October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and that means lots and lots of pink ribbons. But have those ribbons become so ubiquitous and commercial that they do more harm to the cause than good?
Avishay Artsy of New Hampshire Public Radio, citing a forthcoming piece in the Boston Globe magazine by Kris Frieswick, poses the question, "Should Pink Ribbons Be Boycotted?"
Efforts to bring attention to the disease and raise money for a cure
are ongoing. But breast cancer survivors are upset with what they see as the
exploitation of breast cancer awareness. They feel companies are
capitalizing on the disease merely to boost profits. Some see pink
ribbons as a pure marketing ploy, and have signed on to a "Boycott
October" campaign.
Artsy asks, "Is pink-ribbon marketing a good thing or not? Does it bring much-needed
attention to breast cancer research and prevention, or does it simply
profit off a deadly disease?" Those ribbons probably aren't going away anytime soon -- recall the Seinfeld episode where
Kramer is mobbed for refusing to wear a red ribbon while marching against AIDS -- but it's an interesting question. Kris Frieswick will discuss the issue with New Hampshire Public Radio this Thursday.
