Anyone who knows me knows that I can get pretty excited over causes that I care about, especially things like my favorite October-based cause, Red Ribbon Week. And though I haven't been as overzealous about it as I was my senior year of high school, when I wore a red hair ribbon every day for a month (yes, I really did), it's still important to me, and I definitely plan to support it this year. Well, here it is, and it's October, but...RRW is not until the end of the month. And right now I've got a different-color ribbon to talk about.
Anybody see those breast cancer "awareness" statuses yet this year? So far I haven't, but it's only day one, I'll give it time. Every October I see it--those little statuses about shoe size, going out of town for X number of months, what's in your purse...and I have to admit I get progressively more frustrated. Because here's the thing: yes, it's fun to have an inside joke with your girls, but what does it really do? How does a cute inside joke raise awareness about breast cancer?
I know people who have survived breast cancer. I have been lucky enough not to lose anyone to it, but I do have plenty of friends who have lost a family member or close friend. And I want to raise awareness for it just as much as the next person...I just don't see the benefit of posting a cryptic message that only your participating female friends would understand. Sure it's funny to "confuse the boys," but doesn't everyone need to know that this is a thing? What about the fathers, brothers, husbands, boyfriends, and colleagues of the at-risk women...don't you want them to be in-the-know too? To say nothing of the women who are outside or don't happen to participate in or understand the statuses, isn't there a better way to reach out to them too?
My solution: donate money, buy a pin or other product if the proceeds go towards the cause, and if you really really want to get Facebook involved, post a status about the facts or a link to the official websites. It's more effective; it can get a better dialogue going than a bunch of ":)" or "huh?" on a joke status. But don't stop there--if you really want to get people's attention (and this is going to make a lot of people roll their eyes, I apologize in advance) make something. A short film. A photo shoot. A drawing, painting, or graphic design. Write a poem, a short story, a song, a script. You see where I'm going with this, right?
At Interlochen, if we wanted to get someone's attention, art was how we reached out, whether it was through visual or performance (I would just love to stop here and tell you about the Art Moved banner...but that's a topic for another post), and most of the time, we got a pretty big reaction out of people because of it. So yes, I do care about Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I do want to help. But I want to get creative with it, and I would love, really love, if other people got creative too.
Just remember you'll never stand out if your chief goal is to be one of the crowd. (I can't remember where I read/heard that. But I like it.)
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