The annual breast cancer awareness game

[kareng57]

The worst part of these games, for me, is that men get breast cancer as well.  It's not as well known, either, so the "Tee hee!  Don't tell the guys!" aspect is actually counter-productive to awareness.  If anything, people should be raising awareness specifically for men, because they're the group that's most likely to be overlooked!

And isn't the prognosis generally much worse for men with breast cancer?

I've known breast cancer survivors who have become very weary of the "everything pink" and the constant in-your-face awareness.  Most of all, they'd like to just get on with their lives.

[artk2002]

Really, this has very little to do with breast cancer. It's a juvenile game where those "in the know" can mock those who aren't. It's particularly juvenile since it's mainly a "boy vs girl" thing -- one would hope that people would grow out of that after middle school. Breast cancer is just the emotional hook to coerce people to participate. It's no different than the more overt "95% of people won't post this emotionally manipulative status."

[baglady]

Really, this has very little to do with breast cancer. It's a juvenile game where those "in the know" can mock those who aren't. It's particularly juvenile since it's mainly a "boy vs girl" thing -- one would hope that people would grow out of that after middle school. Breast cancer is just the emotional hook to coerce people to participate. It's no different than the more overt "95% of people won't post this emotionally manipulative status."

^What Art said.^ I really dislike the "awareness" memes. The activities themselves are kind of fun -- what color is your bra, post a cartoon character as your profile, etc. -- but nobody has been able to explain to me what good "awareness" does. Show me someone who's not aware of breast cancer, child abuse, autism, etc., and I'll show you someone who's been in a coma since 1948.

We don't need more "awareness"; we need all those aware people to take action. Post a fun status for fun, but don't pretend it's actually making a difference for the cause du jour.

[KenveeB]

I despise these games. I immediately remove myself from a message conversation about them. The last time I noticed the statuses starting to go up, I posted something along the lines of, "It's not enough to just 'raise awareness'. Sooner or later people are going to say 'We're aware, now what?', and you'd better have an answer. If you actually want to help breast cancer, advocate self-examinations, share the number for a mobile mammography center, or donate to a reputable research group. DO something, don't just 'raise awareness'."

[Giggity]

I don't play them.

If included in a PM about them, I politely state my opinion of the situation, and remove myself from the conversation.

If someone has enough temerity to post it on my wall ... all bets are off and the poster will learn the meaning of the term "slacktivism" post-haste. Politely, of course.

[GreenEyedHawk]

I just ignore them, same as the one about changing your profile picture to a favourite childhood cartoon character to raise awareness for child abuse.  This helps how, exactly?

I also tend to ignore online petitions, as from a legal standpoint, an electronic signature (typing your name on an online petition) means nothing.  They are a better way to raise awareness or state your opinion on something, but still IMO they do little to cause actual change.

There was one going around amongst my fb friends awhile back about changing your profile to a pet that you love in order to raise awareness for animal abuse.  Again, this helps how?  I volunteer at my local shelter.  I donate supplies.  I help with their fundraising events.  This, to me, feels like a more....real?...way of helping a cause near to my heart than posting a photo of one of my pets on fb....which I do anyways.  Right now my profile pic is the silly one of Ripley laying on her back.  It's not that because I';m trying to raise awareness for animal abuse....it's because I like that picture.

[stormyskies]

The worst part of these games, for me, is that men get breast cancer as well.  It's not as well known, either, so the "Tee hee!  Don't tell the guys!" aspect is actually counter-productive to awareness.  If anything, people should be raising awareness specifically for men, because they're the group that's most likely to be overlooked!

And isn't the prognosis generally much worse for men with breast cancer?

I've known breast cancer survivors who have become very weary of the "everything pink" and the constant in-your-face awareness.  Most of all, they'd like to just get on with their lives.

I agree with both posters above. People with breast cancer are a diverse group, and everyone will have their own story and their own feelings about it. It's ridiculous and patronizing to paint everyone with the same brush.

[CakeEater]

I just ignore them, same as the one about changing your profile picture to a favourite childhood cartoon character to raise awareness for child abuse.  This helps how, exactly?

I also tend to ignore online petitions, as from a legal standpoint, an electronic signature (typing your name on an online petition) means nothing.  They are a better way to raise awareness or state your opinion on something, but still IMO they do little to cause actual change.

There was one going around amongst my fb friends awhile back about changing your profile to a pet that you love in order to raise awareness for animal abuse.  Again, this helps how?  I volunteer at my local shelter.  I donate supplies.  I help with their fundraising events.  This, to me, feels like a more....real?...way of helping a cause near to my heart than posting a photo of one of my pets on fb....which I do anyways.  Right now my profile pic is the silly one of Ripley laying on her back.  It's not that because I';m trying to raise awareness for animal abuse....it's because I like that picture.

Definitely. I actually participated in a little game around the time of the royal wedding last year when a bunch of people on my friends list were changing their pictures to themselves on their wedding day, or something wedding related. Harmless, you got to see some people's out of date wedding style, and no-one was claiming it would save the world.

Whether or not others thought I was silly for doing it didn't worry me, but I wasn't claiming to be doing anything other than changing my profile picture.

[KenveeB]

I just ignore them, same as the one about changing your profile picture to a favourite childhood cartoon character to raise awareness for child abuse.  This helps how, exactly?

I also tend to ignore online petitions, as from a legal standpoint, an electronic signature (typing your name on an online petition) means nothing.  They are a better way to raise awareness or state your opinion on something, but still IMO they do little to cause actual change.

There was one going around amongst my fb friends awhile back about changing your profile to a pet that you love in order to raise awareness for animal abuse.  Again, this helps how?  I volunteer at my local shelter.  I donate supplies.  I help with their fundraising events.  This, to me, feels like a more....real?...way of helping a cause near to my heart than posting a photo of one of my pets on fb....which I do anyways.  Right now my profile pic is the silly one of Ripley laying on her back.  It's not that because I';m trying to raise awareness for animal abuse....it's because I like that picture.

Definitely. I actually participated in a little game around the time of the royal wedding last year when a bunch of people on my friends list were changing their pictures to themselves on their wedding day, or something wedding related. Harmless, you got to see some people's out of date wedding style, and no-one was claiming it would save the world.

Whether or not others thought I was silly for doing it didn't worry me, but I wasn't claiming to be doing anything other than changing my profile picture.

I did the cartoon character one, but when I did, I posted "I don't see what this has to do with child abuse, but I just want to have She-Ra on my status for a week. "

[Hunter-Gatherer]

Really, this has very little to do with breast cancer. It's a juvenile game where those "in the know" can mock those who aren't. It's particularly juvenile since it's mainly a "boy vs girl" thing -- one would hope that people would grow out of that after middle school. Breast cancer is just the emotional hook to coerce people to participate. It's no different than the more overt "95% of people won't post this emotionally manipulative status."

POD, pod, poddity pod, with some extra pod sauce.

As a man I find these things incredibly annoying.  The whole concept of we're going to make all these cryptic messages and not tell tell the boys what's going on seems annoying, immature, and rude to me. 

I also agree with baglady and KenveeB.  We're all aware of breast cancer... if you're going to advocate something, advocate an action not a silly status and don't couch it in sexism.

[Sharnita]

Even if men didn't get breast cancer they have wives, daughters, sisters and mothers.  They become caregivers.  They can donate money.  Why wouldn't women want them to be just as aware?

[lmyrs]

Ugh. Slactivism with a side order if juvenile "secret keeping". I just ignore, though last year I posted the links to donate to some cancer agencies. Whenevr I hear about these "repost to raise awareness" campaigns in person, I mention the whole Kony 2012 thing where it was reposted millions of times but only a really small percentage of people actually bothered to watch the video. Most people had no idea what they were posting.

[Addy]

I also hate and ignore these games. But what I also do is clue in my husband, so that he doesn't feel foolish if he comments on somebody's cryptic status.

Don't tell the boys? Ha! It's the first thing I do.

[AllyKat]

I think I would like it better if it was just a fun game, not an "awareness" thing. And I always wonder who comes up with these. Is there a secret committee somewhere that decides what this year's post will be? 

[artk2002]

I think I would like it better if it was just a fun game, not an "awareness" thing. And I always wonder who comes up with these. Is there a secret committee somewhere that decides what this year's post will be? 

Yes there is. And they're secretly laughing at you because you aren't one of them.  As I noted above, the "awareness" part is just an emotional hook to coerce more people into playing.