Help Me Brainstorm, Please!

Faye33
Faye33 Member Posts: 180
edited June 2014 in Advocacy

I'm relatively new to this board, and had a hard time finding the correct forum I should post this under.  I'm also hoping this isn't offensive or a conflict of interest.  If so, please someone inform me and I will figure out how to delete this post.  Or maybe there is a post out there like this one, if so please direct me to it.

I spent the morning researching large corporations which "donate" to the breast cancer cause.  I ended up drafting and sending a couple of emails to corporations calling them out on what I feel is blatant profiting off of the "pink ribbon".  One company (I won't mention names), clearly set up a product that donated a set value per product, but they capped it at a certain dollar value.  This screams marketing ploy to me, and in my mind, once they reach their cap, people are buying the product thinking they are donating to the breast cancer cause, when in reality they are padding this corporation's pockets.  It makes me angry! 

I also thanked one corporation for promising to donate at least $250,000 no matter how well their "pink ribbon" product sold in 2011.  To me, this is way more altruistic.

Well, there are A LOT of corporations who market their product with "pink ribbons" on it, and frankly since becoming a breast cancer survivor, I find it incredibly offensive.  I view most of these corporations as using the "pink ribbon" to sell their product to a wider audience, to increase their own product sales.  Who doesn't know someone who has fought breast cancer?  Who wouldn't buy the product with the pink ribbon, even if it costs more, if they thought it'd help their mother, sister, daughter, grandma, or friend?

Essentially, I plan on drafting a letter containing multiple constructive suggestions, but making it very clear what kind of use of the "pink ribbon" offends me, and sending it off to as many companies as I can.  I think it also is important to acknowledge and thank the companies that are giving in a more altruistic manner.  I was hoping that anyone here that feels strongly and agrees with me, would do the same.  I was also planning on posting the constructive comments on my blog and facebook and asking those who feel the same to draft their own letters with the constructive suggestions, and send their letter off to as many companies as possible.

I realize my letter may not make a difference, but maybe, everyone else's and mine will!  I may be wasting my time, but I can't just sit back and not say anything anymore.  It makes me almost sick to go shopping sometimes when I see all the "pink ribbons" plastered on products, knowing big corporation is consciously profiting from this wide spread disease.

Here are my ideas:

-create or designate a product line where %100 of the profit (minus overhead, of course) goes towards the breast cancer cause.  I would have no problem with a product using the "pink ribbon" in this context.

-determine an x amount of dollars to donate to the cause, which is not dependent on the sale of a product.  I would not have a problem with a statement CLEARLY displayed on the packaging such as "We promise to give $50,000 in 2012 to the research and treatment of breast cancer.", while using pink ribbon next to such a statment.

Any other constructive suggestions?

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  • Faye33
    Faye33 Member Posts: 180
    edited April 2012


    The Elephant in the Room

    There’s an elephant in the room.

    It’s large and squatting, so it’s hard to get round it.

    Yet we squeeze by with, “It's OK" and “At least some good is coming from it,”

    And a thousand other forms of trivial excuses.

    We talk about treatment. We talk about fears.

    We talk about everything else, except that elephant in the room.

     

    There’s an elephant in the room.

    We all know it’s there

    We’re thinking about the elephant as we talk together.

    It’s constantly on our minds. For, you see, it is a very large elephant.

    It has hurt us all.

     

    But we don’t talk about the elephant in the room.

    Oh, please talk about this elephant.

    Oh, please, I know we all are strong enough to talk about this elephant.

    Oh please, talk about the elephant in the room.

     

    For if we talk about this elephant,

    Perhaps we can say we made a difference.

    Can I talk about this elephant and not have you look away?

    For if I cannot, then you are leaving me………

    alone……..

    in a room…..

    With an elephant…..

     

    Adapted from the poem "The Elephant in the Room" by Terry Kettering to fit this situation


    Feel free to PM me, as well.

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  • Medigal
    Medigal Member Posts: 1,412
    edited January 2012

    Heather,

    Dear one, never forget that when push came to pull, it was just "one" tiny little mouse which frightened that "Elephant".  I have been that "mouse" at many times in my life so please don't think you are the only little mouse trying to save the "cheese" for a better use.  Your poem is so appropo for the situation in our country that you are concerned about and many others. 

    There is another saying I love "Those with ears will hear, those with eyes will see" and I add for those who refuse to hear and see, they will walk through their lives deaf and blind and leave it to the little mouses to take care of the problems.  Here's hopping there are more mouses than you know and you will not end up facing the Elephant "alone".  There are many ways to get things done, and we must remember the "good" something does before we bring out in the open the autrocities the people that run it do in the name of the charity.   So please go "gently into the night" if your concern is this important.  

    Medimouse

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