It's almost time for all that pink again

iodine

Ck. out this poster from those who urge us to Think Before We Pink:

http://bcaction.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=115&cntnt01returnid=15

 It's titled "This Elixer Won't Fix Her". 

abbadoodles

Pink, pink

You stink

That's my idea of pink.

(Not YOU, Dotti!  You da gurl!)

idaho

WOW.    Tami

Margerie

I went to my daughter's Back to School Night last week and the teacher announced that the class will be collecting yogurt lids for breast cancer.  Great, I had to tell my first grader about the upcoming project so that she is not caught off-guard.  She was two when I was diagnosed and has seen many-a-pink-ribbon campaign.  She knows I am doing well, but ........as she says, sometimes she "gets sad about it."  I nicely emailed the teacher and explained that my daughter may have an emotional reaction to this project.  I really want to say "Are you kidding me? First graders????"

Dawnbelle

The pic is sooooo small, I can see it is pouring something out like coffee.

And the balloons and stuff....

$50.00? 20% goes to BC? Who gets 80% of money? That is a Pittsburgh phone number, to call about buying the poster. People are getting rich selling this breast cancer crap. I am sorry if I offend anyone, but I HATE it all. My daughter just suggested I paint my car PINK!

I cried for two hours!

mmm5

agree hate PINK, just joined a tennis league and the captain from her IVORY tower decided we would have pink as our team color and we HAD to wear it and we should do so because we have 2 breast cancer survivors on team (me being one) I just wanted to vomit. They just don't have a clue.

Morgan513

I hate all the pink stuff too.  I try to avoid pink if possible.  I really hate that all these companies try to take advantage of breast cancer for their own gain.

mmm5, you are so right--no one has a clue unless they've walked in our shoes!

iodine

I believe the "coffee" is the "elixer".  BTW, I didn't post the link to encourage purchase---just thought the conglomerate of all that "stuff" becomming the "fix" was a good discription of how many of us feel: poster girls for pink crap, and the rip off that comes with all that advertising with ribbons.  (and I actually like some shades of pink)

Dawnbelle

I just noticed the price & percentages and per norm, most of the money is going to line some pocket, not to BC.

I'm not ashamed to have cancer, I just will not be paraded around by an yogurt company. People treat you differently. I got blindsided at a company party when the DH had told people. I figured it out when all eyes fell on the girls? Oh yeah, that puzzled look "Which one did she whack off".

DH paid the price later. I'm not going to wear a sign that announces it to the world.

People who have colon cancer don't walk around with t-shirts on that say "Butt Cancer".

People with lung cancer aren't sporting a nice black "Can't Breathe".

What about a cute "Free Ballin'" t-shirt for testicular cancer?? WHAT??? Not so cute now is it?

Why should breast cancer be such a marketable business?? Awareness??

Morgan513

Sometimes I think we are so saturated with "Pink" that it becomes part of the noise! 

Exploiting breast cancer patients and breast cancer shouldn't be part of someone's business plan.  Sheesh!

Dawnn, I know those weird looks from people too.  They were never quite sure how to talk to me or to even look at me.  They seemed confused because they knew I was in treatment but I didn't "look" like a cancer patient.  Knuckleheads!  It makes it so hard to hold your head up high and keep your dignity!

Lorrie

Texas357

I've rejected the pink ribbon campaign even before I was diagnosed. And when I was diagnosed, I was avalanched with pink ribbon gifts by well meaning friends. Worse: I was diagnosed in OCTOBER!!! Even going to the grocery store was no escape from the pink ribbons!!!!

While the pink people have done a good job with awareness, they've done a lousy job with education. Raise your hand if you've encountered so many side effects and repercussions from treatment that are NEVER talked about!!

If people only knew that getting it "whacked off" and losing your hair is just the tip of the iceberg.

And also to those people who think we don't see you sizing up our chests: you're wrong. We see it every single time.

yellowrose

O.K., just MHO.  Went to the site and from what I read ALL proceeds from the sale of the poster go to the Breast Cancer Action group.  100% of proceeds is pretty darn good and it goes to help educating people about the shady side of BC fund-raising.

"Think Before you Pink" (TBP) raises many valid points about the BIG business of breast cancer.  Last October I handed out and posted on our work bulletin board one of the TBP posters.  Many people who read the poster told me that they hadn't realized that it was important to read the fine print on all those fund-raising products. 

If all we do is cry or rant about our disgust for "Pink Month", no one really learns.  Get some of those TBP posters and hand them to well-meaning friends and co-workers when they want you to participate in a fund-raiser that doesn't meet the standards that you have.  You will make a difference by educating one person at a time.

I do support BC research IF they they meet the standards that I desire.  I definitely support BC.org with more than just my words.  Where would we be all be right now without the support of these boards?

I don't mean to step on your toes I just want to encourage you to take back the month of October and do your own awareness promotions!  Breast cancer sucks and all the pink in the world won't make it go away.  BUT well-placed research dollars will so don't erase the good of the few valid fund-raisers when you squash the many pink-colored leeches.

EWB

Take October back-- love the idea- any suggestions or ideas to do that??

Morgan513

I hear what you are saying Yellow.  I give directly to research but all the "pink" products make me cringe.  I think the original intention was valid and it has removed some of the stigma of bc but on the other hand, I think people are really uneducated about it.  And I also have a hard time supporting products that carry a pink ribbon that I know are junk food, etc.  What the heck!  Good nutrition is essential and then I see a bag of cookies with a pink ribbon.  The two do not belong together!

 Lorrie

Dawnbelle

This October, ArtHaus gallerists James Bacchi and Annette Schutz invite you to "Think Before You Pink." An invitational exhibition exposing the breast cancer "pink industry."

Opening Reception:
Friday evening, October 2nd, 6-9pm

To view this exhibition on line, visit: http://www.arthaus-sf.com/
20% of all exhibition sales will benefit BREAST CANCER ACTION from October 1- 31st, 2009.

To purchase the limited edition poster "This Elixir - It Won't Fix Her" for $50 plus shipping and handling, please contact BCA @ 415-243-9301 ext. 22. All proceeds from the poster benefit BCA.

I misread what it says under the poster. My mistake....I still think they take advantage of well meaning people & exploit the color as well as us. I do like this site & talking to the girls with the same issues I face.

It doesn't shock me one bit though when people log in & try to sell us a miracle cure or need help writing a dirty book about sex & mastectomies.

Makes me wonder WHO besides us, really cares about US?

That is just MHO.

****edited to add that the people holding the auction, who are taking a stand & exposing "The Pink Industry" who made the poster, are donating 20% of exhibition sales from Oct 1-31. So BCA made a poster & is selling it, all proceeds benefit BCA. WOW.

And the whole 100% of proceeds can be worked too!

So after they pay their employees, their babysitters, their travel expenses...the printers, the paper boy.....BCA gets fifty cents. And BCA is what/who? A website? How do they help us exactly?

OH, but the gallery gets LOTS of publicity. Am I skeptical or is everyone else naive?

Does anyone see this as irony??

yellowrose

Dawnn, I agree that many organizations are just leeches sucking every pink-coated $ that they can.  That's why I look at financials and see where my donated $ goes.  BCA has their's on their site, here's the latest one posted.  http://bcaction.org/uploads/PDF/2007AR.pdf  BTW, other than using the TBP posters, I haven't donated to them.  But I read that less than 10% of their money goes to managment, that's pretty impressive.

Yup the gallery is getting a lot of publicity and "feel good" recognition for it's 20%.  Unfortunately, especially in this economy, businesses do a "cost vs benefit" forecast for everything.  In a perfect world, that wouldn't happen and 100% of all profits would be given to an adopted organization. I say profits because, we all need to pay for basic expenses in life, even business owners. 

It sucks that this isn't a perfect world.  Of course in a perfect world, none of us would ever have had to battle the beast.  As a realist, I can only do what I can and that's wisely support the hard-working researchers and organizations who stretch every $ received.  I admire those whose passion it is to eradicate cancer and/or educate and monitor legislation to assist everone in the midst of the battle against the beast.

Also, people who log in here to promote sales/sex/nefarious agendas are worse than leeches.  I'd say what I really think of them but if my mom found out,  she'd be chasing after me with the soap. (And she's a pretty spry old lady!)

otter

I do have to confess that I find the "pink" thing less objectionable this year, than I did last year when I was still bald from chemo. I even actually honestly willingly bought a pink-for-BC pen a few months ago.  It's a type of $$ cartridge pen I really like, ... so despite the pink, or maybe because of it, I bought it.  Some decent % of the purchase price was supposed to go to Komen; but the "until" date was long past so they didn't get my money.  That's okay.

I also am tempted to go to one of the "pink-for-BC" sporting events they hold on the local college campus.  The woman who coaches the women's basketball team is an unwavering supporter of that stuff; the first few hundred fans get a pink T-shirt.  I'm not sure I'd wear the T-shirt anywhere else after the game, except maybe while mowing the lawn, but it's free.

One thing I am going to do is join a local BC support/connections group that meets every month. My hair has regrown and I'm almost mended, so maybe I can help someone who isn't so far along in this process. It's a new group--it didn't exist when I really needed the support.

I hate the commercialism of the pink-for-BC campaigns, but I do appreciate the local efforts to reach out to BC patients and their families.  A friend of mine who's struggling with Stage IV BC said the pink stuff doesn't bother her if it gets someone else to go to the doctor.

We'll see, though.  I haven't found any pink-labeled Cheerios or cream cheese or Campbell's soup yet this year.

otter 

whippetmom

I always do look forward to those pink M&M's though. 

Marple

I vote for orange.........the colour of Cheetos.  It's also the colour of many leaves in October.

Dawnbelle

Boy, am I holding in any anger or just pouring it out in here?

M&M's soothed the aggression, pink or not.....

dragonfly10

I would not want pink appliances but I love the color pink.  I love pink tops, pink phones, pink roses, I also love those pink rubber braclets.  Pink M&M's are tops.

iodine

BTW, one of our former active members, daughter of a survivor, is reasponsible for the pink M&M's.  She didn't work for the company, but a retail outlet, and talked the chocolate company into doing pink ones for Oct.  Ain't it grand what one person can accomplish!

I am always impressed when the women's college basketball teams and the pro baseball teams wear pink uniforms or patches for Oct.  It's touching and means a lot to me. 

It's just all the ripoff crap that ticks me off.

sushanna1

Using pink ribbons as a marketing tool Ticks me off too, Dottie.  That, and the fact, in spite of the various laws, women have trouble paying for treatment.  And don't get me started on lymphedema sleeves and gloves.  This stuff should also be covered. 

Sue

Jaybird627

I'm not a fan of the pink overload month but I have to say that my employer, Delta Airlines, does walk the walk when it comes to Pink October and giving and awareness.

We can purchase pink items to wear at work, we sell pink lemonade on flights and there are other various ways in with we obtain money which is then given for the cause.

There is a pink BC plane in which survivors fly on to help create awareness. I've opted out for that one but many enjoy the experience.

I guess my point is that having a Pink month can do some good. Other than work related pink contributions I avoid buying anything made specifically pink for October.

Morgan513

Lean Cuisine has gone pink too!  I found them yesterday at the grocery store.

I wish that all money spent on pink items went to a breast cancer cure.  Wouldn't that be cool if for one month all of these companies gave all of their profits from pink items?!

 Just thinking...

Lorrie 

SoCalLisa

I like pink for awareness, not marketing

Morgan513

SoCal,

You said it perfectly!

Lorrie 

Jaybird627

If anyone here flies on Delta this month please be aware that 100% of the $2 price for the pink lemonade goes to BCRF. Available on both domestic and int's flights.

 There is also a bracelet for sale from Duty Free on Int'l flights where 50% of the $15 price goes to BCRF. The bracelets are created by friends of a Delta f/a, in her memory, who died from BC.

Lastly, if you use GoGo (wi-fi) on Delta flights 100% is donated to BCRF.

I'm NOT promoting Delta but wanted all to know that some donations do go to the 'cause'. If BCRF isn't your 'cause' then no worries!

Anonymous

When I was first diagnosed I did everything pink.  The next 3 years I couldn't wait for October to be over.  Now I am stage 4 with bone, lymph, and pleural mets and I am really into pink again.  Being a football fan, I got myself a Tshirt that says "Real Bear Fans Wear Pink."  And Da Bears are going to wear a band around their arm that says "Real Men Wear Pink."

We just must find a cure.

Me. 

Diana63

I downloaded this, she wrote it for a friend. All proceeds is supposed to go to BC.

Melissa Manchester  The Power of Ribbons

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVyzbU2UeN0&feature=related

I wouldn't mind the pink thing IF the money really went to BC but it shouldn't be pink it should be blood red. I don't know about anyone else but I didn't see any pink during my BC dx, chemo was red, my blood was red during my surgery's. And most of all it should be red for the brave ladies we have lost while they sold pink toasters.