I'd like to second this.
The word "Breeders" is, in my opinion, a genuinely offensive one, because it carries overtones of contempt, and there is no equivalent opposite for those who don't have children.
It is not only used for those who have a procession of children, but in militant "childfree" circles, to refer to anyone who produces offspring, no matter how planned that parenthood may be.
It seems, to me, to treat those who choose to have children as mindless collections of procreative organs, not something that any parent of my aquaintance would do to those who choose not to do so.
WolfDaddy Firstly, Caesar Augustus was a long time ago. I have seen no "general disdain" recently for those who choose not to have children, far more I see envy for a lifestyle that those of us with kids cannot hope to
emulate. Yes, I have seen childproofing measures that were unnecessary for the childfree, but then again, I've seen
safety measures at work that were unnecessary for any but the terminally
stupid, this is the product of a society which allows law suits willy-nilly.
Secondly, in my experience, those who use the term "breeder" do so indiscriminately -- but in any case, what extent of evidence do you require as to whether a person should or should not be a
parent? A passing
glimpse of a couple whose children are misbehaving in a restaurant? Two minutes of yelling at a child?
For instance, let's look at the example you cite -- you don't know what led up to the situation. For all you know, the woman may have spent 45 minutes attempting to dress the child in warm clothes that morning, to be greeted by tantrums, removal of said clothes and hurling them across the room. She may have had, in her bag, the sopping remains of a sweater and jacket that he had deliberately spilled a drink on, that she'd had to remove quickly before he was soaked to the skin, and been attempting to rush him back to a warm car. He might have just spent the last three hours whining at her while she took him to the dentist, or the clinic or any one of another host of commitments. Toddlers are not reasonable beings, and even the best of them can be fiends from hell. It would take a saint to never yell at them. But on the basis of a passing contact, you are prepared to judge her as 'unfit' to have kids.
You have chosen, for whatever reason, not to have children. Good for you, I applaud you for a decision which is clearly right for you. I, on the other hand, have chosen to have, and raise, a child. I'm not seeking your applause, or even your understanding, but I don't deserve to be reviled for it, and the existence of the word "breeder" in this context, and its use to describe anyone who you don't know personally is offensive.