Pinktober Revolution
Comments
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glad to see the back end of Pinktober. We had a Halloween party at our place tonight. One of our guests was one of my nurses from UCSF and her husband and we all wound up talking about Pinktober and all the tata bullshit.
Anyway, I'm totally beat as it's after midnight here and I'm cleaning up but I just want to throw my two cents in and say I' really proud of all of us for what we've been able to accomplish this Pinktober.. Here's to more rebellion next year!
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Halle-freakin’-lujah, it’s November! I can wear my official Bears jersey during the game again, instead of the “Real Bears Fans Wear Pink” t-shirt that I was given at the cancer center (and half the nurses were wearing). I can finally wear pink again for the sole reason I look good in it, not for any symbolism. Ramona, you should submit your essay to the NYT’s comments section on Gina Kolata's “Pinkification backlash” article.
Funny thing--when I first found out that I had an abnormal mammogram, I didn’t worry about losing my breast, and maybe only a little bit about my hair. I mostly thought, “so this is what’s finally going to get me--sooner or later, hopefully later” and “I hope the treatment doesn’t kill me first.” Never did I think “save the girls.” I know that others with my exact diagnosis opted for mx, even bmx--my motivation was not to save my breast, but rather to do as little harm to me as possible--balancing the risks. I decided on slash it, burn it. starve it (lx, RT, AI therapy).
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It is November. Thank God. I've been too involved in my own treatment this year to do much other than just cheer from the sidelines, but I plan to join the rebellion next year. Katy and others: I know you will ping me!
Hugs;
Octogirl
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Just saw this video today, posted a couple days ago: Pink Does Not Define Me
And another yesterday: Remission: No Cure For Breast Cancer
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Cheeequake- exactly. Thank you. I shared the second one on my FB page. Maybe this will help some of my peeps understand why I'm a whack job.
"A billion cancer cells in a 1cm tumor." Guess that means I had almost 2. Did one...just one? escape?
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Thank you Cheesequake for posting these! I believe when a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer that every one of her family members, friends, coworkers, etc, should have to watch these videos!
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oh no! I opened what I thought was my November issue of Real Simple (but it was October...arrgghh!!!) and saw their full page color ad for their Pink Threads campaign. The usual scam. You buy something, they donate part, by the time all is said and don't not much reaches research. The company never tells you how much of your dollar gets to research, and they don't announce when they've reached their cap of $50,000. They just quietly keep the money after that. They advertise in many national magazines and my guess Is that every single ad costs more than $50,000 in production and placement fees. So despicable.
Sas-Even here at bco they are giving this free press! How is that possible?
I had to write a letter/email. Here it is. I'm guessing I'll be writing letters all year. This just HAS TO STOP.
Pink Threads Is Still Pinkwashing
As a breast cancer patient, I find Lands End's ongoing Pink Threads campaign offensive. While I appreciate that you may care, and may want to do the right thing, the all too common template for requiring a person to make a purchase to trigger your company to make a donation, is shameful.
I appreciate education. I appreciate that through your q&a section you help disseminate important help and information.
But consumers have no way of knowing individually how much of their purchase has really gotten "to the cause". And the fact is that very little does when funds are raised this way. The money filters through many hands before it gets to research.
Consumers would be much better served if :
1) you stopped holding YOUR hand out for money
2) you were much more transparent about how much each purchased dollar eventually gets to research
3) you notified the public when you reach your maximum donation of $50,000.
What you are doing is called "pinkwashing" and in all of its forms, is despicable.
Please consider modifying your campaign. Pink ribbons, in fact anything pink these days, has begun to disgust breast cancer patients. What was originally conceived as an awareness tool is now being abused. And believe me, we are all WELL AWARE by now.
I would like to suggest that you:
A) stop requiring any kind of purchase to trigger your involvement
consider simply making your $50,000 donation- if your company can afford it. If not, donate what you can. It is fair enough for you to announce this change in your media. You will GROW BRAND LOYALTY by having thought of a way to help without angering the 1 out of 8 women who are diagnosed with breast cancer.
C) if the above is not palatable, consider matching funds donations, instead of requiring a purchase
I would appreciate it if this letter be placed in the hands of someone who can effect change by next October's breast cancer awareness month. The way your company and others handle this once respectable cause has become painful and annoying to the hundreds of thousands of women living with breast cancer (not counting the 40,000 that die of it every year).
People complained louder than ever this year about this. At some point it's going to cost you business.
Sincerely,
Kathryn S
About me: I am a 58 year old woman and consumer with breast cancer. I am not a professional activist. Just a customer whose feelings were hurt when I opened my REAL SIMPLE magazine.0 -
Jackie, that is a very powerful letter. What an amazing way to frame it: what was once used for awareness is now a tool for abuse. SO TRUE! I also like how you,ask for the letter to reach the right person so that changes are made and how you explain what pink washing is
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Thanks, Divine. As usual, when I get overly inspired, I don't let the idea ferment long enough. I thought after I sent it that even one placement of a full color ad in a national magazine like Real Simple would be in excess of their entire annual donation cap. I would have really liked to have said that.
So I guess I'm going to write letters all year. I think I will take a 2- pronged approach. I'm going to seek out the worst abusers and the best of the bad. It occurred to me that perhaps maybe the ones that are close to getting it, like the ones providing real education along with their campaigns, or the ones associated with the best charities, might be better candidates to become the ideal. The conversation needs to be about removing a financial transaction from the charitable donation, IMO.
Everybody have a good weekend!
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Jackbirdie - you hit it out of the park!!!!
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Ok, I have to ask this question. One of the hospitals in my area does the Look Good, Feel Better Program. I was thinking of sending them a letter with Breast Cancer Action's Poison Isn't Pretty article to try an get them to see the harm this program can do to the women attending. What say ye? I have learned so much more this year. This thread really took of this year.
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Good idea kathindc, and suggest they rename the program: Look Crap, Feel Worse
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Kathy also send Katy's op-ed piece. Between the two they should be shocked into realty.
Katy Yes, I agree too, great letter. Just the right balance. Please, think about putting your activist contacts in the charity thread. What they are doing, what you did. Think of that thread as a storage place for what we've done. A quick reference point. As the pages turn here, companies that have been contacted get lost in the pages. Just C&P. Your letter can be C&P's to just about anyone.
Do try and take time off from Thanksgiving till New Years. A mind and body does need a break once and awhile. Then you can jump back in in Jan. Just a thought. Of course that's like the pot calling the kettle black. Seriously, I burned myself out the first year. I don't want to see you get the same way. The work will need continuing for along time
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Hi Ramona. Loved your post. Still having problems at work because I refused to participate in the pink party. HR basically expected me to stand on a soap box and announce I had cancer but everything would be all right once I had gotten rid of those pesky breasts during the Christmas break (no sickness leave: the model employee) and the message was everyone should be watching their diets and exercise! Considering I'm the one with the healthiest lifestyle over there... The moronic colleague who organised the pink party has spent the last week preaching that people who die young should donate their organs so that their death is not useless: she is obviously totally clueless about mets, and I don't want to waste time and energy bringing her knowledge up to date. Ironically, she has been struggling with weight problems since her teenage years: I think it makes her feel good that I have cancer and she doesn't (yet).
I am a little p)(**& with Breakthrough Generations (UK based longetidunal study) as they seem to play down the correlation between shift work and breast cancer, insisting women should watch their weight and diet instead, and go to the gym. Shift work is often physically demanding: when I was doing that, I definitely had no energy left to go the gym, and outside work people were always commenting on how thin I was. I will always wonder whether that aspect of my past life played a role or not. Right now I am really looking forward to the days getting a little longer after 21st December: I miss the sunlight so much, and am getting so tired of the rain and cold, if I could afford it, I would book a flight somewhere sunny and dry for the couple of days I'll have off work at Christmas.
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Kathy- go for it! I think that's a wonderful idea.
A good follow up would be to attend the class. Be polite. Load ewg skindeep mobile app onto your phone before you go (and familiarize yourself with it so you can check quickly) and start checking the product in the class. Hone in first on anything with "fragrance". All very respectfully. Then politely decline the product you are not willing to risk a recurrence over. Do it nicely but so that the other ladies can hear.
Now THAT would hit it into the stratosphere! And maybe some of those ladies would write a letter to help.
Sas- I will consider that project over the holidays. It's a fault of mine that I act very spontaneously and usually have no heart or energy for the sweeping up part. And I feel like starting my own thread is tooting my own horn. I'm a bit uncomfortable.
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Found today
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Pemzance, I totally hear ya. But, part of this crap is we are the only ones capable of educating. If you can stomach it, I'd go just to show her she has a lot to learn. One personal at a time sometimes works....good luck moving her forward
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I just did a little post-Pinktober commentary on Facebook. A story has come out and photos have revealed that a Dallas Cowboy player, Greg Hardy, abused his ex girlfriend and threatened to kill her. He got suspended a few games then was back playing yesterday and the team owner backs him. It appears the issue was resolved by paying the ex girlfriend off.
I shared a copy of the story link on FB, tying it to how the NFL wants you to believe they support women's causes by wearing pink for bc awareness yet they allow a scumbag like this to play after the violent assault on a woman and how there is a big disconnect between what NFL says and does. I also included a link in my commentssection on how little or no pink NFL merchandising funds raised go towards bc research.
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DivineMrsM, thought this appropriate for your post.
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Definitely doing the letter. Don't think I will attend though as I am 3 1/2 years out from BMX plus I gave up on make-up a good 38 years ago. My pours started rebelling five minutes after putting it on and I would sweat it all of, LOL.
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Just found my file with these. Could be useful to those who want to work on Pinktober year round or save them for next October.
The first and third ones even go to show how male breast cancer is ignored during Pinktober as no males are used. The last one even shows how the disease is sexualized.
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And a couple of more that could be used.
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We need a library collection of all that stuff to use next October--or before.
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I'm happy to build a website that allows BCO people to login and post all the relevant text and images they like.
This means, that by October next year we'll have a great database of material to use in our campaign.
I can see that the domain name: www. pinktobersucks.com is available
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Traveltext- you are a wizard with a wicked sense of humor! That's a perfect name!
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Oh, I so feel this becoming a movement.
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OK, I've bought that domain name.
Give me a few weeks to build the site, since I'd need to create a design that people were happy with. I can arrange for free hosting.
But, first, we will need a volunteer or two to moderate the posts that go on the site. Sas? JB? Divine? Anyone? Perhaps an online editorial panel could be formed to ensure the site content suits the ethos of this thread and that the design and format is approved before the site goes live. The site platform would be Wordpress, and the admin section quite easy to manage.
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Lurker in this thread but love (and use!) much of what is said.
Traveltext, I have experience moderating bulletin boards so if you need someone, PM me.
JJ
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Traveltext & Ellelou no need to take it outside of BCO. It can be done right here. I did it the first year, but getting folks to transfer stuff was a problem. When I cleaned up the topic box just a few weeks ago I deleted it.
Traveltext, you are a world traveler, other folks only do BCO.
that's the biggy reason to not take it outside BCO. 0 -
Okay did a new thread for storage.
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/102/topics/836617
Travel, I was a page behind. didn't see your post. Good luck. I only do BCO. I don't even do email unless severely pressed. Recently, had contact with two researchers from Harvard and Belgium re: Toradol. I boldly asked that they register on BCO and use the PM function here b/c I don't do email.
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