I Don't Like Pink Anyway

It's all over the internet news right now.  Susan G. Komen foundation has pulled their funding from Planned Parenthood, bowing to right wing pressure.  What horrible things were the Komen foundation funding?  Breast cancer screenings for women who are low income or uninsured.  But some Planned Parenthood offices perform abortions, and if the "pro-lifers" can save just one unwanted or unhealthy fetus at the cost of the health of an unknown number of women, then they've done their job.  But the war on women is another whole series of blog posts. (Actually Daily Kos has a great running series titled "This Week in The War on Women" everyone should check out.)

This blog is about why I never cared much for the Komen foundation their pink ribbons to begin with.

Did you know that September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month?  How about that March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month?  Do you know what color ribbon signifies Pancreatic Cancer Awareness?  It's purple.

Chances are, unless someone close to you has had one of these cancers, you had no idea.  Actually September covers a plethora of cancers, but good luck finding a single awareness ad during that month.  I mean, unless you're looking for breast cancer awareness ads.  Those start in September now.  Usually in August the pink ribbon items start hitting the shelves - water bottles, jewelry, pens, t-shirt, bras, books, hats, shoes, food...  It's like breast cancer Christmas.

And just like Christmas, all this commercialism has taken every last drop of meaning out of breast cancer awareness and awareness in general.  When you see a pink ribbon item, pick it up and look carefully at the packaging.  What percentage of the profit actually goes to fund research or education?  If you're lucky it'll be 10%.  If you're looking at your average item, it won't be anything.

That's right.  The people who make pink ribbon items don't have to donate a dime to anyone or anything.  And to be fair, it's the same way with what little other cancer awareness paraphernalia you can find.  This wouldn't be a sin in my book if everyone knew that their money isn't going to find a cure.  Someone asking me what my teal ribbon pin stands for is a good thing, whether it funded something or not - I get to tell them I wear it because a friend of mine is surviving with ovarian cancer.  It starts a conversation.  I could be wrong, but I doubt a pink ribbon has started a conversation about awareness in a long time.  The world is so full of them they're almost like visual background noise.

So why am I hating on the Komen foundation about pink ribbons when their obviously political move dropping funding from Planned Parenthood is vile enough?  Because not only did they help start this pink ribbon crap, but they've turned it into a cult that has completely eclipsed cancer awareness and research funding.

I don't want people to stop taking part in walks, runs, bake sales, or any other event aimed at raising awareness or money for cancer research.  They're uplifting, especially for those who have had cancer or know someone who has.  Some of them raise real money.  Actual breast cancer research is why my aunt and my sister-in-law are still here for me to hug at family events.  But I say if you want to give money to a cause, just give it directly to the cause.  See if you can find a research hospital working on what you're interested in and find out their donations policy.  The more channels your cash has to go through to get where it's going, the more people take a bite of it.

And next time you see a pink ribbon, raise awareness in yourself.  Do a little research on a cancer, illness or issue you don't know anything about and then share that information with friends and family.  That is raising awareness.