The Corporatization of Breast Cancer

[Donnachaidh]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Corporatization-of-Bre-by-Dr-Stuart-Jeanne-B-111109-243.html

In case people didn't notice, October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We were all expected to wear pink ribbons all month to help find a cure for breast cancer, an often fatal illness affection one out of eight women. Besides posing the obvious question -- how wearing a pink ribbon stops cancer -- the Think Before you Pink Campaign also challenges whether the true purpose of the Pink Ribbon Campaign is to help women or the dozens of corporations who have jumped on the pink ribbon bandwagon. Like many activists in the toxics movement, they argue that ending breast cancer depends on understanding and eliminating its causes, including the hundreds of endocrine disrupters and other cancer-causing chemicals all of us our exposed to on a daily basis.

Think Before You Pink, a project of Breast Cancer Action, was launched in 2002 and calls for more transparency and accountability by companies that take part in breast cancer fundraising. It has coined the term "pinkwashing" and encourages consumers to ask critical questions before purchasing so-called "pink ribbon" products.

:snip:

Pinkwashing

Breast Cancer Action is even more concerned about "pinkwashers," which they define as companies claim to care about breast cancer, while profiting from making or selling products linked to breast cancer. Examples include Avon, Estee Lauder and other cosmetics companies; the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly; and KFC. Breast Cancer Action is especially concerned about cancer-causing chemicals in a new perfume, Promise Me, Susan G. Komen for the Cure commissioned for 2011 Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Komen is the non-profit sponsor of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

While Avon, Estee Lauder and other cosmetics companies have responded to public pressure by removing some of the most dangerous chemicals from their products, many still contain endocrine disruptors (estrogen-like compounds that promote the development of breast cancer) and other chemicals linked to cancer. Moreover, despite their well-publicized exploitation of Breast Cancer Awareness Month to promote their products, they still refuse to sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics. http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=749

Much more at the link --

[canoeist52]

1. Barbara Ehrenreich talks about this in her book "Bright Sided".

http://www.barbaraehrenreich.com/brightsided.htm

[undeterred]

2. Whats amazing is to find out how politicized fundraising

for cancer research is. The different groups compete with each other and it all gets very petty and nasty... the public doesn't necessarily see it, but if you're in the "cancer" industry you get to know which people don't even speak to each other. Susan G. Komen is a world unto itself.

[monmouth]

3. Susan Komen was the sister of Nancy Brinker, the corporate head

of that group. I had occasion to read some financials re SGK and the salaries paid to people in administration. If you think bankers are overpaid, you ain't seen nothing. I never did that walk or any other one again.

[mwdem]

4. 6 year breast cancer survivor, and I would never do that walk!

I'm all for awareness, but if you click on a website and that gives a free mammogram to someone, fine. What happens next, when they have found a tumor. I'll only give to the sites that will help with treatmemt also. Google is your friend. The Komen Foundation is based here Dallas, and they contriabute heavily to the GOP.

[blm]

7. It's a moneymaking machine with NO ADVANCEMENT in cancer research that can be accredited to it.

I have a longtime friend whose self-photo sans one breast graced the cover of NYT magazine in the early 90s and actually jumpstarted the whole breast cancer awareness movement. Matuschka's photo was very controversial and she received just as many hate letters as she did hurrahs.

The whole pink thing is a way for society to cutesify the issue - turning a serious health issue into a dolls and ribbons display. They couldn't HANDLE a woman losing a breast and still being a woman, period.

http://www.matuschka.net/FINALBODSGallery.html

BTW...last July, Life magazine printed its 100 Photos that changed the world, and Matuschka's was again named, and Life credited her photo as the beginning of the breast cancer movement.

[seabeyond]

5. over the last couple years i have been turned off. actually got mad this year and have said

something.

i refuse


pink

[Raine]

6. My mother & grandmother died from breast cancer but I won't have a thing to do with this "pink" scam

IMO it's nothing but raking in dollars. The only thing it has to do with the disease is to use it to get those dollars. Greedy bastards! :mad: