I'm going to preface this rant of mine with the following:
- I hate cancer, I have many relatives who have died from it
- I'm proud of anyone who does anything to help create positive change
- This is by no means a rant against people who fight breast cancer
- If you are easily offended, stop reading
- Constant readers, this one isn't as funny as my other posts...I'll work on something more entertaining!
My grandmother died after having a few heart attacks when I was only 2. At the time, my mom was in her late twenties and had to face losing her mother. I can't imagine what that must have been like, since having my mom around my 4-year-old is one of the few things I really enjoy. Given the advanced state of my ennui, there's not much I enjoy more. My mom has the same heart issues and is only alive today because she is taking advantage of modern advances in medicine which help to unclog her arteries...for the most part.
I myself have high cholesterol, despite being of a relatively healthy weight. Yes, I'll admit I like my liquor and cheese, but I've had high cholesterol since the first time I asked for it to be tested, at 24 or so when I ate better and exercised much more. So, I have the telltale medical sign which points to the same fork in the road, or, better put, blockage in the road. That's 3 generations in a row, probably more I don't know about.
On to the boobies. I am a marketer by trade, and the movement to fight breast cancer impresses me. The whole thing kills me: use of the color pink, which I despise but would have chosen too, the use of fun little phrases like "save the boobies," which I love, is really quite smart. It draws attention to what is, in most cases, a woman's disease. It's an awful thing, taking grandmothers, mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, etc. This is therefore a uniquely "pink" cancer. Loving the marketing genius who came up with this pink ribbon stuff.
It bugs me though.
I often ask people (I'm sure they think, as they do often, "Christ, here goes Jen again") what they think the number one killer of women in the good ol' USA is. Their answer is often breast cancer. In fact, the number one killer of women is heart disease. See for yourself: http://www.cdc.gov/women/lcod/. All other forms of cancer combined make up the number 2 slot.
It bugs me because I see pink everywhere and all I can think is that we are extremely pre-occupied with saving boobies, when really we are trying to save women.
We often actually cut off the boobies in order to save the woman. I suppose the sentiment is that in order to save said boobies, we need to find a cure for this disease. I guess it bugs me because my mom and grandma had something else that is just as contagious to their offspring and actually kills many more women. It probably also bugs me because I think that if the disease my mom and grandma had involved a boob, it might get a better marketing campaign, any marketing campaign really.
It bugs me because in surveys, women say they fear breast cancer more than heart disease. This could be because of the excellent marketing campaign I discussed earlier, or it could be because of simple vanity. Both bug me, and it's probably a little of both, but even the not knowing as the result of a pink campaign is a tough one. I hate, almost more than anything, people who choose to be ignorant.
It bugs me because I need to do more, and I wish I had a nationally advertised 3-day walk to show support for my mom and grandma. It bugs me because I know I need to do more...although this is the best way I know how.
