Komen controversy: The pink ribbon's ugly new image

[Horse with no Name]

Excellent article...but I think that this is exactly how I feel

Erin Gloria Ryan of Jezabel writes: “Komen's brand is imploding and seriously alienating young women and politically progressive supporters who were drawn to the cause expressly because of their non-political approach to a non-political disease. But when a charity hires a woman like Handel, a woman who must always attach politics to a woman's body, and allows her to project her political beliefs into her work, Komen ceases being a viable charity and starts being a self-righteous political organization for rich ladies who like hanging around with celebrities. It's a social club, and the only thing it's curing right now is people's desire to raise any more money for them.”[link:http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2012/02/komen-controversy-pink-ribbon-ugly-new-image.html|

[blm]

1. Matuschka wrote about the consumerism involved a couple years ago.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/health/buddycheck10/story.aspx?storyid=152060&catid=282

"Research from recent study of the effects of cause marketing by two professors at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor found that not only can companies raise prices and make higher profits on the sale of products that benefit a cause, these companies' entire brand portfolios can experience a "spillover" increase in sales and profits, which more than compensates for the money given to charity. The report concluded, "Our results suggest that actions of [cause marketing] firms should be looked on with some skepticism by consumers and government officials -- while the firms may be helping with charitable causes, they are also using [cause marketing] to increase their own prices and profits."

Ah yes, the profit power of pink and cause marketing is the main reason, come each and every October, that everything turns a rosier shade of pink. The unregulated pink ribbon's usage increases profits. Companies gain significance and importance by simply attaching a pink ribbon to their product by claiming they too are on the "raising awareness" bus. Those who challenge the Pink Ribbon significance and profitability are often viewed as whacked out leftists living on the fringe, complainers, parade spoilers, rainmakers. "None of this is happening in Europe," says Shields. "They're stupefied by the concept of cause marketing."
So what to do? Go to Europe in the month of October to escape pinkdom? Set up a fund that regulates this enormous money machine and that a portion of financial proceeds is doled out to women who have been diagnosed with the disease? Challenge corporations? Fight for some sort of regulation? Boycott pink ribbon products the month of October and send what you wish to foundations of your choosing? (Remember, most of the money you think is going to a good cause pays for the advertising machine, salaries, office space and other misc.needs before it trickles down to research or scholarships.)

[Ichingcarpenter]

2. The new logo that's going around

[JohnnyRingo]

7. That's remarkable, in the true sense of the word

Subtle but effective, it's sad that Komen had to lose focus on the cause for which it worked so valiently for so many years just to satisfy a group of donors that only opens it's checkbook to organizations that work proactively to end abortions. The logo you posted hammers home the point that Komen no longer dedicates it's self to breast cancer awareness.

I don't believe so called pro-life donors give money to charities for making political statements, they only have interest in groups that actively work to reverse Roe/Wade. The damage done to Komen will remain even after today's announcement to reverse it's decision. Komen will symbolically now have to cut out the cancer that infests the charity in the form of Ms Handel. Even then, I give chance of survival at less than 50/50.

[Stuart G]

3. I agree completely...k and r...nt

[FSogol]

4. "the only thing it's curing right now is people's desire to raise any more money for them"

[intheozone]

5. Wow, what a well-written, perfectly factual statement! Well done Ms. Ryan. nt

[JohnnyRingo]

6. I agree that Handel is like a RW virus set to go off within the organization

Before this act, I imagine few even knew Komen worked hand in hand with PP. At least I didn't, and while I never actually donated to the organization, I did buy several pink "fight like a girl" shirts for the women who work at my favorite bar. Politics never once crossed my mind when I made that purchase, but now that the organization has been infected, I will forever link Komen to wing nut activism, even if this move is reversed.

I honestly think the charity has set it's self on a course to failure with this one move (hiring Handel) because progressives tend to be more generous in my opinion than staunch conservatives when it comes to donating to such causes. Regardless, so called "right to life" activists don't donate to charities because they shy away from the battle, they only open their checkbooks to groups that take proactive steps to end abortion forever. Therefore, Komen has foolishly severed many of it's top donors to placate a group that never did and never will help their charity.

As I type this, breaking news on MSNBC reveals that Komen has indeed reversed it's decision to cut ties to PP, but as I said earlier, the virus remains dormant in the VP position. The ironic similarity to the cause it's self is stark, and until the disease is completely cut away I'll consider Komen a RW inflicted organization. How sad that the patient still has such a slim chance of survival.