Today’s rant deals with a very real issue, Breast Cancer.
Sure, I have an issue with cancer in general, but that isn’t what this
rant is about. Today’s tirade has to do with so called “Breast Cancer
Awareness”, and how horribly horribly wrong people are about how they do it.
I do also want to highlight those that I feel are doing it right, because
this is an issue that requires attention.
Every fall, football players during the month of October are seen
wearing pink on national TV. That is how you bring awareness...nothing
better than seeing the gladiators of our day donning the most feminine color
imaginable. That will make you pay attention.
Pink ribbons and clothing. They are everywhere. Good thing
about these ribbons, shirts, etc., is that it is immediately identified with
breast cancer awareness, and the majority of the time, proceeds from the sale
of these items goes to some sort of research or charity. Good way to
bring about awareness of a terrible issue.
That brings us to the focus of my rhetoric, Facebook. It
started with random people posting the color and location of their bras.
I get that, bras are the closest thing to the breast, it kinda works.
The next time it was dependant on some insignificant date like your birth
month, day, or year. Your answers would dictate how your status
played out, in this case, notifying the world of facebook of a candy craving
and hinting that you were xx months pregnant. Now the trend is locations
and how long you’ll be there.
First and foremost, these last two examples have nothing to do
with breast cancer, nothing at all. Your date of birth, candy cravings,
and trips to far away lands will not have any bearing on research for breast
cancer, nor helping those with it to survive.
Furthermore, a part of the game is to keep 50% of the world’s
population in the dark. Should a man ask what the status is regarding,
they don’t get a straight answer, because a huge part of “the game” (as it is
referred to) is not letting males in on what is going on. Isn’t that the
opposite of awareness?
I’m sick and tired of seeing these half-assed attempts at
awareness. You want to make people aware? Go buy a shirt, donate to
charity, do a run/walk, DO SOMETHING. Posting a random status message
does nothing other than inspire ridiculous time wasting rants, and before
anyone says it, just because I’m on my soap box for this issue doesn’t mean
you’ve made me aware, it means you’ve pissed me off, annoyed me, or made me
care that much less...I’m sure I’m not alone.
If you are interested in donating to Breast Cancer awareness
please follow the link below (I tried to post a banner that would make it easy,
but this format does not allow for that).
