As a
disclaimer, this posting is sure to piss off those that support Susan G Komen,
the Three Day Walk, and all of the other well-marketed pink-ribbon items. If
you are in this group and might get offended at this posting, please skip.
Having said that, I warned you - coming is a diatribe against the pink ribbon and the sheep in society that purchase pink EVERYTHING because they feel that this supports breast cancer research (and might be cool to do so - yes, there are those out there that think this way....).
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. I fully support the promotion of awareness, the prevention, the testing, and the fundraising for research against this awful disease. Breast cancer is a horrible disease, and having it be a front-runner for funding and awareness can only help the overall cause.
All right - here comes the pissy-ness. What irritates me more than ANYTHING else is the fact that starting this week, I noticed that everything is pink - balloons, flowers, candy, shirts, kitchen appliances, personal care products (do I need pink tampons? I think not...), etc. And, people willingly purchase these items thinking that the majority of the money goes to a breast cancer awareness, prevention, or research fund. What they don't realize is that, more often than not, the majority of the money they are paying goes back to the manufacturer, who only donates a portion of the proceeds (i.e. 10 cents on a $4.00 item) UP TO A MAXIMUM AMOUNT! So, if you and everyone else purchases enough to generate $100 million in funds, the company will only donate their predetermined maximum amount (I've seen this be as low a $5,000). What happens to the rest of the money?
Sorry - this has been bothering me more and more lately. Again, I don't want to piss off the pinkies, but really - why does everything have to be pink? And, why don't people realize how sheep-like they are when they buy something with the pink ribbon just because it's there.
Part of this comes from my frustration with the lack of acceptance of colon cancer awareness month in March by the general public. People are fine with talking about boobs, tits, funbags, knockers, etc. because we call them "breasts" and put a well-known company name (Susan G Komen) behind them. But, when you talk about colon cancer or prostate cancer or any other "unmentionable" cancer, people clam up and change the subject.
My view - everyone has a butt. Everyone uses it. Usually, daily. Everyone should be sure that this is in good working order and has the capability to do what it's supposed to. Why is this such an issue? It's just another body part, albeit considerably less fashionable than the boobs. So, I didn't get a "cool" cancer. You know what - mine (and everyone else's) deserves just as much awareness as breast cancer.
Susan G Komen and the other breast cancer organizations have amazing marketing teams. Their unwillingness to share their ideas, successes, and best practices with other organizations is well-known. They have a territorial-type attitude when it comes to pairing up with another cancer advocacy group, and that bothers me. Shouldn't we all be working together? Shouldn't we all be working to support one another?
Anyways, I have to go make dinner, but this idea came to me while I was grocery shopping and every item I had on my list had a friggin' pink ribbon on it. I have no issue with this, per se, but I will feel a lot better when, in March, I can buy blue-ribbon adorned meat, pasta, Kleenex, shampoo, maxi-pads, make-up, balloons, flowers, cards, jeans, shirts, toys, and candy. Until then, I will make do with wearing my bracelets, my pins, and helping get the word out about colon cancer. I know it's a personal vendetta and a personal mission, but I can't help it. I know there are others out there that share my frustration.
Having said that, I warned you - coming is a diatribe against the pink ribbon and the sheep in society that purchase pink EVERYTHING because they feel that this supports breast cancer research (and might be cool to do so - yes, there are those out there that think this way....).
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. I fully support the promotion of awareness, the prevention, the testing, and the fundraising for research against this awful disease. Breast cancer is a horrible disease, and having it be a front-runner for funding and awareness can only help the overall cause.
All right - here comes the pissy-ness. What irritates me more than ANYTHING else is the fact that starting this week, I noticed that everything is pink - balloons, flowers, candy, shirts, kitchen appliances, personal care products (do I need pink tampons? I think not...), etc. And, people willingly purchase these items thinking that the majority of the money goes to a breast cancer awareness, prevention, or research fund. What they don't realize is that, more often than not, the majority of the money they are paying goes back to the manufacturer, who only donates a portion of the proceeds (i.e. 10 cents on a $4.00 item) UP TO A MAXIMUM AMOUNT! So, if you and everyone else purchases enough to generate $100 million in funds, the company will only donate their predetermined maximum amount (I've seen this be as low a $5,000). What happens to the rest of the money?
Sorry - this has been bothering me more and more lately. Again, I don't want to piss off the pinkies, but really - why does everything have to be pink? And, why don't people realize how sheep-like they are when they buy something with the pink ribbon just because it's there.
Part of this comes from my frustration with the lack of acceptance of colon cancer awareness month in March by the general public. People are fine with talking about boobs, tits, funbags, knockers, etc. because we call them "breasts" and put a well-known company name (Susan G Komen) behind them. But, when you talk about colon cancer or prostate cancer or any other "unmentionable" cancer, people clam up and change the subject.
My view - everyone has a butt. Everyone uses it. Usually, daily. Everyone should be sure that this is in good working order and has the capability to do what it's supposed to. Why is this such an issue? It's just another body part, albeit considerably less fashionable than the boobs. So, I didn't get a "cool" cancer. You know what - mine (and everyone else's) deserves just as much awareness as breast cancer.
Susan G Komen and the other breast cancer organizations have amazing marketing teams. Their unwillingness to share their ideas, successes, and best practices with other organizations is well-known. They have a territorial-type attitude when it comes to pairing up with another cancer advocacy group, and that bothers me. Shouldn't we all be working together? Shouldn't we all be working to support one another?
Anyways, I have to go make dinner, but this idea came to me while I was grocery shopping and every item I had on my list had a friggin' pink ribbon on it. I have no issue with this, per se, but I will feel a lot better when, in March, I can buy blue-ribbon adorned meat, pasta, Kleenex, shampoo, maxi-pads, make-up, balloons, flowers, cards, jeans, shirts, toys, and candy. Until then, I will make do with wearing my bracelets, my pins, and helping get the word out about colon cancer. I know it's a personal vendetta and a personal mission, but I can't help it. I know there are others out there that share my frustration.
Comments:
Whidbey
Woman said...
Right
on, Michelle. You rock!
September
20, 2009 at 5:39 PM
I
agree!!!!
September
20, 2009 at 5:42 PM
I
had breast cancer and am not offended by your post. But I like pink the color
but not pink the breast cancer awareness. Also, the whole thing about pink for
BC, pisses me off. I like pink less. And the whole crock about your money will
go to breast cancer research is another pile of whooey. If they say 'a portion
of our profits will go to BC research' what they mean is a percentage of the
profits will go to BC research. So if something sells for $20, cost them $10 to
make and they are donating 1% of their proceeds, its only a dollar of your
money that went to the cause. Go check www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org for all sorts
of info on this. Pink tampons - eeeeeekkkkk!!!!
September
21, 2009 at 4:01 AM
i
am there with you sweetie..am going out today and get my blue ribbon so me and
the girls can wear ours proudly..I just witch there was more I could do ..You
go girl you go
September
21, 2009 at 6:16 AM
Rock
on, Michelle. I am working on a new project that I am very excited about. I am
writing a book about the cancer blogging phenomenon - its scope, aspirations,
and reasons for being. I plan to highlight some of the best writing from our
blogging community.
As I have previously published your writing in my weekly Guest Post feature at Being cancer, networking people transformed by cancer, I am hoping to get your preliminary permission to use some of your material in the book. I will, of course, give full credit as well as link information. I would also like to arrange for all contributors to receive complimentary copies.
I have not yet secured a publishing contract. But I want to get started compiling some chapters prior to submitting my proposal to a publisher. So if this sounds like something you might be interested in being a part of, please contact me by email. I will be able to tell you the specific posts I am interested in. Please include off-blog contact information.
Dennis W. Pyritz, RN, BA, BSN
beingcancer@att.net
As I have previously published your writing in my weekly Guest Post feature at Being cancer, networking people transformed by cancer, I am hoping to get your preliminary permission to use some of your material in the book. I will, of course, give full credit as well as link information. I would also like to arrange for all contributors to receive complimentary copies.
I have not yet secured a publishing contract. But I want to get started compiling some chapters prior to submitting my proposal to a publisher. So if this sounds like something you might be interested in being a part of, please contact me by email. I will be able to tell you the specific posts I am interested in. Please include off-blog contact information.
Dennis W. Pyritz, RN, BA, BSN
beingcancer@att.net
September
22, 2009 at 4:06 PM
It
all pisses me off, too, partially for the same reasons, and partially because
more women die of heart disease than breast cancer. How many women know that?
To be honest, I'm jaded in general about cancer fundraisers. 2/3 of cancers are lifestyle related. TWO-F'ING-THIRDS! That means that if we all took care with what we put on and in our bodies, over half of cancer would disappear.
But it's so much easier to write a check and let someone else figure out how I can maintain my lifestyle and not get cancer.
This is not to say, of course, that I think that cancer research is unnecessary. I would be quite the hypocrite, no? But "find a cure! find a cure!" wears on me when a big part of the cure is already in our control.
To be honest, I'm jaded in general about cancer fundraisers. 2/3 of cancers are lifestyle related. TWO-F'ING-THIRDS! That means that if we all took care with what we put on and in our bodies, over half of cancer would disappear.
But it's so much easier to write a check and let someone else figure out how I can maintain my lifestyle and not get cancer.
This is not to say, of course, that I think that cancer research is unnecessary. I would be quite the hypocrite, no? But "find a cure! find a cure!" wears on me when a big part of the cure is already in our control.
September
24, 2009 at 9:21 PM
Later:
Julia's
been struggling with Kim's death since I told her about it last weekend. She
hasn't really had to deal with this sort of thing before, so it's kind of been
touch and go with how I'm going to handle it. She and Kim met a couple of
times, including a wonderful dinner with Erin, Kim, and me and the kids at
Macayo's. Kim and Julia got along really well, and Julia knew that Kim and I
were battling the same thing. So, in telling Julia about Kim, I had to be very
careful about making sure that I specified that I wasn't going to die, even
though Kim did. There was a lot of questions, explanations, and talking about
what happened. She spent the entire night crying on and off, and really had a
difficult time reconciling things in her mind.
One of the things that Julia struggled with was, how can I believe that Kim is watching over us if her body is in the ground? I had to explain to her that it's my belief that people's bodies end up in the Earth, but their spirits are always with us, and will help guide us in OUR lives. I told her about my belief with the dragonflies (which, by the way, I STILL very much believe, because anytime I'm struggling, I see one and immediately feel better), which she took in stride.
Until yesterday, when she was outside playing with her new friend down the street. I was watching the girls head to Sierra's house, and Julia was at the end of our driveway. She stopped to turn back and tell me something, and a dragonfly caught her attention. In a very nonchalant manner, Julia said, "Hi Kim", looked at me, said "See Mom, Kim's here - it's all going to be okay" and then headed over to her friends house.
Amazing. Thank you, Kim. Thank you for watching over us, and for making me (and my daughter) feel a little more at peace with what happened. Knowing that you're here for us when we need reassurance makes losing you a teeny bit easier.
Love you, Kim.
One of the things that Julia struggled with was, how can I believe that Kim is watching over us if her body is in the ground? I had to explain to her that it's my belief that people's bodies end up in the Earth, but their spirits are always with us, and will help guide us in OUR lives. I told her about my belief with the dragonflies (which, by the way, I STILL very much believe, because anytime I'm struggling, I see one and immediately feel better), which she took in stride.
Until yesterday, when she was outside playing with her new friend down the street. I was watching the girls head to Sierra's house, and Julia was at the end of our driveway. She stopped to turn back and tell me something, and a dragonfly caught her attention. In a very nonchalant manner, Julia said, "Hi Kim", looked at me, said "See Mom, Kim's here - it's all going to be okay" and then headed over to her friends house.
Amazing. Thank you, Kim. Thank you for watching over us, and for making me (and my daughter) feel a little more at peace with what happened. Knowing that you're here for us when we need reassurance makes losing you a teeny bit easier.
Love you, Kim.
Comments:
Nancy said...
oh
sweetie..how totally awesome...that was the best way to go about it and
butterflies are also a good way too.I always seem to spot one or one will land
on me when I am really down.They are sent by God to let us know that our loved
ones are always with us.Julia will make it and baby so will you.You have the
best way of thinking it through and the belief that the spirit is always with
us it a good one.with us and with God.You are so strong and you will help Julia
grow strong in life with all you pass down to here.I love you all
Michelle..Love and Later Aunt Nancy
September
21, 2009 at 6:02 AM
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comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
September
21, 2009 at 3:13 PM
:-)
September
24, 2009 at 9:22 PM
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