Goin' Down to "Pink Town"!

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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.

Kindly...STOP Waving the Pink Ribbon in My Face!

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Dichotomy – splitting into two polarized groups; opposed by contradiction; differentiated between practice & theory

As I was pulling into the home driveway yesterday evening I got a call on my personal cell displaying an unfamiliar phone number. It had already been a confusing day. I had just arrived 10 hours prior from an emotionally charged 5-days in New England, and had spent the day dealing with myriad of “high octane” feelings. I thought when you “left your heart” in a distant geographical location the sensation would be that of a gaping hole in your chest wall. For me, since Sunday and my departure from N.E., my chest wall is exploding! I can’t catch my breath. Indeed, I almost feel like if I were able to I would erupt on the exhale.

But I digress. Back to the unexpected call and the unwitting caller...

A very chipper voice on the line greets me with “Hi Tamera! This is Janice. Janice? I am so excited to share with you that we will be shortly getting in our Pink-Ribbon Breast Cancer Survivor Bracelets and we are taking pre-orders. I didn’t want you to miss out!” Well OMG my arse! “Janice, darling (I have a BFF who uses “darling” to refer to nearly everyone. As a slang-word junkie I thought I would try it out myself in discreet situations – like when it would not be appropriate to verbally rip someone a new one). . .Janice. as a SURVIVOR let me tell you that although I so appreciate your thoughtfulness, not to mention your exuberance, I would not order, pre-order, purchase, gracefully accept, adorn myself or even consider giving as a gift to my nemesis a ghastly pink-ribbon doo-dad. If I wanted to broadcast my status, I would sew a yellow star to my clothes; embroider a scarlet C on my chest; or indulge in word-vomit all over a self-published blog. Obviously I have chosen the latter. Thank you very much." Janice came up with at least 17 different ways to sputter out an apology. Poor darling – I probably was a tad harsh.

For those of you who have traversed my path through the maze that is breast cancer, you may recall my vehement disdain for the Pink Ribbon Industry that has capitalized on raising awareness (like who has not heard of it) of breast cancer by merchandising, packaging, and marketing breast cancer as PINK & FLUFFY!!!!!!

It is not.

Realistic adjectives for breast cancer are: slice, dice, slash, burn, disfiguring, painful . . . in short not a heck of a lot of fun.

So, as the retail market enters their nauseating month of pink satiny ribbons, fluffy pink beanie babies, shiny bracelets and sport hats & Ts that color Breast Cancer Awareness Month, please remember “THINK BEFORE YOUR PINK” and check out bca.org