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Thinking about Breast Cancer Awareness: The Good, the Bad, and the Pink

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And all around us and in my in-box are generous corporations looking to help raise awareness about breast cancer by promoting their pink-coloured products.

But wait.

Were you not aware that breast cancer existed? Of course you are — gone are the days, thankfully, when we couldn’t speak aloud about “breast” cancer.

Were you not aware that corporations were generous? Of course you are — corporations are generous when it’s “win-win” — that means that the charitable organization wins and the corporation gains some profits.

But wait.

Yes, that means corporations are profiting from the pain and suffering of cancer.

This does not feel “right” for me (as I’ve written about before here and here) and every October, with the aisles of stores increasingly aglow in a rosy hue, the colour pink starts to feel more and more “wrong” to me.

An organization called Demand Cures Today asked me if I’d comment on this topic. You can hear what I had to say in the video below.

I also asked on Twitter if anyone would care to comment on Pink and Cancer. Here are some responses:

 

 

 

 

Please add any comments you have on this topic below too. I’d love to hear them. Because if this month is about breast cancer awareness, then let’s keep aware of the full spectrum of colours related to cancer — the good, the bad, and the pink.

P.S. In the video above, Mana asked me what organizations I choose to support. The names and links to the organizations I cited are The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s Centre for Innovative Cancer Research and the Maplesoft Centre for Cancer Surviorship Care.

Comments

  1. kristahouse says:

    @coffeewithjulie Great post. You did great in the interview.

  2. @coffeewithjulie @kristahouse @mary_lynn_k @robertlendvai @manamica you made some gr8 points in vid Julie! It’s eye-opening: read fine print

  3. Stacerella says:

    @coffeewithjulie I’ve never liked the colour pink. Ever. But, now it enrages me to see pink gardening tools at Home Depot. It’s all bullshit

  4. Stacerella says:

    @coffeewithjulie But, to be fair, I have problems with a lot of cancer research donations going to big equipment bought by hospitals instead

  5. Stacerella says:

    @coffeewithjulie I used to donate to the big hospital back home but not anymore after I got a few newsletters detailing how my $ was spent.

  6. Stacerella says:

    @coffeewithjulie I was very specific with the donation money going to something that I felt was overlooked. It’s still overlooked. I abstain

  7. Great interview!

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