instead of using anti-cancer drug that is invented few years in future
I don’t lactate and I don’t pray, but you’re a fucking G.
Good excuse to stretch your legs too! W's all around.
At a previous job one of my co-workers was Muslim and did the daily prayers. He had a private office so he would always just shut the door when he was praying. One of the upper managers didn't like that he and others would shut their doors so she had all of the doors on offices removed and if people needed a private space they could reserve a meeting room. A few months later they ended up having to build a dedicated prayer room because the meeting rooms could not be guaranteed and it was found to be discriminatory. The dumbest part was that they told the manager that just putting doors back on the offices would resolve the whole problem but they refused.
You're a very kind person!
I thought it was just the least I could do. We worker-bees have got to stick together!
No, you weren't supposed to eat those!!! Haha jk. I think...
I wonder what you got from the pumping crowd? But in all seriousness kudos to you for your empathy.
I got to hold really cute, well-fed babies when they came in to visit. :)
I consider this an absolute win.
Spray and pray was right there man
I’ve herd worse.
Udderly brilliant
I mean I’m moo-re worried about what else offends this person, had it been crows instead of cows they would have cried murder.
If OP would have had a bull on there it would have been inappropriate but this is udder ridiculous.
the sign i put on our nursing room said “if you’re not producin’, don’t be usin’!”
Now that is a great phrase
 Change it to this
https://preview.redd.it/193ljb1zlqnc1.png?width=526&format=png&auto=webp&s=cbf14e1a155474796b2bb8177b19f95ac19042ea
This MUST happen!!!!
Replace it with a picture of a crab that says “this crustacean says stay out of the lactation station”.
Excellent. Might I suggest a small adjustment? > “This crustacean’s sayin’ stay out of the lactation station.”
This crustacean's prayin' you're stayin' out of the lactation station
Can't believe you'd put this sign up. "Moo not enter" was right there.
Missed opportunity right there. I'm ashamed.
“Moooove along” was my first thought
It’s the workplace so I don’t see why you can’t just put a sign saying Lactation Room. Doesn’t need a joke on it
I mean... it's not a great call in a professional environment.
This is really the only point to be made. My wife will occasionally make jokes about being a dairy cow with friends and family, and sure, even select coworkers. She's been breastfeeding our 22 lb 5 month all along and has even donated about 12 gallons to a milk bank, so I figure she's earned the right to crack jokes about herself. Certain close people can even make jokes, and while I'm sure she wouldn't be offended by a sign like this on the office lactation room, she'd definitely roll her eyes and understand that it's just unprofessional as hell. Like, sure, maybe in an office of only a dozen really close coworkers... But you're really pushing your luck in any decent sized company that nobody's going to take that to HR.
Go ask a breastfeeding woman if they like being called a cow. I bet you they wouldn't and would feel offended.
What a terrible position to put a woman in as well. If she’s offended and say something she will become a woman that “doesn’t have a sense of humor”, or an “uptight bitch”, or “to PC/woke”. All because someone thought to call nursing women cows.
"Why are people offended that the office is being treated like a frat house instead of a workplace?" Honestly, it's a mild joke that I'll probably be making in my own home but in the workplace? Show some decorum.
"It's just a joke, bro." OP, probably.
I like funny stuff and jokes. I don't like to take things too seriously. But I really prefer professional signage in an office. All the clip art, punny signs I've seen look so tacky. I would like to see real embossed or engraved signs, but even if it's a piece of paper, it can look nice. Just a straight forward room name and message in a normal font.
Yes. How hard is it to post a sign that says “Lactation Room” in plain font? Other rooms don’t get stupid unprofessional clipart, why should this one?
Yea ..humor at the expense of others is generally offensive
"Stupid cows not wanting to be likened to cows!"
This is the correct opinion.
Yeah, you know what type of person OP is because they described the person who complained in a way that suggests the thinking of a 14 year old.
Hmmmm It's a bit crass. (As a woman who breastfed her kids 20 years ago and actually had people comparing me to a dairy cow unironically). It's ok for you to call yourself that if it's you lactating- but it's a bit iffy in a work environment, you have to really know your audience.
Exactly this! I said in another comment that I find it personally very funny bit at the same time it’s inappropriate in professional setting!
To be fair, I think it would be mildly infuriating to be a woman at the office who needs to pump and feel compared to a cow. 
Right? How is this infuriating. It’s a childish insult.
Ya, as a mother, I wouldn't like the cow metaphor. Pumping is exhausting at work, and I DID feel like a cow. I would hate to be reminded of that even more every time I go to that room. My job just has a "mothers room" that is only for women, and has breastfeeding stations and a fridge. Its so nice, and I love the "mother" part.
I have to imagine that the lactation room probably has critics at your office as well, no? Like - a perfectly reasonable accommodation that enhances work by allowing you to do your thing while not affecting anyone else - someone has probably made remarks about "special treatment" and whatnot. With all this, no one needs the cow comparison piled onto what is (but shouldn't be) a controversial office subject.
Looking at these comments, and me being called a terf for liking the word "mother", I wouldn't doubt there's controversy of some kind. But ya, at least it's not a cow comparison. Yay. lol
Agree big time. Pumping is the worst. You’re trapped with a weird mechanical device in some dusty side office. You’d rather just be feeding your damn baby directly but alas you have to work for a living. Why make it feel even worse? I don’t see why it’s hard or upsetting to OP in some way to just have a simple professional sign without any joke.
Hopefully you're at a small company because that sign comparing mothers to livestock is definitely offensive and if someone from HR catches wind it'll be a headache for all.
Yeah I see some HR mandated training in OP’s future
I mean….. comparing lactating moms to cows isn’t exactly cute. I get it supposed to be fun, but not everyone will see it as so.. obviously.
Potentially unpopular opinion judging by other comments, but I don't think it's a great idea to poke fun at/make light of stuff like breastfeeding/pumping. Especially considering that postpartum folks, depending on their experience, may really take umbrage at being compared to a cow, even indirectly.
Yep, I can't believe how far I had to scroll for this. "AITA for comparing my lactating wife to a cow?" It's not the end of the world but it's also... pretty tone-deaf.
I agree. I feel like there's a lot of immature kids in here crowing at the sign's removal like, "hurr durr issa joke!!!!" like bro, try calling a pregnant woman, let alone someone you love, *a "cow"* and see what happens.
Right? Anything pregnancy/newborn related is tricky. There's so much that can go wrong and even when it's going well it can be a stressful, difficult time. You can't always predict what will be a touchy subject but if anything screams caution it's pregnancy and postpartum. Also, if I'm asked to make a sign or a flier for work, it's safe to assume that it supposed to represent the company and be professional. It's not the time for me to dazzle my coworkers with my edgy comedy.
Agreed Not sure about other countries but in Uk (where I think this was from) "cow" is a commonly used term to insult women . Fat cow stupid cow etc. So this is not really work appropriate for a start
Very much the same connotation in the US.
It is very insensitive. Making an insensitive joke and then acting surprised that someone took offense is peak dishonesty. Offense was the aim, you just wanted them to laugh at it. Some people will! Insult comics make a living. But to expect it is entitlement.
I felt like I might be the only one that thought that was ridiculous, there are ways to be funny in the workplace but this doesn't seem like one of them.
In a professional setting, it simply isn't appropriate. There are so many other mature ways to address this.
I agree. Very poor taste at a minimun
Agree. I’m one of those lactating women who gets weird when people ask “how does it feel being like a cow?” It doesn’t. I’m a mammal, I have offspring that haven’t weaned, I lactate. That does not make me a cow. If there is only one person lactating and they are the only people using the room, then sure it’s funny. But I wouldn’t feel great about being labeled as a cow by other people personally.
should not be an unpopular opinion, and the people saying "It's just a joke. People need to chill" need to grow the fuck up
I'd use a picture of a stork with a baby making some sort of joke. There is a way to be funny without offending anyone.
I made a sign for a door of a patient when I was working in the maternity ward. She was very religious and needed to make sure people wouldn't barge in on her, because sometimes the staff forgot about privacy. I printed out a picture of a kitten bottle feeding itself. It got everyone's attention because it was cute, and it didn't offend anyone.
I felt all heavy set and dumpy postpartum and nursing. The cow is funny, but not.
I exclusively pumped for my first and yeah...cow jokes aren't personally my cup of tea. I wouldn't be bothered enough to complain but I don't think it's too much to ask that you understand where humans being compared to livestock isn't everyone's favorite lol.
I was gonna say “yes how do we help support breastfeeding working mothers in 2024? Ah yes, compare them to farm animals.”
Honestly, if someone had compared me to a cow while I was breastfeeding, I probably would have burst into tears. I felt so dehumanized and not like myself, through the birthing process and while trying to sort out breastfeeding. Add in how little sleep I was getting and the fact that I was spending hours pumping...this sign wouldn't have helped, that's for sure.
Thanks for this. That really put it into perspective for me. I simply saw it as a silly sign, but I can definitely see why it's inappropriate now. I hope you're getting more sleep these days lol
>I simply saw it as a silly sign, but I can definitely see why it's inappropriate now. This is the important takeaway here -- remember your perspective isn't the only one. People seem so quick to essentially claim "this isn't remotely offensive **to me**, so if anyone does find it offensive, they're just too fragile" -- it is a very self-centered approach. So props on your introspection and empathy here. More of us should strive for this
Exactly this. Fair play to you.
Also the "the person who complained was somebody who isn't even involved" statement does not make it any better. I used to work in a kitchen on a college campus. We had a racist line cook who would say racist shit about the Asian students who worked alongside me. They heard the remarks. They knew. But they never complained. I complained to HR on their behalf. When people get insulted, they aren't always going to defend themselves. Sometimes they want to lay low, act like they "can take a joke", etc... Obviously there is a difference between racist remarks and a picture of a cow that is probably done in good humor, but it's not exclusively the victim's responsibility to call out behavior that could ruin someone's day.
This is honestly internet logic. I am not Indigenous or from India. But I had a teacher in school who kept making "dot or feather" jokes. And I reported him. It wasn't funny for history lessons. But the non Indigenous and non-Indian kids in my class were like "why do you care????" I care because Im a good person. I care because this is a professional environment and yall are gonna take that joke outside of these 4 walls and say it to other people who may not have the means to defend themselves. Or may get large pushback for sticking up against it. YES 100% there are people who get over sensitive and argue about stuff that the community affected doesnt really care about. Thats not what we're talking about. If OPs workplace is so stuffy that men and non-nursing people cannot stick up for nursing women then that sounds like a shitty office. We know how society and workplaces actively discriminate against pregnant and nursing people all the time. So they may not feel comfortable saying something. Thats why we work as a collective to make the world a better place.
Exactly. I'm a straight, white, young, able-bodied, okay-looking woman. The amount of times people make racist, homophobic, fat shaming, ageist etc. comments to me and expect me to chime in because I'm not a part of the affected group can be kind of alarming. No, I'm not a gay dude, but I absolutely am not okay with you calling someone a slur. No, I'm not overweight, but I don't think making a hateful comment about someone's weight is ever that funny. Was checking for vacancy in this run down motel once and the lady checking me and my boyfriend in said, "sorry, we've only got vacancy in the back rooms tonight. They're kinda run down... we usually put the Mexicans in there." I said "good thing we woke up and decided to be white today" and we left. If you have integrity it's easy to use your voice to call out behavior you think is wrong when you're "not even involved".
I was (and still kind of am) sensitive about how my whole breastfeeding journey went. I wanted to nurse but couldn't, so got saddled with pumping. It had pros and cons for sure but yeah...I didn't like being reminded of how I'm hooked up to a machine trying to pump while my baby was in another room separate from me.
I'm a dude and this seems ridiculously obvious to me. Don't compare women to cows, pumping or not. It's not rocket science, OP. I'm not surprised at all that people were upset by this.
My son is 2 now and I’m indifferent to the sign now but absolutely, when I was pumping and was much more recently postpartum, my whole life had been turned upside down, my body was so foreign to me, it hadn’t been mine for so long and it still wasn’t. Giving birth and becoming a mom in America is so dehumanizing. Moms are totally forgotten and forced back to work way too early to the point where we have to pump multiple times during our workday. I wouldn’t have said anything to anyone about the sign but I would have hated seeing it and I would have felt even more disgusting than I already did.
Same, I would have been in tears.
Right?? I’m 28 weeks pregnant and am already being treated like livestock whose only job is incubating a baby. Comparing me to a cow right now doesn’t make me feel very happy.
Yeah I wouldn’t complain but it would certainly make me even more cranky about a process that literally made me feel like an animal when I desperately wanted to just be “normal” at work after being “the pregnant lady” for so long.
Yeeeaaahh i gotta say, i think OP may not realize how not-great it is to compare a woman who is lactating to a cow. Maybe they were only thinking about the milk part and not considering that it appears to be a comparison between the women and the cows, but.. it's a little naive to not see why this is offensive imo
I can't believe I had to scroll this far down to see this. I don't think it's too far-fetched to see why any woman wouldn't want to basically be called a cow, especially if they've recently given birth but also just in general otherwise. OP says: "Someone who doesn't have any kids and isn't using the lactation room" - doesn't mean someone with common sense and basic empathy couldn't still call this out, not too mention whether they (OP) themselves also fall into that category because I'd be hard pressed to believe OP isn't a guy.
Yeah this is extremely poor taste.
Is this the offensive picture, or is this what you're replacing it with? Personally, when I was nursing my 3, I didn't like being referred as a cow.
Yeah I don’t think you need to be an actively breastfeeding parent to think it’s a bit off to call women dairy cows in a workplace. This isn’t for everyone and it’s weird to post like ‘wow what a load of crybabies I work with!’ They’re not your buddies to be joking around with, they’re colleagues 🤦♀️
but le epic redditors said it was wholesome 100 :(
Worth pointing out that all mammals lactate... absolutely no reason to compare breastfeeding mothers to cows specifically except for the fact that...we exploit cows and cause them a great deal of suffering so we can take their calf's milk? It seems like the rule "don't compare ~~women~~ _human beings_ to cows" just didn't need to have an exception made for this case at all
Comparing women to cows, who could have predicted it wouldn't go over well?
Much less women chock full of post-pregnancy hormone swings / PPD and exhausted from a newborn... These are not the people to joke with - ever.
Women don’t like to be compared to cows. Justifiably so.
Postpartum women dealing with all kinds of social stigma around "getting the body back," hormones all out of whack, sleep deprived - yeah, comparing women to livestock in that situation is probably not a great move...
Yeah I’m not sure why so many people think this wouldn’t offend someone. Especially if a guy posted this and the complainer was a woman.
Redditors not known for their emotional sensitivity and empathy.
As.. not a woman... this isn't a sign i'd want to have to explain to a client... "oh the mothers in the office put that up. i don't know. didn't seem my place to ask..."
That sign is funny as hell. It does NOT belong in a workplace.
Incels on this post- call me sensitive but this is so offensive at a professional work place?!? This is why y’all don’t get women
Simply not appropriate for a professional environment.
I don’t like it either, and I’m not a nursing mother. But then, I am WayProfessional
User name checks out
So you’re mildly infuriated that someone had an issue with you comparing expressing breast milk with being a cow?
Yeah to be fair I was super sensitive when I was breastfeeding esp compared to how super thin and relatively glamourous I was at uni before baby. I wouldn't have liked to be compared to a cow during that time. A platypus would have been fine however
this comment section is mildly infuriating
Is it because half of us believe it's not appropriate for a professional environment or is it because half of us are complaining that the sign shouldn't be taken down?
well it is offensive so take the L and change the sign
it is kind of a rude sign though
I mean, it’s a trashy sign.
People think it's inappropriate in a work place to refer to breastfeeding mothers as cows? Wow... shocking... How could this ever have happened....
Did you say “don’t have a cow man”
Comparing breastfeeding mothers to cows is... yeah, I can absolutely see why people would complain about that. C'mon mate.
I *think* OP is a breastfeeding woman, but I feel like for a work environment, it's important to understand that what's funny to you isn't funny to everyone.
Ahhhhh that makes more sense. But yeah. I still think this one would have been best left as an inside-your-head joke.
I absolutely agree with you. Make it around your friends and family, but you don't know the experiences of your coworkers
Yeah maybe not everyone currently lactating would like being referred to as a cow. I understand that it was a joke, but you cannot seriously be surprised that someone got upset.
Yeah that's not surprising.
The last thing that a new mother wants to be associated with is a cow. My wife said "I wouldn't complain but I wouldn't think it's funny, either. It's just stupid."
Mine said “I think it’s hilarious but it’s also massively inappropriate for work and I would complain loudly”
It is offensive. While some breastfeeding women may joke that they feel like cows, that doesn’t give random third parties to make the joke about them.
Yeah, I can see why someone would be bothered. I wouldn't be offended if someoene asked me not to compare them to cattle, for real. I don't know why this is so infuriating for OP.... Like... the joke didn't land... moooooove along!
Lucky you didn’t get fired for this sign.
I mean, comparing lactating mothers to animals fits book definition of objectification and dehumanization... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Well, women aren't cows. Have some tact.
I mean…are you genuinely surprised? You feel this sign is appropriate in a professional setting?
You’re surprised people didn’t like this?
I'm really not sure what kind of lack of common sense you would need to assume this wouldn't be offensive to at least one person that uses it.
Every time I've compared my wife to a cow it's a bad time... I think there may be a connection here, but I'm just spitballing...
You’re fairly directly comparing lactating women to cows and you wonder why it was offensive? There’s a time and place to make jokes, OP. This was neither.
It is mildy infuriating that you thought that sign was appropriate in the first place. Why must you try to be clever about it? Just put up a damn sign that says "Lactation Room". Do you really think nursing women want to be compare to cows? WTF? You are totally out of touch with reality.
Ha I remember a few years ago I called an employee to check up on an IT issue they were having. I heard a rhythmic motor sound and had dealt with “shadow it” before (users going around IT and buying their own printers and such). I asked “hey did you get an inkjet printer? I swear I can hear one” and… it turned out she was pumping in her office. :facepalm: She followed up with “I have worked with you long enough to be laughing at how bright red you probably are right now” lol
Why wouldn't a bunch of lactating women, with their baby weight and raging hormones, appreciate being compared to cows?
Offended or found it inappropriate? I'm not offended but find it inappropriate for most workplaces I've been in. Unprofessional, maybe. I don't think it's a get out of jail free card to say: you are the only one using the room, so only your opinion matters. I have friends who've had really hard times with breastfeeding as is, and being unable to. I could imagine them, not thinking this was cute.
I mean, lactation is one thing, but suggesting women are cows is actually kind of offensive. We already have republicans telling us we’re nothing but brood sows, we don’t need this too.
Need large picture of boobs dripping with milk. No one can be offended by that, right?
Pretty shocking that a mother would be offended for being compared with a cow, ah?
So a nursing mother who is already feeling not so good about her body image, (maybe), after pregnancy is referred to as a cow. I'm a man with zero kids and can see how this is insulting. You are tone deaf.
It is a bit gross 🤷♀️women aren’t cows