The Hunt for (non)Pink October

They may have had difficulty finding Red October, but these
days, October is pink in every direction, supermarket and street corner and
even the Patriots stadium. Just the mention of it the other day set my teeth on
edge (not actually too great a challenge given my current state of braces). “Whoa,
Mom,” my daughter cautioned me. “Still a little sensitive about this issue?”  She picked up immediately on the ire that
rose swiftly and unbidden. “Wow. I guess I am,” I replied. I hadn’t realized
how quickly the reminder of Pink October made my breath quicken and my
annoyance surge.

And why? What was it about pink colanders, pink newspapers,
pink stripes on the road, and pink ribbons that made me want to rip something
apart and utter a scream from deep within my throat?

I would tell you that I’m not usually so reactive and short
tempered, that I am generally pretty easy going and tolerant, but in this
instance I cannot even seem to approach this demeanor. (which probably makes it
some kind of misdemeanor). The thought of having to face the incessant stream
of pink makes me want to hurl the most vile invectives at…at…well there’s part
of the problem. At what or whom do I direct my irritation?

My rational self wants only my gratitude to be evident.  After all, were it not for all the research
and attention devoted to the treatment of breast cancer, I may not even have
the luxury of expressing my multifaceted reaction. Shouldn’t my deepest thanks
be foremost in my mind, and ahead of any other response? Ah, there’s that word
that always complicates any sentence or thought. Should.

And of course, I am deeply and abidingly in debt to the
teams of people around the world, and in my own community who have directly and
indirectly contributed to my own well being, physically, mentally, and
emotionally. I never forget this, and hope I express it enough to the people
around me who supported me during and after my lengthy treatment for breast
cancer.

However, if I allow myself to be completely truthful, I must
admit that the non-stop reminders of Breast Cancer Awareness month sometimes
make me ache with sadness and distress that there was a time when I was so
deeply involved with it.  When my deepest
wish was to NOT be reminded of it, and to live my life like everyone else, like
I used to, I would balk at every key chain, cheerfully displayed soup can, and
sign advertising ways to GET INVOLVED. I wanted so much to be NOT involved, to
have moments of beautiful, freeing distance from the whole freaking mess, that
all the positive pink-infused intention and caring went straight to my internal
department of complaints.

Spread throughout the year, and in smaller doses, I am able
to be more graceful about the fact that I needed so much help, and had to depend
on so many people for everyday kindnesses. Even though I am certain that my own
discomfort far exceeds anyone’s feelings of burden about this, I am not yet
able to take for granted that this is so.

Thus, even though I am now well, and in many many ways “back
to normal,” (not to say “in the pink”), October serves as a reminder that not
only was I treated for a life threatening illness, but addition to my external
scars, I am at greater risk than the general population for revisiting this
issue.  Perhaps by releasing this little
rant it will free me up to welcome the intent behind the month, instead of
seeing red.

too much.  end of story.

As a breast cancer survivor I approach October with mounting anxiety/anger each year as the pink craze grows.  The final straw this year was my local edition of the Tab printed entirely on pink paper.  I appreciate that the Tab publisher and others want to support me and the many others who are survivors or currently struggling with this scary illness, but they have been misinformed if they think everyone likes gestures like this.�
    Breast cancer is a terrible disease but frankly, there are many worse cancers, and I’m sure those who have these other cancers would like to have some of the publicity we receive.  It seems like the Susan Komen folks have gotten out of hand.  How about putting some (more?) of their funds into basic research rather than overboard outreach and publicity which is beginning to look a little self-serving.

I rather die with cancer than seeing the world crumble in my life time.

It is better to be dead than to force yourself to live.

Thanks for covering this important women’s health issue! I’ve written about pinkwashing in both academic outlets-”Environmental Justice,” entitled Pastel Injustice: The Corporate Use of Pinkwashing for Profit. -  and online at Forbes.com.  I urge people to Think Before They Pink and companies to make sure that their cause-marketing is genuine.

Among the many egregious aspects of the pink commercializing of the CRAB, the most difficult to absorb is the unfortunate fact that all of the hoopla on breast cancer actually does direct finanical preference for research interests, grants, public concern, university focus and so on by the hundreds of millions of $$, which forces the interests away from much of the other needed attention areas, such as osteosarcomas, melanomas, prostate cancer, ovarian, and more.

My granny had breast cancer and I fully support raised education and research for a cure. BUT – doesn’t heart disease kill more women? Why isn’t that in the forefront instead of pink?

I saw an interesting episode of Penn and Teller’s Bullshit a couple years ago about breast cancer. It was an interesting perspective on how we are over the top about breast cancer awareness and pink because it’s a way to talk about breasts and it’s a ‘sex sells’ kinda attitude. I’m curious where all the money goes!

The Onion has just reported that all breast cancer awareness walks have been cancelled because everyone is aware. Let’s give the money directly to those in need ,not mid-level execs.

Equal time for Testicular Cancer Research? Never. The Breast Cancer Awareness campaign is a perpetual cause detracting from what a horror cancer is by packaging it as a fashion accessory.

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5500/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8488

Ask P&G to Stop Using Chemicals Linked to Breast Cancer

Surely
you noticed that October is breast cancer awareness month; you can’t
miss the deluge of pink ribbons everywhere, including the cosmetics
aisle.
Case in point: Procter & Gamble’s cosmetics division is making a
big deal this month about supporting early breast cancer detection, an
important issue. But we think P&G should start with prevention by
promising to stop using chemicals linked to cancer in its products.
According to the Skin Deep database, P&G still uses parabens – in particular, methylparaben – in hundreds of its Cover Girl, Max Factor, Infusium and other products.
Parabens are compounds widely used as antimicrobial preservatives in
cosmetics products. They’re also estrogen mimickers, and have been found in breast tumors.
A new study
found that methylparaben can not only cause healthy breast cells to
behave like cancer cells, but also interfere with the effectiveness of
tamoxifen, an important breast cancer drug.
Use the form below to tell P&G that if the company really wants
to do something about breast cancer, it should stop using methylparaben
and other chemicals linked to cancer or hormone disruption in any of its
products.

I think it all needs to step back from the commercialization and we need a paradigm shift to focus on overall public health literacy. But maybe marketing and commercialization is the only way to get a broad public awareness. There are so many public health issues that we need awareness about! Perhaps the pink campaign can serve as a model for raising awareness about larger health issues.

Cancer and high fat diets of Western nations have been shown to have strong links. What are cancer organizations doing to help fight the root causes associated with diet? Lobbying the USDA, etc.?

Since President Nixon declared the war on cancer in the ’70s, we’ve spent BILLIONS (do the math) on research for a cure.  Surely, all that money should have bought us a CURE by now.
Ida Simmons

We hate and loathe big Pharma,but thanks for creating the wonder drugs

I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 33. A couple of years ago I was diagnosed with metastatic disease. (BTW I ate a very healthy diet, didn’t smoke, and exercised a lot). I find the profit making disgusting. I am glad to hear that the Komen foundation has retooled their research arm. I think there is not enough attention paid to the reality of breast cancer, that despite early detection and mammograms plenty of women (and men) still die of this disease. The pink ribbon campaign is a little too “feel good”. Cancer does suck and thinking that all we need is awareness and warm fuzzy feelings is wrong.

I hate pink. I hate the whole pink thing that they market with this. I know hate is a strong word, not supposed to be use it, nobody wants to be a hater, hating on. I hate pink.

Is it time to pay more attention to other less-”sexy” cancers?  Lung cancer is the number two killer, but receives less than a fifth of funding as breast cancer.  Is it going overboard when breast cancer receives $150 million in funding from the Department of Defense, yet has a five-year survival of 89%?

I don’t hate pink.  I lost my mother to lung cancer at the age of 52.  Yes she was a smoker, which is a poor health choice.  However, i feel that the Pink movement almost vilifies other cancer victims.  I feel that it was “my mom’s fault” she got cancer. �
 

I used to find the “pink” movedment to be positive as it raised awareness and helped remove the stigma attached to the diagnosis- but  that perception changed swiftly when I saw a tv commercial for KFC announcing the fast food chain’s affiliation with Komen.  When Komen is affiliating with companies whose products contribute to the cause of all sorts of illnesses, it is high time to raise the bull@#$% flag on them.  Their response to why they formed the affiliation with KFC was even more enraging- they claimed that it gave them the opportunity to reach “underserveds” (tranlate: minorities and the poor, who are most likely to consume KFC).  Great job Komen, validate the horrible diet that contributes to cancer, causes obesity and advocates the torture of million of animals daily, by sticking a pink ribbon on it.�
And that is just the tip of the iceberg… how about the genius behind the “I love boobies” campaign???  Idiotic and insulting, particularly to women with breast cancer who have undergone mastectomy and no longer have “boobies.” Komen may do some very good things, but at the very least they have some not too bright people steering the ship.

Charitable organizations use marketing techniques to “raise awareness” (awareness that said organization needs donations for research, to cover administrative costs, and so on…I get that. As ubiquitous as the ribbon approach is these days, I am particularly tired of seeing large corporations and retail outlets use those same ideas of charity and community to hawk consumer products. So many times this past summer I saw things like “Coca Cola supports our troops!” Or, “buy a hot dog and fries and a percentage of your purchase goes to breast cancer research!” …It’s disgusting, but then most marketing is shamelessly deceptive in some way.   

http://www.colonicexpert.com

It’s about the constipation man.  First about the poisons in farming, then poisons in the liver, then constipation, then lymphatic stoppage, then breast cancer.  No “scientific study” gets this, never will.  “Pink” funds the pharmaceuticals and there is no overlap with the real study, hence no overlap with the causes, never will.  Just a health flow of $$.

Last week I commented to someone that if I heard the name “Susan G. Komen” one more time I might scream. I am a woman. I have two sisters, two daughters and two granddaughters. My mother died of Breast Cancer when she was only 53 with three children ages 14-20, still at home. My youngest daughter has worked in Cancer research at Children’s since the mid 1990′s. So I am certainly not anti-breast cancer cures. But, I have had many family members, friends and co-workers die or suffer from diseases of the mind, eyes and heart, that receive much less attention. More women die from heart or lung disease, than breast cancer. I would like to see most of the funds used for research, to understand how to prevent diseases, and for every diseases to receive the respect and attention that Breast Cancer does. Maybe there should be one medical fund with the money divided according to the percentages of people who carry the disease.

Why don’t these corporations just donate without requiring purchases?  What a scam.  They entice charitable consumerism and then get tax credit for the resulting charitable foundation.  Instead of buying the product, just give all the money that would go towards that purchase to a well oiled charity.

I REALLY like pink, especially on women!!  It would be interesting to find out how much is scammed, in the name of research, as it is with most worthy causes!  Low-life thieves will use anything, or steal anything!!