Pinktober Revolution
Comments
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Breast Cancer Month should be renamed Money Awareness Month.
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Hi Sassy! I've read and re-read the thread and now I'm unclear what the ultimate goal is. Gawd knows, if I can stick it to "pink", I'm all for it. Once you have the slogans, what's the plan? Is this just for us? Will there be a petition? Will emails be sent to "pink marketing" companies telling them to knock it off? Just need clarification.
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Crystal, If anyone puts you down because of your post, they have issues. That's what is so unfair about all of this pink marketing junk. So many are suffering and the "pink" is raising so much for bc (that is not being used properly, but raised nonetheless). It breaks my heart that little known deadly diseases suffer the consequences of a marketing conglomerate. No money to be made there, so why bother. So many diseases way worse than ours...and nobody gives a sh*t. Anyhoo, OT, just wanted you to know I agree with you.
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I could repost stuff to my FB but I'm afraid that most people over there just ignore me anyway.
was talking to girl at work about awareness. To me it just seems like a big waste of money. She said her aunt wasn't aware of BC. never had mammo. a few friends of mine have never had mammos. lotta good those yearly mammos did me. I could have saved my copays. I think a lot of people have denial. It will never happen to me attitude
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What DO they do for awareness anyway? Just the runs? I don't see billboards to magazine ads....I don't recall my kids mentioning it from hearing about it in school. So where does the money for awareness go? Africa?
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barbe1958 - actually it looks like it does go to Africa, lol!
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It started already..............saw some product...........Can''t for the life of me remember what it was now........it was in B J's with a huge advertisment, and it was all "pink", and talked about what they were going to do if you bought whatever the hell it was................
Said to my daughter...................OH BOY, THEIR STARTING THE PINK SHIT ALREADY, AND WE'RE NOT EVEN THROUGH SEPT....................guess I said it too loud, cause 2 women said to me "what have you got again companies helping with breast cancer....................................I said "everything", unless they are giving 100% of the cost of the item to "breast cancer".........................one said back to me......................I think that is horrible..............................I said "have you had breast cancer"...........................she said "no"................I said "well I have", and "the bandaged arm", that was a "gift from cancer too".............................."now do you want to talk about horrible..............................they walked away.............................my daughter said "Mom your a piece of work"...................................
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You go ducky!
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Way to go ducky!
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Sassy- I know you wrote me somewhere but cannot recall where. You were asking something about helping with slogans or something. Please repeat. If you don't need that anymore, let me know what I can do that is not too time-consuming, just now going back to work.... but I do wantt o help somehow. Thanks Essa
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Bravo Ducky! You go Girl!!!!
"The Pink stuff needs to give it ALL so I/we don't have to anymore"0 -
Gracie1--LOL the plan is being made up as we move along. Reread my post regarding the nursing strike.
The goal is to have a statement that encompasses what, why, and....... are our feelings about October and the marketing of pink. The first thing that needs to be accomplised is a singular statement that says why we are doing what we are doing. Loosely known as a vision statement. Then maybe a mission statement.
Why? If enough people show up with PINKTOBER REVOLUTION on tees, a good reporter is going to find the source . If the source is traced back to us, My vision is that we need to have a consolidated statement. Refer back to the nursing strike. The core group that caused the strike, did not include anyone in the operating room. A flyer was sent out too all nurses the day before the strike. I don't remember anything about the flyer other than thinking this was bullshit. The major mistake of not including the operating room nurses was----the strike happened, but the hospital wasn't shut down. Enough of us stayed in that the hospital still could continue to function. Particularly,, the operating room. Elective surgeries were cancelled for a few days. Emergency surgeries continued. Then things settled into a pattern. The whole outcome would have been different, if the core group espousing the need for a strike had involved the operating room nurses. Shutting down the OR would have had a greater impact on the strike. The originators of the strike felt that all would follow like cattle. Many did as I note in my previous post. It wasn't easy being a scab. But my care and responsibility for our patients was paramount. What the core of the strikers didn't address was safety and responsibility. Leaving patients with out adequate care was the common reason that those that didn't strike were able to say.
Here what is common is that we are unhappy with what happens in October. Each has given their own reasons. I'm saying that after 20 pages, we can take what has been said and come to a common thought--Vision, as to what it means to us as a group. Included in that is a facts that support the vision.
How things evolve from having a common vision who knows?
The absolute worst, would be to have a resourceful reporter looking for a story, that asks a member "Why are you supporting PINKTOBER REVOULTION?" AND the members response is "because I don't like it."--As a reporter I would be thinking " Crap --no story here". We have a chance to change the future. Chances like that don't often come into one's life. I've been blessed to be on the ground floor of several. They are history now, but the gratification of knowing, I had a part in the beginning that changed things world wide. it's very gratifying.
So, the beginning is a vision statement, a vision leads to the mission. What we do with it after that who knows. But we will never know what the unknown future, is unless we have a prepared cohesive beginning. That takes people willing to work out together words that define our vision. That is actually the hardest. From that vision statement it will define our next action.
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Omg Julz........love that. New slogan!? Go Ducky.......would have loved
to have witnessed that. Your daughter sounds like my son. There comes a certain amount of acceptance (sometimes embarrassment) even a few atta girl with an outspoken momma
Essa. I just returned to work too. I was warned of the exhaustion but didn't realize it would hit so hard. I am struggling to stay awake this evening as I slept from 6pm to 11pm yesterday after an 8 hour shift. Oi.
While my mother had Bc also there is no other history.........
Isn't it something? 16 years between our 2 dx and the diagnostic tool, surgery & medication regimen are the same.
If you have breast tissue you are at risk too!
Will it be another 16 to have a better understanding, better diagnostic tools, treatments, prevention etc etc
I want to sport a pink ribbon to signify how far research & patient support has come.
Not for another corporate entity to cash in.0 -
Essa--will keep you in mind Thanks
Ducky repeating others words--"GO DUCKY"
REITERATING--COMMON VISION STATEMENT THAT CAN EDUCATE CATTLE AS TOO WHY WE HATE PINK!
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SAS, you have articulated the reasoning behind this Pinktober Revolution very well. We DO need a short, concise, SUPPORTED BY THE FACTS statement about this in order to communicate our actions. We need to be very careful to NOT HARM others in this process. Many of us are having a lot of anger about a lot of things, and basically we are all pretty sensitive about the commercialization of pink, profits made in the name of raising funds for breast cancer organizations, and the lack of progress in eradicating this disease over the past 20-30 years.
My mother had BC 18 years ago, she is doing well. My own BC is probably a different disease than hers was, because I have had recurrence twice, once a year after first diagnosis, and again a year later, despite surgery, chemo, etc etc.... She finished her chemo - not really easy for her - but without permanent damage; I have permanent neuropathy and disability. She went back to work full-time, I have not been able to carry a full load at work since the beginning of this and now am having to take time off. Why the difference? Why don't we know more, have better diagnostic and treatment options by now????
Yes, we are angry, but let's also recognize that some of that anger comes from just having this disease and we are likely to strike out at ANYONE, and so my caution that we be careful not to harm anyone in our actions. We definitely want to support research, we definitely want to support SOME awareness education (like just what ARE the options? How DO you find the best onc team? What ARE the best diagnostic tests for any individual patient? - but maybe not simply "get a mammogram, you will be fine!), we definitely want to support organizations that actually provide assistance to women with breast cancer who cannot afford this very expensive disease, etc. We need to acknowledge that even though many corporations are using PINK as a marketing ploy, they are still actually giving some $$ to various BC organizations - I for one would just like to know exactly which ones they are giving to and what specifically they are supporting, not just slapping a pink ribbon on their label, making a statement that x% of the profits on that product go to breast cancer. x% is better than 0%. But let's not do it in such a way that trivializes this disease and its ripple effect on families, friends, co-workers, colleagues, etc.
Pink used to be a beautiful color to me, and I would like to reclaim it for personal use rather than as a symbol of bc awarness, but we DO need some symbol that is recognizable in today's world, so until we get that, I guess we are probably stuck with the pink ribbon crap, but we need to help educate the public about how to best help. Pinktober Revolutionaries, let's get ready!
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Well said Ducky.
I support the Cancer Research groups here in New Zealand but it is the companies that trade on the symbol that get me really cross. 'Pink chocolate biscuits!!! We have some T Shirts here that are designed by local fashion houses and unless you read the very small print on the back you would have no idea that they support the Breast Cancer Research Trust and they state how much goes to the trust and publish the final total each year. However the local bus company has a pink bus!! And the tallest building is lit up in pink for October - They do do the same for other campaigns.
Two wonderful friends have conned me into taking part in the Ride for a Cure, as pillion on a Harley! So I really do need an appropriate tshirt with a really punchy slogan - any ideas?
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Alyson look at the Sheels shirt thta's ready for me to order.____pink on black. Go bvack till you find it. Not sure what I want to do. Pink is a draw---black is associatied with death. If I do the white---letterring-----then the draw is gone. Still undecided. Input much appreciated.
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Well said Linda
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My opinion...
There is little, if any, chance that we will be able to get a change in the color of the ribbon that represents breast cancer. That bus left the station more than a decade ago, there is a colored ribbon for many illnesses, and breast cancer happens to be pink.
I don't have a problem with pink being the color. My problem is the pimping of the ribbon - putting it on every product under the sun and making consumers think they are contributing towards a cure when only the tiniest, if any, of the proceeds end up supporting a cure.
I would like to see a ribbon with the words "Fund Research Not Awareness" or "Think Before You Pink" incorporated into the body of the ribbon. A magnetic one that could be put on our cars and stuck anywhere we want to put it. A black ribbon with pink wording might also work; but if you don't incorporate pink, the message may be lost.
Again, just my opinion.
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LuvRVing, you are very right about the "pink bus done left the station!" I love the "Think Before You Pink" message. It should cause people to pause, consider what they are about to do, decide if that is REALLY what they want to do, e.g. support pink yogurt or pink t-shirts or pink soup cans that may or may not contribute to what they intend. Sometimes the only option for a product during October is all pinked up, such as the Campbell's soup one year (not sure if that is the case this year) or go without or go with another brand. But being aware of where that company is giving proceeds to may help you say "yes" to that product as often as it might make you say "no" to it. Just asking for a little more transparency and not cashing in and making profits just to help others feel good about themselves in supporting a worthy cause.
Maybe "Pink Before You Think" could be our primary statement. Could it be incorporated into the Vision statement?
Pinktober Revolutionary Vision Statement:
"Think Before You Pink"
Many corporations and individuals will contribute to funding breast cancer research to find a cure for breast cancer in our lifetime (or at least in our daughters' lifetime); provide education regarding screening, treatment, and survivorship options (OK, some don't like the word "survivor - I am open to other word); support women who are unable to afford screening and treatment; support research and provision of a wide range of services to support those patients who have completed treatment for breast cancer to adapt to living with this now-chronic disease. These corporations and individuals will contribute to these causes with full knowledge of where the funds are being used, including how much actually goes to administration, advertising, outreach, programs, research, and other.
(somehow I cannot bold this entire section, doing it word by word - so just imagine the entire paragraph bolded)
OK, so this may be a bit wordy, so let's get some feedback going on it. The Vision Statement should be maybe a little shorter, but maybe not. We can include a LOT more in the Mission Statement, with more specific stuff once we get this circulated.
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Vision Statement:
To bring full awareness of the reality of breast cancer to the general public; the surgeries, the treatments and the horror that there is NO cure. To ensure that proceeds donated to the cause are publically noted and distributed in an appropriate manner for the community in which the funds were raised. To keep corporations accountable for the use of pink products and the medical field driven to move the cure closer to the finish line.
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barbe Well said!
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I just got a call from a friend that on our local channels at 8pm there is gonna be something on cancer.ON ALL THE LOCAL CHANNELS 2-4-5and 7...Didnt get much details but the $$$$$ is supposed to be for research.
Do I believe it????yeah right...and pigs fly!!!
gonna watch it anyway.
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Granny Dukes - it is called "stand up for cancer" and it indeed is one of the few charities that sends all their money to research - I think this is their third year - you can read about them on the web by googling "stand up for cancer".
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Linda - "Think Before You Pink" is already trademarked to this organization - which is basically doing what we all want, trying to draw awareness to the pinkification and commercialization of this brutal disease, and doing it on the backs of those of us who have it, while not contributing enough to finding the cure:
http://thinkbeforeyoupink.org/
It is part of Breast Cancer Action, here is their link:
This is an organization
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Did anyone watch Stand up for cancer.....I did.Very impressive.....
As you can tell I dont trust anyone with this damn disease and where the $$$$ goes.
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Lots of good well artiulated thoughts on this page. Like the other ladies my problem is not with pink, it is with the exploitation of pink. I still think a product that says some of the product's profits that say it is for BC should have to say exactly how much. A penny? A dollar? And where is it going?
Also, is there a definition out there somewhere for the Komen folks that defines "education" or is that just a broad encompassing category? If there is a legitimate need for education, fine, but as was said above, what is eduacation and is education just aboout mammograms to them? Because lifestyle, family history, prevention, etc. is also something people should be educated about.
And yes, we do need to seperate anger from rightous indignation. I know I have spoken in anger here and I think that's ok. That's what's great about this page. We get to do that with people that understand. Or at least understand the situation. But I think the intent is changing mindsets not just venting. We need balance. It will take some time for us to find our way. We are starting from scratch here after all. :-)
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I could not watch it....I started crying! When Taylor Swift sang her new song that did me in. I have a 3erd cousin that's dying of a childhood bone tumor ca. He's now 30. He spent a whole straight year in the hospital at 14. A niece who's 27 & her cancerous brain tumor is back to being active & she doesn't want to do anything since Chemo was so ruff the first time at 12. Just way too close to my heart & home on too many levels!
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Shells & Pinktober Revolutionaries! I finally posted! I have really been down in the dumps & couldn't even bring myself to think of posting about it on FB. So I took Shells post changed a word or 2 & added a sentence. Thank You for letting me use your words. I am very thankful to you for taking the time to compose on my behalf. Now if I could just bring myself to even go into a store. I have been avoiding even going grocery shopping or going out other that to work or the Dr's with my sick son's (thankfully they are on the mend). I just don't want to do a darn thing. Hide away till it's gone in November! Here is what I posted...again Thanks!
Dear FB Friends,
As Pinktober month looms ahead many breast cancer patients like myself would like you to know that we are very much against the commercialization of our disease. We understand that you have the best of intentions when supporting causes that claim to help breast cancer awareness, research and patients. However, we urge you to please be very selective when supporting such causes, and when buying items and products that seasonally "turn pink" during October. The truth is that very little of the money raised goes directly to breast cancer research or to patients in need. Awareness is no longer an issue. Most goes to large non-profits with even larger overhead/admin costs leaving little for the programs you actually wish to support. Instead, please make a direct donation to the organization of your choice that funds research and direct patient care. "OUR SUFFERING, LOSS, & PAIN SHOULD NOT BE THEIR GAIN"! Sincerely Julz & her Sisters!0 -
Jutz.................well said..................
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