Below is an excerpt of a posting on a blog I follow: The Cancer Chronicles." I truly relate to not only the author's (Anna) writing style, but her message as well. Anna is one of those virtual voices that make feel less alone as I navigate the multiple planes of incongruity that color the lucrative cancer industry. A putrid color of bubble-gum pink. I have also included my comment to her posting at the end.
Thursday, February 17, 2011 -Pink Town
A recent article in the local newspaper caught my eye; "Fair Haven to Become 'Pink Haven' in April." This year three of my neighboring towns will be taking part in a campaign known as "Paint The Town Pink". Red Bank, Monmouth Beach and Fairhaven, will all magically morph into Pink Bank, Pink Beach and Pink Haven. All in aid of, you got it....not research...but breast cancer awareness, prevention and promotion of annual mammography for women.
Most of my regular readers will understand when I say that my first reaction to this news was to emigrate. Somewhere far away. Like Mongolia. Or Siberia. Even Antarctica seems like an attractive option. But would these places be far enough? Perhaps I can find a spot on an upcoming space mission.
The pink festival will run from April 30 through May 7. In addition to certain town roads having a pink stripe painted down the middle of them, options for community involvement include:
"...placing a pink piggy bank in a business for donations, window painting contests, pledge contests, or hosting an in-store event during the week.
Residents could also participate through a "Pink Your House" contest where residents would be provided a "Pink Starter Kit" containing lawn signs, flags, and other decorations."
Yes ! Pink your town! Pink your roads! Pink your business! Pink your house! Show your community that you don't give a crap about other cancers, or other incurable diseases, or anyone else for that matter who might not feel comfortable with all this pinkification.
Then I thought, perhaps it's time I stopped being a snarky cynic. Maybe it's time to get on board with the breast cancer celebrations and really throw myself into supporting the towns' efforts in raising funds for more breast cancer awareness. Okay, so awareness won't ever result in a cure but let's not worry about such trifling matters for now. [link to Cancer Chronicles from my profile page to read more...]
Anna - I am puking pink right now, just from reading what "Pink Haven" has in store. The irony is that all this "pink waving" campaign of awareness is exploitation and ignorance. Exploitation on the part of the orgs, companies, and retailers that turn a profit from the merchandising; and ignorance on the part of well-meaning individuals who join the pink fray without asking the key questions:
* WHOSE CAUSE IS THIS TRULY SERVING?
* HOW IS AWARENESS OF A WELL-KNOWN AND INCREASINGLY PREVALENT DISEASE TRANSLATING INTO TANGIBLE STEPS TOWARD FINDING A CURE?
* WHY, DESPITE THE ONGOING PINK PARADES, ARE MORE WOMEN BEING AFFECTED BY BREAST CANCER?
* WHY IS BREAST CANCER SUCH A LUCRATIVE NICHE INDUSTRY?
* WHY IS IT THAT THE SAME COMPANIES THAT FUND TRIALS FOR "NEW CURES" SIMULTANEOUSLY PRODUCE PRODUCTS WITH KNOWN CARCINOGENS? I could go on, but I think I made my point. Anna, I applaud you fighting the "Pink Beast" in whichever way you can/choose. I believe that the Pink Beast truly does more harm, has a palpable chilling effect on a real discussion, and detrimentally distracts people from asking the truly critical questions about the epidemic of breast cancer.
When are people going to be truly AWARE of what this all means?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the repost TC!
Hi ya TC - Despite all the questions raised by the other comments, I'm of the mind that raising awareness by such means as the "paint the town pink" will indeed educate and increase support, and hopefully eventually help towards finding the causes and cures for what is becoming the plague of the 20th and 21th centuries. Granted, there will those that take advantageous of such money-making activities. But from my own experiences of conducting public education campaigns in the USA and as far away as Kazakstan, the roots of such educational movements sink very deep. You have no idea hw such awareness will inspire a little girl or boy who grows-up and is perhaps the one that find the cure. Nor do you know how people involved have been affected either directly or indirectly by breast cancer, or other cancers. (My father died of lung cancer, my mother survived the same.) The reality is that for those that have been affected, it's human nature to "want to do something to help". You have no idea how difficult it is to generate such a movement from scratch. If you've got it, then now is the time to make hay!
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