October is pink ribbon month. It's also pink product month. Everywhere you go, pink trinkets are for sale. The promise is that for every dollar you spend, a few pennies will be given to breast cancer research. Some folks think it's a bit of overkill. But in making their point, they trivialize a birth defect which affects millions of innocent victims, including me. Listen to a typical example from Susan Reimer, writing in the Baltimore Sun: "You'd have to be colorblind not to see all the pink products."Yes, I am colorblind--hang on a second while I get my tongue in my cheek--and I am sick and tired of people making light of this incurable congenital condition. Do you think Ms. Reimer would have written, "you'd have to be a paraplegic not to keep up with my grandmother"? How do you think such language makes us feel? We're already discriminated against. Whole career fields are closed to us, notably that of airline pilot and railroad engineer. Where are the people demanding a cure for this debilitating and heartbreaking disease? When we run red lights, do people treat us with the compassion we deserve? No! Just write 'em a ticket, Mr. Policeman, and let 'em pay the fine. And then there's the ridicule we endure when we wear mismatched clothes. Colorblindness may be the last birth defect that it is still politically correct to make fun of. Could it be that so little is allocated to colorblindness research because the overwhelming majority of victims are men? Just asking.
So, colorblind people of the world unite! We demand our own awareness month. November will be just fine. We invite you to join us. You can show your support by wearing a gray ribbon. Of course, we'll all think they're pink ribbons and accuse you of overdoing the breast cancer thing, but there's no perfect system.
6 comments:
Mark- only you!
The insensitivity of people today just amazes me!
Like I said before... lay of the energy drinks, man!
Really, though, this is a classic Frost-ian rant... nice.
lay "off" the energy drinks
As a colorblind gene carrier, I stand in full support of this cause. Not for me, but for my future sons and grandsons, who have a 50% chance of being color-challenged. Or differently color sighted. Or Color-tarded. Whatever the PC term at the time will be. Thanks for raising awareness, Dad. If you're going to pass down messed up genes, at least you can help make the world a better place for your messed up offspring to live...:-)
The gray ia for many causes please post. My son and many others are suffering with brain tumors.
I wear grey to support brain tumor awareness. I wear grey in honor of those that are fighting. I wear grey in memory of those that have lost. I wear grey for benign tumors. I wear grey for malignant tumors. I wear grey in support of other parents who know this fight all too well. I wear grey because chemo does suck and because bald is beautiful. I wear grey because I am proud to love someone with a brain tumor. I wear grey to educate. I wear grey to ease fears. I wear grey for hope.
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Brains are not sexy like a woman's breasts. I am sure that is just part of the reason why the world knows what a pink ribbon stands for. We "Feel Our Boobies" and walk the walks. We give billions for breast cancer research and billions are spent each year in grants to various hospitals all across the globe in hopes of finding a cure.
Finding a cure... hum... isn't that another slogan... Bet you know which ribbon that is for to.
Brain tumors affect everybody, regardless of if you are a man or a woman, adult or a child. Did you know that there are even babies that are diagnosed before they even take their first breath?
There are over 120 different types of brain tumors with new advances producing even more types each year. Did you know that the funding for brain tumor research is but a grain of salt when compared to the funds raised for breast cancer research? Did you know that every year there are more than 60,000 people in the US diagnosed with a brain tumor? Did you know that brain tumors are the leading cause of solid tumor cancer death in children under the age of 20 (ABTA)? Did you know that brain tumors often go undiagnosed because their symptoms can be misleading? Did you know that brain tumors patients have a poorer survival rates than a breast cancer patient? Did you know that in adults, males have a 31% survival rate and women have a 30% survival rate for the five years after being diagnosed with a primary metastatic brain tumor? Did you know that children have a 69% survival rate? (NBTS) Did you know that an estimated 13,000 people died last year from a brain tumor? (ACS) Did you know that a benign brain tumor can kill just as quickly and as easily as a malignant one?
I wear grey even though it is not as sexy as pink.
Wear your pink. Feel your boobies! But remember that pink cannot go anywhere without the grey leading the way!
This is a challenge for all families and friends affected by brain tumors who recognize that brain tumors need more awareness to post this in their notes and spread the word! Add your groups. Give the addresses for support. Educate... Ask... Support!
I wear grey to support brain tumor awareness. I wear grey in honor and in memory. I wear grey for benign and malignant, old and young, male and female. I wear grey because chemo does suck and bald is beautiful. I wear grey because I love someone with a brain tumor. I respect pink but I wear grey to educate. I wear grey to ease fears and I wear grey for hope. I wear grey for love. I wear gray for my son Chris. Here is my blog @ http://deardiaryibelieve.blogspot.com I have been educated by you and your blog.
Diane
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