Pink Washing
Today, the inbox at MPS has been not exactly flooded, but has had some reaction to the snarky news item from last night. To recap, the pink-washing* enterprise known as the Susan G. Komen For The Cure has defunded and separated itself from Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood probably provides more breast cancer screenings than anyone, and certainly more to under-served communities who are much more likely to need their services. The so-called bad side of town almost always is where the environmental hazards that correlate highly with breast cancer also resides. Go figure that the rich part of town is rarely on top of a superfund cleanup site.
But I digress…
It seems that an anti-choice woman named Karen Handel–who is the failed candidate for 2010 Georgia governor’s mansion who ran on the promise to defund Planned Parenthood–is the Komen’s vice president for public policy. How this came about we can only speculate. Anyway, to make a not too fine a point, she is the person who made the decision to de-partner with Planned Parenthood, saying that Planned Parenthood no longer “best meets the needs of women [Komen] serve.” So funding breast exams with Planned Parenthood no longer meets their goals. Wait… what?!
It is rather amazing to watch an organization with a noble goal publicly commit ritual Seppuku. This strange moment also should be an object lesson for those squishy liberals who strive to find common ground with those who would destroy us (and then eat our livers with fava beans and a nice Chianti). There is no common ground, quit trying to find it.
The point here is that the fundamentalist forced-birth crowd are single-issue wingnuts. They would rather see a woman die of breast cancer than have her live to maybe need contraception or (gasp!) a Karen Santorum-style life-saving abortion. They cannot demand an abortion if they are already dead. Problem solved.
We’ve long been supporters of Planned Parenthood here at Tengrain’s Little Hut, and I’ve written about my Planned Parenthood story several times. We’ve never been a supporter of Komen’s, well, anything. We believe firmly that if you want to donate to any charity, knock yourself out. That said, we believe even more firmly in donating directly to that charity and not through umbrella organizations like Komen, Avon Walk, Ride for AIDS, and even the United Way. Give to your charity of choice directly, they will get more of the money without having anything skimmed of the top for Administration. Komen, for instance, skims about 25% off the top. That $10 bucks you raised was actually only $7.50.
(Full disclosure: my mother died of ovarian cancer. She lived for six weeks after being diagnosed. During that time she was bombarded with (Komen?) pink crap, and it only served to make her even more furious that she was being told to cheer up. She found Barbara Ehrenreich’s Welcome to Cancerland in the November 2001 Harper’s Bazar to be essential reading.)
PS – Scissorheads, encourage all the women in your lives have a breast examination. Just do it. It’s not a snarky joke, it can save a life especially if there is a lump found early. And gents, this can also happen to us, along with the prostate exam we need to be aware that we are not immune from breast cancer. Make an appointment today. Just do it.
*About Pink Washing: it is a term that is similar to green washing. It gives public relations cover to corporate donors. So let’s say Company X lets their employees raise funds via Komen and then Company X gets a press release out saying that they raised $X for The Cure. Except that they didn’t. The employees did. Company X almost never matches or donates. Check the shareholders meeting minutes, or the annual report.
Quite a melee last nite on FB with some fundie relatives. I was happy to see many of my family back me up when I spoke out against the idealogues. I pointed out SGK was sacrificing womens’ lives because of black and white absolutist fundamentalism. The opposition held that they were striving for an idealistic solution in an imperfect world, so that they didn’t have to feel guilty.
WTF.
I used to argue, try to reason, with fundies, until one who I was particularly close to, explicity brought to my attention that it wasn’t about truth, facts or any of that, but belief – end of reason/argument. Complete waste of time unless one of them is teetering on the edge of being interested in truth, science or facts. I mean these people are science teachers in public schools and people wonder why we can’t keep up with the rest of the world?
sadly true
Thanks for speaking up forcefully on this issue, Tengrain. I hope Komen feels the pain for a long time because of this idiocy. I’m sorry about your mom.
Years ago I had a male neighbor who’d had surgery for breast cancer. It was caught early, no problem.
And you guys get your prostates checked, along with your PSA. It only takes a few seconds and there’s lubrication involved.
You can donate as little as $5 to Planned Parenthood and they will send a thank you note to the person you wish to honor with your donation.
That’s pretty cool, because you can chose to honor:
Karen Handel
… Senior VP of Fail
c/o Susan G. Komen Foundation
P.O. Box 650309
Dallas, TX 75265-0309
Noot is quoted as having said, “It doesn’t matter what I do. People need to hear what I have to say. There’s no one else who can say what I can say. It doesn’t matter what I live.”
I believe Noot spoke from his heart and incidentally exposed a truth about all too many Republican leaders and their more virulent followers. They have gone beyond simple hypocrisy into some abhorrent form of psychosis.
No argument, no fact, no logic or experience can change their opinions, not even their own inability to follow the precepts of their professed beliefs can cause them to question their own convictions.
Thanks to warnings about the importance of self examination for breast cancer, my mother first discovered a small growth when she was 60 and again when she was 72. Both instances were treated with minimally invasive surgery and she survived until she was 86.
Anyone who tries to suppress early detection and prevention measures of any possibly terminal disease is the worst possible kind of villain.
I’ve never seen a more rabid reaction on the web to anything for a long time…I’ve seen 8 or 9 sites with multiple articles on this, signed 3 petitions, some of them more than once, and sent 4 angry emails directly to the SGC organization…I hope this results in the firing of Karen Handel, or at least her resignation “to spend more time with her family!” This is a disgraceful move, pandering to the right wing, and will undoubtedly destroy it’s reputation with half the population of the US.
this is my note to Susie:
open disclosure – two of my aunts died of breast cancer – both were like your mother TG – they found the comfort they needed in their families and many articles like Ehrenreich’s. My aunt ada particularly resented umbrella organizations. now i know why. and i am so sorry about your mom.
my note to Susie
To the SGK organization
You will never ever receive another donation from me. I have donated thousands of dollars over the past years to SGK via sponsoring walk participants and other activities. I have overlooked many of the shortcomings of SGK, because I felt in the end – it was better to get as much work into curing this horrible disease than to fret over alleged improprieties. This was the final straw. To politicize breast cancer in the name of right wing ideology is nothing short of despicable. Sadly I cannot stop others from giving, but I will encourage others (my mother has already gladly stated her cooperation and will give to PP) and spread the word that I am cutting all donations to your organization.
There are plenty of other groups and organizations that do not treat disease and need as a political philosophy would gladly accept my money.
Too bad the only people who suffer in the end are the victims of cancer – your management, including Karen Handel, I am sure go home and sleeps very well.
ps – Reversing your decision or firing Ms Handel will NOT reverse mine – I am forever done with SGK.
Here’s to you, old SkinnyDennis! Great idea!
BettyJeanLee, I stole that from a dailykos response. Spread it around.
I love SkinnyDennis’ suggestion, and I REALLY love Axel Grease’s letter.
As I was reading that, in my head I could hear a rousing chorus of CeeLo Green’s “F*ck You”.
F*ck them and their pink buckets of KFC.
Better idea; if you want to donate $25 to PP in Handel’s name, make that five $5 donations.
Anyone up for twenty $5 gifts?
It is rather amazing to watch an organization with a noble goal publicly commit ritual Seppuku.
Of course, if the organization goes belly up, the right wingers will all scream, “FEMINISTS HARM WOMEN’S HEALTH”. The fact that SGK engages in pinkwashing and cash-skimming will be lost in the perpetual martyrdom maelstrom.