BS for the cure!

[spacefem]

In case you haven't noticed, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. I have two thoughts about breast cancer:

1) It's terrible, I wish there was a cure.
2) It's the worst example of a cause overtaken by SLACKIVISM I've ever seen in my life.

That's right... everyone is buying ribbons and wearing pink and walking and posting bra colors on facebook but what the hell does any of this do except make us feel better?

So I'd like to dedicate this thread to a challenge: post the most ridiculous "for the cure" items you run across so that we can stare mouth-opened at the insanity all month long. Batteries for the cure? Tampons for the cure? Our time-honored favorite, Kentucky Fried Chicken for the Cure?

Let's celebrate the insanity together, loyal friends!

[Sonic#]

I haven't taken pics of it, but I fairly regularly buy mushrooms for the cure. They come in a pink container!

[Meperidine]

I googled "for the cure items ridiculous" and found this.

[Aum]

Since I read the OP I have been trying to find a page on the CBC that I read a while back that has a database for charities that you can search. What the database tells you is how much the charity spends on external companies who put together all the fundraising events.

The best I could find was this:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/09/ ... isers.html

Most of the major charities spend AT LEAST 50% in paying separate corporations who run these "walk for the cure" events, and the like. I don't think people realize just what a big business charities are. There are the events, the advertising, the merchandise that comes along with it, the PR campaigns, and donating to politicians and news organizations to quote/unquote "raise awareness".

I am really, really jaded when it comes to big charities now and I never donate. Throwing money at things is not working. It's just to alleviate our own guilt and to help big businesses make profit. Most of the causes in impoverished nations that people routinely donate to are useless. These countries need human beings to go over there and do the work that is needed more than they need cash.

As for cancer... it's a multibillion dollar business. Do you really think any of the big companies involved have any interest in seeing it cured? Look at how mainstream and hip it is to sport a breast cancer ribbon now. All it takes is a dollar and you have your very own ribbon, or stuffed animal, or pink t-shirt. Ugh.

[SakuraSong]

Well, since you've bought it up...



However, Meppi's are total pwn.

[monk]

the best I found were these. how rubber duckies relate to breast cancer and where/who are you supposed to be showing your ducky to are beyond me.

[newlydiscovered]

Our time-honored favorite, Kentucky Fried Chicken for the Cure?

Well, since you've bought it up...

I seriously thought Lady S was joking.

And my contribution: Breast Cancer Barbie!!

[Neko]

iPod case for the cure!

http://www.popgadget.net/images/Belkin% ... 20case.jpg


edit: OH. I do believe I have found it.

I present to you...



Maxine Mouse for the cure.

Dressed to impress in her pink glamorous best, Maxine Mouse is hitting the road to let you know the cure for breast cancer is just around the bend! Only from Hamilton, "Driven by Hope" is an inspiring new Charming Tails figurine featuring artist Dean Griff's adorable little mouse cruising down the highway. This fabulous biker diva is proud to show her support for with oodles of pink ribbons! From her pink biker outfit to her awareness ribbon custom chopper and eye-catching opalescent finish, she's one hot mama who's riding for a cure!

[deanimal]

Spongebob Beanie Baby for the cure!

[rowan]

I haven't taken pics of it, but I fairly regularly buy mushrooms for the cure. They come in a pink container!

At least mushrooms have been shown to have compounds that are good for fighting cancer or something. I guess. http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/nutrit ... 061218.jsp

WTF are those things, meppi???

Clearly I should be grading with breast cancer in mind, with this EZ Grader!

(it calculates percentages or something? i thought that was what excel was for, but whatever)

[helium]

This entire website is "For the Cure," even the stuff that doesn't even have a pink ribbon or anything on it. https://shop.thebreastcancersite.com/st ... gwodLRwL0Q

Want a poop-scooper, but want to make sure some of that money you spend is going to a good cause? Also, they have pink camo breast cancer awareness Uggs.

[metawidget]

I haven't taken pics of it, but I fairly regularly buy mushrooms for the cure. They come in a pink container!

I saw those too; I refuse to buy them.

[Isis]

Mixer for the cure!

[Meperidine]

The facebook stuff definitely counts as a BS "effort."

[Zeph]

A local restaurant is selling pink pancakes for the cure. They're made with fruit puree or something. I thought the shirt was funny:

[Dragonrider]

Haha, I like the word 'Slacktivism'. Almost as much as I like 'Lactivism' for people fighting for public breastfeeding

[helium]

My grocery store had "raspberry parfait cake" with a plastic pink ribbon stuck on top of it today, but it was that "you can't pronounce what's in it" cake too.

[Enigma]

I think people are aware of breast cancer already! It's getting silly. Breast cancer sucks but it's not even the number 1 killer of women, so it's probably pretty low on the list of what kills everyone. Can we get some heart disease awareness stuff please?

I'm also pretty sure I saw a breast cancer awareness delivery truck the other day but I don't have a picture.

[Nachos]

All I've really noticed is the "I like it on the floor" stuff I've been getting messages about on facebook.

[Mathmo]

All I've really noticed is the "I like it on the floor" stuff I've been getting messages about on facebook.

Mmmm ... I've been seeing a fair bit of that too. The one thing I've seen that I do want is Gok Wan's 'How to look Good Naked' calendar, which is for breast cancer care - and I think there's actually a pretty reasonable link there between the product and the cause, so it seems fair enough. Agree that we need more awareness of other things though.

[Zeph]

Clearly I should be grading with breast cancer in mind, with this EZ Grader!

(it calculates percentages or something? i thought that was what excel was for, but whatever)

I saw one of these in pink last week and thought of this thread. EZ Graders probably aren't useful to a college professor like you, but in the schools I've visited, most teachers seem to have them. I think they would be handy for somebody grading 200 assignments per day (they can just set the EZ grader to the number of questions and immediately know the student's percentage based on the amount of questions they got wrong). I think a lot of teachers have so many kids and worksheets that they just use the computer at the end of the week to enter all those percentages in. all that grading makes me kinda glad I'm still a sub

[monk]

Thanks to DR for his Ragtime video I saw this video which sums up the ribbons issue even though it's about Iraq, the whole I ribbon thing for the cause is equally irritating.

[Dragonrider]

^noooo you jerk, I was also saving that video for an appropriate moment!

(BTW I also saw them live)

[ladypenelope]

I was at the supermarket yesterday and saw a scrubbing/dish brush that was partly pink and would donate a mighty 10c to breast cancer research if you bought it.

[rowan]

they can just set the EZ grader to the number of questions and immediately know the student's percentage based on the amount of questions they got wrong

oh that makes sense. I don't assign purely right/wrong questions too often.

We had the pink mushrooms yesterday. (well ok the container, not the mushrooms)