Why, oh why, do we have to have stupid pink ribbons everywhere???? Seriously? I knit and crochet and have tables at craft shows locally in November and December each year. Yesterday I was at a show and there were pink ribbons up in the bathroom. Do we need them? Why?
Every craft show also seems to have someone who decides to plaster pink ribbons on at least half their crafts. I don't think I would mind it if they were equal opportunity ribbons for all the different types of cancer and not just the pink ones.
I don't mind the informative posters you see here and there, its just the stupid pink ribbons that annoy me.
Its not October any more. And I really find them annoying in October. Can't we just get rid of them all? The world doesn't need more pink (ribbons)!
Okay, its Monday morning and I am in a 'mood'. I don't have to work but have to take my father to the doctor today. I want to go to the gym first and a friend may stop by later and the house is a MESS!
And then tomorrow I take my father back to the hospital for another adventure. Meanwhile my husband is threatening to clean while I am gone. The problem with him cleaning is he throws everything he doesn't know what to do with in a bag or box and sticks it in the basement and then I hunt for it for six months as he has forgotten what he put where.
Then the Thanksgiving cooking starts.... which is the fun part.
Maybe I'll be cranky today. Don't tell anyone.
Showing posts with label pinkification. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pinkification. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Overpinked
Yesterday I went off for a day of fun and shopping with a friend. On the way home, while stopped at a light, I noticed pink signs in front of the Valvoline oil change place for windshield wipers.... We didn't get the connection.
Some Hollywood stars have put pink strips in their hair to support breast cancer. You can get pink drill bits for fracking and offshore oil drilling. According to The Onion, the Komen spaces ship is on its way to the outermost parts of the galaxy.
I am so overpinked. Only 11 days to go. I'm waiting for Halloween.
Some Hollywood stars have put pink strips in their hair to support breast cancer. You can get pink drill bits for fracking and offshore oil drilling. According to The Onion, the Komen spaces ship is on its way to the outermost parts of the galaxy.
Friday, October 9, 2015
When will this end?
We have reached a new low in pinkification. Yes, nothing lower than this ever before.
Do you know what this is? Its an underground drill bit (hand) painted pink to help raise breast cancer awareness. These tiny little drill bits, 85-260 lbs each, are used in oil drilling. The company, Baker Hughes, has partnered with the Komen Foundation (for the Cure) to help do their 'bit' for the cause. They are aiming at the roughnecks on the oil platforms who might not yet be aware of breast cancer and will ship each bit with literature on breast health facts in pink topped boxes.
For some reason, I think this a horribly misguided attempt to waste money on breast cancer awareness. I am sure that the workers on the offshore drilling platforms are no less aware of breast cancer than the rest of the American population so I do not think there is a need for them to be 'made aware' any more than anyone else. Any drill bit is going to be instantly covered in dirt, the paint scraped off through its use, and the paint is a completely wasted effort. And aren't the drilling companies producing and using chemicals that are known carcinogens?
"But drill bits are used, of course, to drill oil and natural gas wells, some of which are later exploited using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. We don’t know a lot about the health risks of fracking, owing to drillers’ and regulators’ drill first, ask questions later strategy, and because the industry, in many cases, protects the precise mix of chemicals used as a “trade secret.” (Baker Hughes announced last week that it will begin disclosing all of the chemicals used in its fracking operations.) Of the 190-some chemicals commonly used by the industry, we’re lacking publicly available information about the safety of about a third of them. And in August, a federal study tested urine samples in workers who monitor fracking flowback, and found that some had been exposed to “higher than recommended” levels of benzene, a known carcinogen."
But since Baker Hughes has also donated $100,000 to Komen, they are happy to sink to a new low with pink drill bits.
Do you know what this is? Its an underground drill bit (hand) painted pink to help raise breast cancer awareness. These tiny little drill bits, 85-260 lbs each, are used in oil drilling. The company, Baker Hughes, has partnered with the Komen Foundation (for the Cure) to help do their 'bit' for the cause. They are aiming at the roughnecks on the oil platforms who might not yet be aware of breast cancer and will ship each bit with literature on breast health facts in pink topped boxes.
For some reason, I think this a horribly misguided attempt to waste money on breast cancer awareness. I am sure that the workers on the offshore drilling platforms are no less aware of breast cancer than the rest of the American population so I do not think there is a need for them to be 'made aware' any more than anyone else. Any drill bit is going to be instantly covered in dirt, the paint scraped off through its use, and the paint is a completely wasted effort. And aren't the drilling companies producing and using chemicals that are known carcinogens?
"But drill bits are used, of course, to drill oil and natural gas wells, some of which are later exploited using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. We don’t know a lot about the health risks of fracking, owing to drillers’ and regulators’ drill first, ask questions later strategy, and because the industry, in many cases, protects the precise mix of chemicals used as a “trade secret.” (Baker Hughes announced last week that it will begin disclosing all of the chemicals used in its fracking operations.) Of the 190-some chemicals commonly used by the industry, we’re lacking publicly available information about the safety of about a third of them. And in August, a federal study tested urine samples in workers who monitor fracking flowback, and found that some had been exposed to “higher than recommended” levels of benzene, a known carcinogen."
But since Baker Hughes has also donated $100,000 to Komen, they are happy to sink to a new low with pink drill bits.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Avoiding pinkness
It worked in the sense that we were off line and avoiding pink. But it was not without its ups and downs.
First I was very efficient and packed two empty reusable water bottles. And I left the better one one the plane. Second, I left the one of a kind charger for my tablet in the hotel in Portland where we were spending the first and last nights. By the end of our second day, my feet were hurting from RA so much I had to stay off them more for the rest of the trip. And our spare water bottle appeared to have sprung a leak.
It was a great time catching up with relatives and enjoying the Oregon coast. We even saw seals, sea lions, and whales. We did not see many signs of pink. To be fair we were in a small town and avoided the areas with chain stores. It was only when we ventured near them, were we assaulted by pink. Then on our last night, Sunday, we watched the Patriots destroy the Chiefs while wearing pink gloves, pink shoes, pink socks, pink towels, pink ribbons on their helmets, etc. I am not sure if the pink weakened the Chiefs but we were happy to see the Patriots win.
While watching the game, my husband suggested that instead of manufacturing all that pink crap (particularly if in some factory overseas), that all NFL players should donate 1 day's pay to breast cancer research instead. 32 teams times 53 players = 1696. Average salary is $1.9 million or a total of $3,222,400,000. So one hour's salary would be $368,864 or a day's salary would be $8,852,747. A tidy sum indeed. Why don't they just donate that directly and we can skip all that pink?
But I digress. We did successfully avoid pink by avoiding chain stores and chain restaurants. We also didn't watch a lot of television.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Are we all braced????
It starts tomorrow. That ugly pink month. Go celebrate Columbus Day, Halloween, apple picking, leaf peeping and other seasonal activities. Go help organizations with their fundraising activities that do not require pink feather boas.
For myself this month I am doing the following:
Thank you.
For myself this month I am doing the following:
- Arranging a luncheon for a non profit that I volunteer with.
- Awaiting a back procedure which should relieve a lot of my current pain at the end of the month.
- Enjoying a family reunion on the coast of the Pacific Northwest - some place I have never been and always wanted to go. (We always have a house/cat sitter while we are gone so burglars, don't even think about it.)
- Wearing more pink clothing than I usually do. I like the color pink and have many pink pieces of clothing.
- Participate in any pinkified event
- Purchase any non-essential pinkified item.
Thank you.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
A warning
Please brace yourself for the annual onslaught of pinkification in the month that starts on Wednesday, formerly known as October but know is Pinktober.
Pink is not the new black. We do not need a world wrapped in pink. Buildings lit up in pink do nothing. Football players dressed in pink do nothing. Regular items, including kitchen utensils, trash barrels, clothing, changed to pink do nothing. We are all aware of breast cancer.
If it makes you feel good to pay for something pink, please read the fine print. The advice to all is to do your research before donating to a cause to make sure you know how much is really going to the cause. However if you are in a store with a huge display of somethingfabulousinpink and you succumb to the pressure and decide to purchase it, please stop, breathe and read the fine print.
If it says 50% from all profits go to somepinkfund, put it back. What that means is that 50% of the manufacturer's profit is probably some tiny amount. For example, if the item costs $50, the wholesale is probably around $20-$25. The manufacturer probably sends it to a distributor who marks it up another 30%. So a quick shot at doing the math means that the manufacturer sells it for around are around $15 for the $25 wholesale item. And the manufacturing costs probably are around $13. (Note these are rough estimates but I do work in marketing and at a distributor so I am probably in the ball park to give you an idea.) So the 50% of the profits are maybe $1....
You are better off buying something you would prefer that is not pink and sending a check to your favorite charity.
Besides that pink item will probably clash with the rest of your kitchen and will get hidden away.
So skip the pink bandwagon. If we stop buying pink stuff, they will stop making it (some day....).
Pink is not the new black. We do not need a world wrapped in pink. Buildings lit up in pink do nothing. Football players dressed in pink do nothing. Regular items, including kitchen utensils, trash barrels, clothing, changed to pink do nothing. We are all aware of breast cancer.
If it makes you feel good to pay for something pink, please read the fine print. The advice to all is to do your research before donating to a cause to make sure you know how much is really going to the cause. However if you are in a store with a huge display of somethingfabulousinpink and you succumb to the pressure and decide to purchase it, please stop, breathe and read the fine print.
If it says 50% from all profits go to somepinkfund, put it back. What that means is that 50% of the manufacturer's profit is probably some tiny amount. For example, if the item costs $50, the wholesale is probably around $20-$25. The manufacturer probably sends it to a distributor who marks it up another 30%. So a quick shot at doing the math means that the manufacturer sells it for around are around $15 for the $25 wholesale item. And the manufacturing costs probably are around $13. (Note these are rough estimates but I do work in marketing and at a distributor so I am probably in the ball park to give you an idea.) So the 50% of the profits are maybe $1....
You are better off buying something you would prefer that is not pink and sending a check to your favorite charity.
Besides that pink item will probably clash with the rest of your kitchen and will get hidden away.
So skip the pink bandwagon. If we stop buying pink stuff, they will stop making it (some day....).
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Year round pinkification
Estee Lauder is going to new lengths to create year round pinkificaiton. In October 2014, they will offer story telling videos of four families facing breast cancer. They made sure to include young and old, Asian and African Americans so it can't be deemed racist, sexist, or ageist.
They have two good reasons for running the campaign year round. The first is that with breast cancer its a year round diagnosis, not just one month of the year. That is clearly been a complaint for decades. But the other is their multimillion dollar campaign won't fit into one month. I am sure they could have made it fit into one month but it doesn't really impress me yet.
They have two good reasons for running the campaign year round. The first is that with breast cancer its a year round diagnosis, not just one month of the year. That is clearly been a complaint for decades. But the other is their multimillion dollar campaign won't fit into one month. I am sure they could have made it fit into one month but it doesn't really impress me yet.
There will be personal touches through the storytelling....
"The company plans to add a personal touch through storytelling, via documentary-style online videos featuring four real-life families affected by the disease. Viewers are also encouraged to upload their own videos and stories, which may be featured on the site in the future."
Will that include the hairless body and rushing to the bathroom. And maybe they will get extra Estee Lauder makeup to cover the chemo pallor.
"Some of the donations will also come straight from the company's own pocket. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation will receive portions of sales from 15 "Pink Ribbon" products with brand names like Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, La Mer, Origins, and Estée Lauder itself. Furthermore, the retailer will donate one dollar for each uplifting photo shared on one of their social media platforms (with a cap at $22,000)."
And the truth comes out in two little statements. first of all the BRCF will receive portions from the sale of 15 products? And how much would that portion be? A tiny $0.50 on a $50 product? That is one issue here. The second statement is the $22,000 cap on the photos shared. Does that mean they will only donate up to $22K for all the pictures shared or $22K for each of the pictures shared?
"While Estée Lauder had been planning to focus heavily on Internet platforms for some time, the recent success of the ALS Association’s Ice-Bucket Challenge proved the effectiveness of online activism, with nearly $80 million raised in one month, compared to $2.5 million last year."
Well goody for them. They are using social media and internet platforms and want to tap into the online activism as with the Ice Bucket Challenge. Sorry. I doubt it. The ice bucket challenge worked because it was a single guy who started it, not a corporation and it was a nice hot summer time where a bucket of ice isn't so bad. January would be bad. Its very difficult to create an online viral success. the best ones are teh spontaneous ones that cross borders, touch a nerve with people, and have a sensne of humor and one-up-manship (I triple dog dare you to dump a bucket of ice water on your head).
I'm sorry a pink ribboned product isn't going to make me do much of anything. And some ad agency must be raking in big bucks for all of this.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Can you cure ALS with a bucket of ice water over your head?
Is it the same as putting a pink ribbon on breast cancer? Don't get me wrong here, I think the ice bucket challenge is raising awareness of a horrible disease and it is increasing donations to a worthy organization (unless you are Catholic and have a problem with the stem cell research they advocate). Before you grab your big bucket of ice water and are thankful this challenge is going around in August and not in January, please take a moment to think.
Is what the ice bucket challenge is doing for ALS more than what a pink ribbon does for breast cancer? Seriously.
For everyone who wore a pink ribbon or did the ice bucket challenge can you please tell me three specifications on each disease? Statistics, or life expectancy, or number of people living with it? What does ALS stand for - spell it and pronounce it without looking it up?
While awareness is great and donations are even better, we all need to step out of our little bubbles and learn about these horrible diseases - and there are many more - and what else can be done besides painting the world pink or pouring ice water on your head.
And is this just a passing fad? Or will it be an annual event every summer where the world pours ice water on their head to make a horrible disease look easy and then everyone dries off before pulling out the pink stuff?
Is what the ice bucket challenge is doing for ALS more than what a pink ribbon does for breast cancer? Seriously.
For everyone who wore a pink ribbon or did the ice bucket challenge can you please tell me three specifications on each disease? Statistics, or life expectancy, or number of people living with it? What does ALS stand for - spell it and pronounce it without looking it up?
While awareness is great and donations are even better, we all need to step out of our little bubbles and learn about these horrible diseases - and there are many more - and what else can be done besides painting the world pink or pouring ice water on your head.
And is this just a passing fad? Or will it be an annual event every summer where the world pours ice water on their head to make a horrible disease look easy and then everyone dries off before pulling out the pink stuff?
Friday, January 30, 2015
Are we all braced????
It starts tomorrow. That ugly pink month. Go celebrate Columbus Day, Halloween, apple picking, leaf peeping and other seasonal activities. Go help organizations with their fundraising activities that do not require pink feather boas.
For myself this month I am doing the following:
Thank you.
For myself this month I am doing the following:
- Arranging a luncheon for a non profit that I volunteer with.
- Awaiting a back procedure which should relieve a lot of my current pain at the end of the month.
- Enjoying a family reunion on the coast of the Pacific Northwest - some place I have never been and always wanted to go. (We always have a house/cat sitter while we are gone so burglars, don't even think about it.)
- Wearing more pink clothing than I usually do. I like the color pink and have many pink pieces of clothing.
- Participate in any pinkified event
- Purchase any non-essential pinkified item.
Thank you.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Can you cure ALS with a bucket of ice water over your head?
Is it the same as putting a pink ribbon on breast cancer? Don't get me wrong here, I think the ice bucket challenge is raising awareness of a horrible disease and it is increasing donations to a worthy organization (unless you are Catholic and have a problem with the stem cell research they advocate). Before you grab your big bucket of ice water and are thankful this challenge is going around in August and not in January, please take a moment to think.
Is what the ice bucket challenge is doing for ALS more than what a pink ribbon does for breast cancer? Seriously.
For everyone who wore a pink ribbon or did the ice bucket challenge can you please tell me three specifications on each disease? Statistics, or life expectancy, or number of people living with it? What does ALS stand for - spell it and pronounce it without looking it up?
While awareness is great and donations are even better, we all need to step out of our little bubbles and learn about these horrible diseases - and there are many more - and what else can be done besides painting the world pink or pouring ice water on your head.
And is this just a passing fad? Or will it be an annual event every summer where the world pours ice water on their head to make a horrible disease look easy and then everyone dries off before pulling out the pink stuff?
Is what the ice bucket challenge is doing for ALS more than what a pink ribbon does for breast cancer? Seriously.
For everyone who wore a pink ribbon or did the ice bucket challenge can you please tell me three specifications on each disease? Statistics, or life expectancy, or number of people living with it? What does ALS stand for - spell it and pronounce it without looking it up?
While awareness is great and donations are even better, we all need to step out of our little bubbles and learn about these horrible diseases - and there are many more - and what else can be done besides painting the world pink or pouring ice water on your head.
And is this just a passing fad? Or will it be an annual event every summer where the world pours ice water on their head to make a horrible disease look easy and then everyone dries off before pulling out the pink stuff?
I find it annoying!
Why, oh why, do we have to have stupid pink ribbons everywhere???? Seriously? I knit and crochet and have tables at craft shows locally in November and December each year. Yesterday I was at a show and there were pink ribbons up in the bathroom. Do we need them? Why?
Every craft show also seems to have someone who decides to plaster pink ribbons on at least half their crafts. I don't think I would mind it if they were equal opportunity ribbons for all the different types of cancer and not just the pink ones.
I don't mind the informative posters you see here and there, its just the stupid pink ribbons that annoy me.
Its not October any more. And I really find them annoying in October. Can't we just get rid of them all? The world doesn't need more pink (ribbons)!
Okay, its Monday morning and I am in a 'mood'. I don't have to work but have to take my father to the doctor today. I want to go to the gym first and a friend may stop by later and the house is a MESS!
And then tomorrow I take my father back to the hospital for another adventure. Meanwhile my husband is threatening to clean while I am gone. The problem with him cleaning is he throws everything he doesn't know what to do with in a bag or box and sticks it in the basement and then I hunt for it for six months as he has forgotten what he put where.
Then the Thanksgiving cooking starts.... which is the fun part.
Maybe I'll be cranky today. Don't tell anyone.
Every craft show also seems to have someone who decides to plaster pink ribbons on at least half their crafts. I don't think I would mind it if they were equal opportunity ribbons for all the different types of cancer and not just the pink ones.
I don't mind the informative posters you see here and there, its just the stupid pink ribbons that annoy me.
Its not October any more. And I really find them annoying in October. Can't we just get rid of them all? The world doesn't need more pink (ribbons)!
Okay, its Monday morning and I am in a 'mood'. I don't have to work but have to take my father to the doctor today. I want to go to the gym first and a friend may stop by later and the house is a MESS!
And then tomorrow I take my father back to the hospital for another adventure. Meanwhile my husband is threatening to clean while I am gone. The problem with him cleaning is he throws everything he doesn't know what to do with in a bag or box and sticks it in the basement and then I hunt for it for six months as he has forgotten what he put where.
Then the Thanksgiving cooking starts.... which is the fun part.
Maybe I'll be cranky today. Don't tell anyone.
Overpinked
Yesterday I went off for a day of fun and shopping with a friend. On the way home, while stopped at a light, I noticed pink signs in front of the Valvoline oil change place for windshield wipers.... We didn't get the connection.
Some Hollywood stars have put pink strips in their hair to support breast cancer. You can get pink drill bits for fracking and offshore oil drilling. According to The Onion, the Komen spaces ship is on its way to the outermost parts of the galaxy.
I am so overpinked. Only 11 days to go. I'm waiting for Halloween.
Some Hollywood stars have put pink strips in their hair to support breast cancer. You can get pink drill bits for fracking and offshore oil drilling. According to The Onion, the Komen spaces ship is on its way to the outermost parts of the galaxy.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Is Pinktober less Pink this year?
I know I have seen a fair number of pinkified items - my mother was horrified to find her newspaper printed on pink paper earlier this month. There is an absolutely horrible and disrespectful pink ribbon Halloween costume - a clear example of pinkification. I have read many articles on local events for breast cancer. I have heard of a few buildings lit up in pink. I have been approached by fewer people to participate in pinkness.
But it seems like less pink than in the past.
Anyone else?
I sincerely hope that the peak of pinkification and pinkwashing has passed. The rise and fall of the Komen organization I am sure had an impact on it. The message of overdone awareness may be finally getting through.
I mean we have had a fair number of distractions this month that is supposed to be for breast cancer and liver cancer awareness thanks to all the idiots in Congress - both parties. (I do not usually comment on politics here but at this point all members of Congress are idiots for their insistence on 'my way or the highway politics'. That is the extent of my political statement today.) Also the roll out of the Affordable Healthcare Act has been a disaster due to the website issues.
These may have sucked the headlines away from pinkification. I have also had a fair number of personal distractions on top of everything else.
I would be very glad to see the end of pinkification. So I hope I am not the only one to feel this way.
But it seems like less pink than in the past.
Anyone else?
I sincerely hope that the peak of pinkification and pinkwashing has passed. The rise and fall of the Komen organization I am sure had an impact on it. The message of overdone awareness may be finally getting through.
I mean we have had a fair number of distractions this month that is supposed to be for breast cancer and liver cancer awareness thanks to all the idiots in Congress - both parties. (I do not usually comment on politics here but at this point all members of Congress are idiots for their insistence on 'my way or the highway politics'. That is the extent of my political statement today.) Also the roll out of the Affordable Healthcare Act has been a disaster due to the website issues.
These may have sucked the headlines away from pinkification. I have also had a fair number of personal distractions on top of everything else.
I would be very glad to see the end of pinkification. So I hope I am not the only one to feel this way.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
A warning
Please brace yourself for the annual onslaught of pinkification in the month that starts on Wednesday, formerly known as October but know is Pinktober.
Pink is not the new black. We do not need a world wrapped in pink. Buildings lit up in pink do nothing. Football players dressed in pink do nothing. Regular items, including kitchen utensils, trash barrels, clothing, changed to pink do nothing. We are all aware of breast cancer.
If it makes you feel good to pay for something pink, please read the fine print. The advice to all is to do your research before donating to a cause to make sure you know how much is really going to the cause. However if you are in a store with a huge display of somethingfabulousinpink and you succumb to the pressure and decide to purchase it, please stop, breathe and read the fine print.
If it says 50% from all profits go to somepinkfund, put it back. What that means is that 50% of the manufacturer's profit is probably some tiny amount. For example, if the item costs $50, the wholesale is probably around $20-$25. The manufacturer probably sends it to a distributor who marks it up another 30%. So a quick shot at doing the math means that the manufacturer sells it for around are around $15 for the $25 wholesale item. And the manufacturing costs probably are around $13. (Note these are rough estimates but I do work in marketing and at a distributor so I am probably in the ball park to give you an idea.) So the 50% of the profits are maybe $1....
You are better off buying something you would prefer that is not pink and sending a check to your favorite charity.
Besides that pink item will probably clash with the rest of your kitchen and will get hidden away.
So skip the pink bandwagon. If we stop buying pink stuff, they will stop making it (some day....).
Pink is not the new black. We do not need a world wrapped in pink. Buildings lit up in pink do nothing. Football players dressed in pink do nothing. Regular items, including kitchen utensils, trash barrels, clothing, changed to pink do nothing. We are all aware of breast cancer.
If it makes you feel good to pay for something pink, please read the fine print. The advice to all is to do your research before donating to a cause to make sure you know how much is really going to the cause. However if you are in a store with a huge display of somethingfabulousinpink and you succumb to the pressure and decide to purchase it, please stop, breathe and read the fine print.
If it says 50% from all profits go to somepinkfund, put it back. What that means is that 50% of the manufacturer's profit is probably some tiny amount. For example, if the item costs $50, the wholesale is probably around $20-$25. The manufacturer probably sends it to a distributor who marks it up another 30%. So a quick shot at doing the math means that the manufacturer sells it for around are around $15 for the $25 wholesale item. And the manufacturing costs probably are around $13. (Note these are rough estimates but I do work in marketing and at a distributor so I am probably in the ball park to give you an idea.) So the 50% of the profits are maybe $1....
You are better off buying something you would prefer that is not pink and sending a check to your favorite charity.
Besides that pink item will probably clash with the rest of your kitchen and will get hidden away.
So skip the pink bandwagon. If we stop buying pink stuff, they will stop making it (some day....).
Bracing for pinkness
Today is September 30. Back at the beginning of September, I asked all of you to take a pledge against pinkification and focus on real needs. Here is the pledge again:
I (state your name [and not the Animal House version]) promise that during the month of Pinktober, formerly known as October, I will not arbitrarily purchase pink items or donate to pink causes with out first researching how much actually goes to breast cancer research or screening services.
I will first research them using services such as Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org) to ensure they are legitimate.
I also promise that I will not support pinkification efforts to paint things pink, light up buildings in pink, or other such activities.
Thank you.
Its been a month. Have you researched other causes? Have you rejected any pinkification efforts already?
I have been asked to be in a newspaper article (which they actually print on pink paper during the month of October) and declined. I have already been approached for donations because its breast cancer awareness season. October will be a blur of pink, with the internet and phones and mail full of requests to help with pinkification efforts. The media will also be full of rehashed breast cancer research from the past few years. This does nothing. It does not help.
We do not need awareness. We need research. And a cure would be really nice. I just learned this morning that another 36 year old woman, Jen Smith of LivingLegendary.org, died of metastatic breast cancer yesterday - that was too young.
We can skip the awareness. There are better things in October - Columbus Day/Canadian Thanksgiving and Halloween. (Haven't you seen the little candy bars everywhere?). Its also Liver Cancer awareness - which is a green ribbon. You can skip wearing pink for breast cancer awareness and wear green for liver cancer.
November brings us Lung Cancer awareness and the Great American Smoke Out as well as Pancreatic Cancer and Stomach Cancer months. It also has Veterans Day - and we have many veterans to thank and remember - as well as Thanksgiving.
So please take the pledge and donate to cancer research and not pinkification. Thank you.
I (state your name [and not the Animal House version]) promise that during the month of Pinktober, formerly known as October, I will not arbitrarily purchase pink items or donate to pink causes with out first researching how much actually goes to breast cancer research or screening services.
I will first research them using services such as Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org) to ensure they are legitimate.
I also promise that I will not support pinkification efforts to paint things pink, light up buildings in pink, or other such activities.
Thank you.
Its been a month. Have you researched other causes? Have you rejected any pinkification efforts already?
I have been asked to be in a newspaper article (which they actually print on pink paper during the month of October) and declined. I have already been approached for donations because its breast cancer awareness season. October will be a blur of pink, with the internet and phones and mail full of requests to help with pinkification efforts. The media will also be full of rehashed breast cancer research from the past few years. This does nothing. It does not help.
We do not need awareness. We need research. And a cure would be really nice. I just learned this morning that another 36 year old woman, Jen Smith of LivingLegendary.org, died of metastatic breast cancer yesterday - that was too young.
We can skip the awareness. There are better things in October - Columbus Day/Canadian Thanksgiving and Halloween. (Haven't you seen the little candy bars everywhere?). Its also Liver Cancer awareness - which is a green ribbon. You can skip wearing pink for breast cancer awareness and wear green for liver cancer.
November brings us Lung Cancer awareness and the Great American Smoke Out as well as Pancreatic Cancer and Stomach Cancer months. It also has Veterans Day - and we have many veterans to thank and remember - as well as Thanksgiving.
So please take the pledge and donate to cancer research and not pinkification. Thank you.
Time for a change
Through the past forty years, there have been changes in the way we view and treat breast cancer. It started with the 'lets cut out as much as we possibly can'. Radical mastectomies were carried out regularly, permanently disfiguring patients - both emotionally and physically. And leaving them with life long health problems of lymphedema and more.
Gradually, times changed and focused more on detection with the advent of mammograms. My original cancer book printed about 1980, says that they were just beginning to recommend regular mammograms as screening for breast cancer. After this the Komen foundation began to promote early screening which some how devolved into the pink ribbons, pinkification, sisterhood and giant pink wave that overtakes the world every October.
The Komen foundation has managed to give themselves several black eyes in recent years which are proving their downfall. However their efforts, along with that of many other, have greatly helped destigmatize the disease, allowing people to shout the word cancer instead of whisper it in corners.
But as Karuna Jagger, (www.twitter.com/karunajagger) Executive Director of Breast Cancer Action, points out, its time for a change from this pink world to one where we focus on what is really important:
"As the nation's attention focuses on breast cancer during Pinktober, let's stop selling women a false narrative about screening, and instead advocate for more effective treatments, less treatment when possible, and fewer breast cancer diagnoses in the first place. It's time we change the breast cancer narrative once again."
We do not need all the pink to focus on these efforts.
Gradually, times changed and focused more on detection with the advent of mammograms. My original cancer book printed about 1980, says that they were just beginning to recommend regular mammograms as screening for breast cancer. After this the Komen foundation began to promote early screening which some how devolved into the pink ribbons, pinkification, sisterhood and giant pink wave that overtakes the world every October.
The Komen foundation has managed to give themselves several black eyes in recent years which are proving their downfall. However their efforts, along with that of many other, have greatly helped destigmatize the disease, allowing people to shout the word cancer instead of whisper it in corners.
But as Karuna Jagger, (www.twitter.com/karunajagger) Executive Director of Breast Cancer Action, points out, its time for a change from this pink world to one where we focus on what is really important:
"As the nation's attention focuses on breast cancer during Pinktober, let's stop selling women a false narrative about screening, and instead advocate for more effective treatments, less treatment when possible, and fewer breast cancer diagnoses in the first place. It's time we change the breast cancer narrative once again."
We do not need all the pink to focus on these efforts.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Year round pinkification
Estee Lauder is going to new lengths to create year round pinkificaiton. In October 2014, they will offer story telling videos of four families facing breast cancer. They made sure to include young and old, Asian and African Americans so it can't be deemed racist, sexist, or ageist.
They have two good reasons for running the campaign year round. The first is that with breast cancer its a year round diagnosis, not just one month of the year. That is clearly been a complaint for decades. But the other is their multimillion dollar campaign won't fit into one month. I am sure they could have made it fit into one month but it doesn't really impress me yet.
They have two good reasons for running the campaign year round. The first is that with breast cancer its a year round diagnosis, not just one month of the year. That is clearly been a complaint for decades. But the other is their multimillion dollar campaign won't fit into one month. I am sure they could have made it fit into one month but it doesn't really impress me yet.
There will be personal touches through the storytelling....
"The company plans to add a personal touch through storytelling, via documentary-style online videos featuring four real-life families affected by the disease. Viewers are also encouraged to upload their own videos and stories, which may be featured on the site in the future."
Will that include the hairless body and rushing to the bathroom. And maybe they will get extra Estee Lauder makeup to cover the chemo pallor.
"Some of the donations will also come straight from the company's own pocket. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation will receive portions of sales from 15 "Pink Ribbon" products with brand names like Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, La Mer, Origins, and Estée Lauder itself. Furthermore, the retailer will donate one dollar for each uplifting photo shared on one of their social media platforms (with a cap at $22,000)."
And the truth comes out in two little statements. first of all the BRCF will receive portions from the sale of 15 products? And how much would that portion be? A tiny $0.50 on a $50 product? That is one issue here. The second statement is the $22,000 cap on the photos shared. Does that mean they will only donate up to $22K for all the pictures shared or $22K for each of the pictures shared?
"While Estée Lauder had been planning to focus heavily on Internet platforms for some time, the recent success of the ALS Association’s Ice-Bucket Challenge proved the effectiveness of online activism, with nearly $80 million raised in one month, compared to $2.5 million last year."
Well goody for them. They are using social media and internet platforms and want to tap into the online activism as with the Ice Bucket Challenge. Sorry. I doubt it. The ice bucket challenge worked because it was a single guy who started it, not a corporation and it was a nice hot summer time where a bucket of ice isn't so bad. January would be bad. Its very difficult to create an online viral success. the best ones are teh spontaneous ones that cross borders, touch a nerve with people, and have a sensne of humor and one-up-manship (I triple dog dare you to dump a bucket of ice water on your head).
I'm sorry a pink ribboned product isn't going to make me do much of anything. And some ad agency must be raking in big bucks for all of this.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
How rude, tasteless, insensitive and completely stupid
The UK based Pancreatic Cancer Action recently ran a series of ads saying such lovely things as "I wish I had breast cancer". Please close your mouth if you are gaping at this.
And the woman in the ad says she would do it again.
How bad is this? Let me count the ways.
How bad is this? Let me count the ways.
- The organization claims it is hard hitting on purpose - a shock campaign to raise awareness. Well tough cookies. I know you want to be hard hitting but you could do it with out being offensive. And rude, tasteless, insensitive and completely stupid. Where were your brains people? Where was your reality check on your ad campaign?
- The woman in the ad says she would do it again and has no regrets. I'm sorry you have pancreatic cancer and a short time to live. But you could have gotten the same diagnosis and prognosis with breast cancer.
- This is a nice clear example of how the pink ribbon campaigns and awareness have frivolized (if that wasn't a word, before it is now) the real severity of a breast cancer diagnosis. Cancer is cancer. And even if you paint it pink and put a little ribbon on it, its still cancer.
- No cancer is better than any other. I have had two 'good' cancers if you must (but really please don't). There is no good cancer. Stop comparing them.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Staying pink means staying positive
This has now been decoded. I don't think so.
Fellow blogger, Katherine O'Brien, wrote to Good Morning America recently about the pinkification of the set and show, which I think was Monday but I could be wrong. She asked about why there was no mention of metastatic breast cancer and it was all about awareness. They wrote back:
"The focus of today's report was breast cancer awareness and the visual affect to highlight the need for more research."
"A patient's positive attitude is beneficial in any medical process."
We are supposed to think positive and the world will be full of sunshine and roses and kittens or something.
Katherine made a great video on thiswhich due to my technical skills I can't upload here that you should watch as she does a wonderful job in making her point.
Pink doesn't help. And the TV station needs sensitivity training.
Fellow blogger, Katherine O'Brien, wrote to Good Morning America recently about the pinkification of the set and show, which I think was Monday but I could be wrong. She asked about why there was no mention of metastatic breast cancer and it was all about awareness. They wrote back:
"The focus of today's report was breast cancer awareness and the visual affect to highlight the need for more research."
"A patient's positive attitude is beneficial in any medical process."
We are supposed to think positive and the world will be full of sunshine and roses and kittens or something.
Katherine made a great video on this
Pink doesn't help. And the TV station needs sensitivity training.
Friday, January 9, 2015
The numbers behind pinkification..
The NFL has decided to cut back on their pinkification... They will stop using pink penalty flags in week 6 - I have no idea when week 6 is but assume it is sometime around now. That is how much I know about football. But do not be too upset as they will still use pink cleats, wristbands, gloves, sideline hats, helmet decals, captains' patches, chin cups, shoe laces, skull caps, sideline towels, eye shield decals and quarterback towels.
The reason given for the stop is that pink penalty flags can easily be confused by players with the other flashes of pink. Out of the corner of your eye, was that a pink penalty flag dropped or another player running by or a dropped quarterback towel? I guess it can be confusing to players but then I find the whole game confusing.
Pink penalty flags are a small portion of the NFL's efforts.
The big picture effort is called a Crucial Catch and is a partnership between the American Cancer Society and the NFL and supported by corporate sponsors. This has been going on since 2009. It is not very altruistic of the NFL as they are trying to recruit more female fans, particularly younger ones.
But here are the real details behind this all. How much do you think the NFL must have donated in the past four years? Guess a number and read below:
"This is where the campaign gets murky. While all proceeds from auctioned game-worn items go to breast cancer causes, the league declines to say what portion of the apparel sales do. Inquiring minds can estimate, however. Ticketmaster limited its 2012 A Crucial Catch contribution to 10 cents for every ticket sold last October (up to $40,000 total), and The New York Times reported that Old Navy donated only five percent of revenues to a foundation via a similar 2011 campaign featuring the Dallas Cowboys. Charlotte Jones Anderson, the daughter of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, supervised this campaign, and Anderson in December was appointed chairwoman of a new NFL foundation that will direct league community efforts.
The bottom line: The league hardly donates much to "fight" breast cancer. You'd need to use scientific notation with negative exponents to express what percentage of the NFL's annual revenues it contributes via A Crucial Catch. The campaign raised a combined $4.5 million during its first four years (2009-2012), including $1.5 million last year. League-wide revenues approached $8 billion in 2009, when NFL teams earned a median profit of $28.6 million, according to The Economics of the National Football League, a 2012 book edited by Kevin G. Quinn. (The NFL says it plans to donate $23 million to all community causes this year -- less than one percent of its likely revenues.)
If they are not really concerned with aiding breast cancer causes, then, why do the NFL and its corporate partners orchestrate this campaign? The cynical answer is that they are more interested in their images, and in growing their products and revenues. They are seeking to attract new consumers, usually female, and to establish a positive connection with them."
A whopping $4.5 million dollars from four years of effort out of $8 billion in revenues in a single year? Thats a teeny tiny percent.
I am not blasting the NFL here but using them as an example of how the numbers of pinkification never add up. If you really care, send your dollars to a worthy cause that you have checked out first.
The number is: 0.01406% each year. Basically a drop in the bucket.
The reason given for the stop is that pink penalty flags can easily be confused by players with the other flashes of pink. Out of the corner of your eye, was that a pink penalty flag dropped or another player running by or a dropped quarterback towel? I guess it can be confusing to players but then I find the whole game confusing.
Pink penalty flags are a small portion of the NFL's efforts.
But here are the real details behind this all. How much do you think the NFL must have donated in the past four years? Guess a number and read below:
"This is where the campaign gets murky. While all proceeds from auctioned game-worn items go to breast cancer causes, the league declines to say what portion of the apparel sales do. Inquiring minds can estimate, however. Ticketmaster limited its 2012 A Crucial Catch contribution to 10 cents for every ticket sold last October (up to $40,000 total), and The New York Times reported that Old Navy donated only five percent of revenues to a foundation via a similar 2011 campaign featuring the Dallas Cowboys. Charlotte Jones Anderson, the daughter of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, supervised this campaign, and Anderson in December was appointed chairwoman of a new NFL foundation that will direct league community efforts.
The bottom line: The league hardly donates much to "fight" breast cancer. You'd need to use scientific notation with negative exponents to express what percentage of the NFL's annual revenues it contributes via A Crucial Catch. The campaign raised a combined $4.5 million during its first four years (2009-2012), including $1.5 million last year. League-wide revenues approached $8 billion in 2009, when NFL teams earned a median profit of $28.6 million, according to The Economics of the National Football League, a 2012 book edited by Kevin G. Quinn. (The NFL says it plans to donate $23 million to all community causes this year -- less than one percent of its likely revenues.)
If they are not really concerned with aiding breast cancer causes, then, why do the NFL and its corporate partners orchestrate this campaign? The cynical answer is that they are more interested in their images, and in growing their products and revenues. They are seeking to attract new consumers, usually female, and to establish a positive connection with them."
A whopping $4.5 million dollars from four years of effort out of $8 billion in revenues in a single year? Thats a teeny tiny percent.
I am not blasting the NFL here but using them as an example of how the numbers of pinkification never add up. If you really care, send your dollars to a worthy cause that you have checked out first.
The number is: 0.01406% each year. Basically a drop in the bucket.
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