Has it been almost a month? Sorry about that. Strange how even though I don't have much of a life, two weeks away from headquarters causes turmoil and overload for about a month after. Still, it hasn't all been work-caused insanity. The Daily Affirmations Summer Tour 2009 has taken me to Atlanta for a wedding (no need to panic ladies, it wasn't my own), to Houston twice, and soon to Washington, D.C. But while I'm still living on the edge, its slowed down just a bit, enough to get back to the blogstone.
So while its still Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought I'd ease back in by discussing that. Did you know that its National Breast Cancer Awareness Month? Probably you didn't because its such a subtle message. What with professional football teams wearing pink shoes, baseball teams using pink bats, half the products on the grocery store shelves promising to donate part of your purchase price (an extremely small part mind you) to a suitable breast cancer charity, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure ads, opportunities to contribute at your grocery store check-out counter, and so on, its really no surprise that very few people know anything about breast cancer.
Or not. Jerry's Kids think breast cancer gets a lot of publicity.
On the surface, this would ordinarily be something I'd rail about. But when looking past the surface, its one of those rare instances in which the do-gooders actually have a very valid motive.
Simply put, breast cancer is a scourge. Its the second-most common form of cancer in America, after skin cancer. Its the seventh highest cause of death in women. The National Cancer Institute projects that 12 % of all women born today will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in their lives. By the way, men can get breast cancer too. Today, most of those diagnosed with breast cancer are betwen the ages of 45 and 64. However, both the incidence and mortality rate from breast cancer has been declining in the last 10 years.
Aside from the statistics, it seems like everyone knows someone or has a friend or family member that's had breast cancer. In my own family, I've had two aunts with breast cancer, and one more who had pre-cancerous cells. My own mother had some pre-cancerous cells and needed radiation treatment. Breast cancer has greatly affected my family.
With such widespread incidence, its no wonder that a breast cancer awareness and fund-raising industry has sprung up, as well as the inevitable backlash. Newsweek recently published an article that, while not exactly criticizing such activity, came close. The article basically gave a platform to those criticizing the attention given to funding a cure, rather than programs to support those with the disease or to basic research about breast cancer. It also quoted criticism of accepting money from companies that market products that may cause or increase the risk of breast cancer (such as cosmetics or auto companies).
Killjoys. Scum. Slime. Menace to the golfing industry. So what? So what if the cancer-causers are funding research? Should they not fund it at all? Just like politicians, beggars can't be choosers. If every charity adopted some sort of moral high ground to evaluate the worthiness of their contributers, they'd soon find themselves penniless. And as for paying for the cure and not supporting victims, lets focus on job one. Curing this disease is vital, and money spent on that will ultimately help far more women in the long run. Plus, no one is preventing anybody from funding victim's programs. Finally, its about time that a dreadful disease gets some major run. AIDS is about the only disease that has, back in the late 1980s, mainly because the right celebrities were afflicted and the right celebrities climbed on the bandwagon. Let's face it, if it had been A.C. Green that had AIDS instead of Magic, it may have played out a lot differently. Of course, if that virgin had gotten AIDS, it really would have been a story. Or if Edye Gorme had been the lead fundraiser instead of Elizabeth Taylor. Breast cancer is a bit different. There's no lead celebrity associated with the disease, although plenty have had it. Christina Applegate comes to mind. As do Sheryl Crow and Elizabeth Edwards. But the surge in breast cancer awareness and fundraising clearly isn't driven from the top down. Its a grass roots, from the bottom operation, that's taken hold because its so widespread, and has afflicted women whom we all care about. And its had a real impact. One cannot pretend the drop in breast cancer rates has nothing to do with this activism and increased awareness about early detection.
So, I'll see you at the Race For the Cure. Maybe. Its 7:30 in the morning after Halloween night and its north of US 183 and therefore outside my allowed operating area. I also have to go to Ashley's Halloween party and wear my Bad Company t-shirt and ratty jeans and boots (I'll be going as "white trash"). She's going to dress up as me for Halloween so I figure I should go as someone from Stratford High School. Oh, snap! By the way, any man over the age of 10 wearing a Halloween costume needs to take a good long look at himself in the mirror and ask, "where did it all go wrong?" You're a man. Drop the costume and help pass out candy to the kids.
Next-I will explain the completely unprovocative and non-controversial subject of gay marriage.
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