knowledge during breast cancer awareness month

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/10/04/nfl_s_a_crucial_catch_football_s_breast_cancer_awareness_initiative_is_about.html

Yesterday as I was surfing the web I stumbled across this article, which discusses  the effectiveness of using outlets like the NFL to promote breast cancer awareness. After reading this I was reminded of a documentary that has been in my netflix cue for a while, Pink Ribbons, Inc., which discusses the many problems within the Susan G. Koman organization, and our reliance on it for research. This film was both disturbing and eye-opening for me. I have not been a supporter of this organization since their recent attempts to  de-fund planned parenthood, nor since learning that their president was paying herself a six-figure salary; that being said, I was ignorant to the extent of dysfunction surrounding SGK.

Their failure to advocate for more thorough preventative research, especially in looking at the cosmetics industry, is disgusting. One statistic that shocked me was that only 20% of the chemicals in most products have been researched for safety. In other words, many of the products that we use, and which SGK stamps their pink ribbon on, have not been proven safe. Outside of this, both article and film make a compelling case about the inherent problems in making activism corporate. Companies, at the end of the day, are concerned about their bottom line, not the well-being of their customers. Furthermore, I agree that such activism seems to comfort people into apathy.... why would you march on Washington to demand more NIH funding for research when you can just donate money to SGK, ?

Has anyone else seen this documentary? What are your thoughts on this organization?


 If anyone doesn't have access to Netflix and would like to see this film, email me at hgentry1@slu.edu and I'd be happy to give you my account info!