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NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne has won his share of races, but he's a little behind the curve when it comes to a mother's rights. On Tuesday, Kahne, 31, posted a series of tweets criticizing a stranger for breastfeeding her child in public. In light of fan backlash, he has now issued an apology.
First of all, let's take a look at what Kahne posted. The tweets have now been taken down, but blogger screen grabs reveal that this is what he said:
"Just walking through the supermarket. See a mom breast feeding little kid. Took second look because I was obviously seeing things. I wasn't! One boob put away one boob hanging! #nasty I don't feel like shopping anymore or eating."
Yes, he called a mother breastfeeding her own kid "nasty." And here's the kicker: when his comment was criticized by one of his Twitter followers, a mother of three who uses the handle Knittingrad, Kahne shot back, "And your a dumb bitch." (Bad grammar and misogyny -- a double insult!)
Breastfeeding is always a heated issue, so naturally, Kahne's exchange caused a firestorm on Twitter. In response to the criticism, he issued an apology on his Facebook page on Wednesday night.
"I understand that my comments regarding breastfeeding posted on Twitter were offensive to some people. For that, I apologize," writes Kahne. "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."
Kahne continued: "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," he concludes. "I respect the mother’s right to feed her child whenever and wherever she pleases."
The post has received more than 2,000 "likes" in less than 24 hours. Kahne has also apologized on Twitter to Knittingrad, calling his comments "out of line" -- although it seems that she had a sense of humor about the whole thing.
"Btw, my husband will be a little bit proud that @kaseykahne called me a dumb bitch," the mother of three tweeted.
Her husband may be proud, but Kasey Kahne should be ashamed of himself -- and thanks to hundreds of NASCAR-loving mamas, it appears that he is.
