Think Pink?
January 31, 2012 No Comments
Each October, all of our thoughts are coloured with pink ribbons in the name of breast cancer awareness. We are so tangled up in messages of hope that we fail to question what all the fuzzy pink socks, bookmarks, t-shirts and walks really mean.
Are companies profiting off the deadly disease? Is it a marketing tactic benefitting corporate agendas more than campaigning for the actual cause? Is every dollar raised well spent? Are treatment, causes and prevention just as important as awareness?
They’re pessimistic questions but we can’t always trust the integrity of large, profit-minded corporations. For those of us who are not brave enough to question such a positive movement that brings women together to push for awareness, help raise money and support each other, the documentary Pink Ribbons Inc. is playing the devil’s advocate.
But we have to be clear about one thing: Lea Pool, the director of Pink Ribbons Inc., “insists she’s not out to condemn the global movement.” She does have some harsh criticism, though. She talks about the movement being “hijacked” by large corporations and the “tyranny of cheerfulness” that surrounds the campaign each year.
The fact is that “59,000 women in North America die from breast cancer each year, U.S. women have a one in eight chance of developing the disease, mortality rates haven’t changed much in 60 years and women diagnosed today face the same treatment options they did 40 years ago.” Surely these stats cast a dark shadow over the pink movement.
What’s more, although “a large percentage of money does go to research, not enough goes to prevention or looking at possible environmental factors,” says Ravida Din, the National Film Board of Canada producer who pitched the documentary to Pool.
We may not have to dash all hope, but this thought-provoking film is just the medicine we need to look at breast cancer campaigns with a more critical eye. We can think pink as long as we keep our eyes on the prize — using all available resources to help save women’s lives.
Contact the author here: tinybart@morningquickie.com
