I will not wear a pink anything in support of breast cancer. Not now, not for the month of October, not for Valentine’s Day. I will not bare my breasts in support of breast cancer. I will not buy a pink pen, a pink golf ball, a pink ribbon, or a pink douche bottle, in support of breast cancer.
I will not wear a purple shirt in support of the people who kill themselves because they’re gay and mentally unstable and depressed. I will not wear a shirt that says “FCKH8” in support of gay marriage. I won’t spend a day doing these things, and I won’t spend money on it.
Sure, I’m an asshole. I get that.
I won’t do it because it’s bloody hype. It’s ridiculous. If you want to support breast cancer RESEARCH, then do that. Give your money to the Canadian Cancer Foundation for cancer research. Volunteer at a respite/palliative care home and take care of people dying of cancer, breast or otherwise. Go to a wig/prosthesis shop and ask if there’s anything you can do for a woman who can’t afford to purchase her own supplies, for whatever reason.
Wearing a fucking purple shirt to commemorate people who were broken enough that they *killed themselves* is, in my opinion, ridiculous. If you’re really worried about kids killing themselves, then talk to them about suicide. These kids didn’t kill themselves *because they’re gay*, dummies. They killed themselves because they had mental illness. The bullying they recieved as a consequence of their being homosexual might have exacerbated their mental illness, but suicide is not something that healthy people do.
So if you want to support gay rights, then support gay rights. March in the gay pride parade. Be vocal whenever one of your friends makes an homophobic joke. Choose a church that *does not* alienate gay congregants. Teach your children that there’s nothing wrong with homosexuality, and that what’s wrong is people who think there’s something wrong with homosexuality.
Teach your children that bullying – *any* kind of bullying – is *always* wrong. If their schools don’t have policies against bullying, or if they have unenforcable policies against bullying, go to the school and demand better. Ask your kids’ school to actually enforce the policies they do have. Press charges.
What the hell does wearing a pink or purple shirt do? It sure doesn’t help my friend whose monther is dying of metastesized breast cancer. It doesn’t help the kids who’ve snuffed themselves. It probalby doesn’t help their famlies, either. My friend’s mother may or may not care that you support her as she dies of a disease that cannot be cured, but can only be treated.
It strikes me that these sorts of things are little more than lip service; something for people to do that makes them think they’re making a difference. I don’t know if The Captain thinks about how terrible bullying is every time he wears his pink anti-bullying shirt, but my guess is he wears the shirt because it’s clean.
I don’t begrudge the people who feel like they’re making a difference by wearing the shirts, or by buying the pink-iced cookies. More power to them. But you won’t catch me doing it. And I know this is all very poopy-noopy, and bitter, and snotty. But I have a family member who buys every bear that has a slogan on it for some cause, and she, bless her heart, feels like she’s making a difference, but she criticises me for donating time and work to charities. I always think, “who’s making the bigger difference?” and then bite my tongue and think happy thoughts.
So you won’t see me wearing purple on Wednesday in support of gay people not killing themselves. I mean, that’s just the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of. On Wednesday, I’ll probably be wearing black (it’s the new beige) and worrying about in which ways my children will end up broken. If you think wearing purple is going to make a difference, more power to you.
i make squee noises when you tell me stuff.