Ok I'm going to be the party pooper. :( I know someone will get offended. I hope instead of being angry, if you participated in the latest facebook "breast cancer awareness game", that instead, you will open your heart and listen to me and maybe be able to see things from a different perspective. Our circumstances tend to be the basis for our opinions right? Ok. :)
Last year a game was started on facebook, to "raise breast cancer awareness". Women emailed other women, to keep it a "secret from men" (because we know that helps cancer patients), of how to play, to post their bra color as their status, so men would wonder what the fuss was all about, and somehow, this was helping to raise breast cancer awareness. Maybe because bra's are for breasts, that was the link *shrugs* It even made it on the news.
Then it became posting where you like to leave your purse by saying "I like it on _____", so you were left with a sexually suggestive status message. For instance, "I like it on the chair in my office" Again, I'm having difficulty understanding how this helps anything related to breast cancer. And what is the point in "hiding it from men", when men TOO can be the victims of breast cancer... but many don't know.. because nobody tells them!
Then we were told in secret, to post our shoe size, but in inches, another sexually suggestive status message. So I guess if you have big feet, or small feet... well you get it. In the end, most people had NO idea it had anything to do with Breast Cancer Awareness. :(
Now another game is being played. This particular game, was when I had enough and felt I needed to speak up. We now have women on facebook pretending to be pregnant by choosing a number representing their birth month, and birthdate. The birth month states how many weeks "pregnant" you are, and the birthdate claims what you are craving". There was a list of candy to choose from. For instance, had I played the game, my facebook status message would have said, "I am 13 weeks and craving gummy bears!"
When someone figures out that it's a game and that person is not really pregnant, they are not an ounce more educated about breast cancer than before they fell for it. :)
I'm not playing this game. As it appears, I can not have anymore children due to lupus. I have suffered 3 losses, one of which was at 22 weeks and has changed my life forever. As you can imagine, pretending to be pregnant as a joke, is downright vulgar to me.
From this game, I witnessed someones mother become ELATED at thinking she was about to be a grandmother by her daughters participation in the "game". It took nearly a day for her daughter to sign back onto facebook (I'm assuming she has a job :) ) and tell her she would email her, the email that informed her that no blessing was on its way. I haven't seen that girls mother say much since then on her page in the last few days. Is it related to her post? I don't know. Maybe not. But, nonetheless, at least for a bit there I imagine she felt like a dream come true for her had just been ripped out of her chest. But hey, it was for charity right? I mean, come on, it's for a good cause, why should anyone say anything bad about it! I'm not alone in feeling this way.
I'm the sure next comment will be... "yes but now people are more aware of Breast Cancer Awareness because of the game". Again.. this whole thing is an epic fail. All this has done is cause strife and divided us as women. Not drawn us together. Not taught us anything about a serious medical issue at all. It is still pointless and insensitive. And I don't believe the original intentions of the creator was for Breast Cancer Awareness at all. This is now being sugar coated to retaliate against the infertile community who is now in an uproar. Naturally we are always labeled as bitter. We're rather used to it. We get called bitter when we feel no "bitterness" at all. Please stop stereotyping us. We know you didn't originally intend to hurt us at all. Of course not. But when you tell us to lighten up after we say "ouch", that's when it feels personal. Instead, just say, "I didn't think of it that way". Because we know you probably didn't. What ever happened to a good old fashioned apology without a "but, but, but!" right after it? I'm not lashing out at the people who sent it to me, gosh I know you probably meant nothing by it. I still love all of you :), promise!
Yes, I know. We judge others based on their actions and ourselves based on our intentions. It is a human flaw. I don't see how a passionate intention to help spread Breast Cancer Awareness could have ever been the focal point in starting this game. This was a game that never should have had the Breast Cancer Awareness Cause pinned onto it. Let's find more productive respectful ways to spread awareness instead of using silly facebook status messages. As a society, we have just GOT to be more creative than THAT. I believe that in my heart of hearts. We can do better! You know which one really worked that WAS funny and WAS focused on Breast Cancer Awareness!? The "feel your boobies" and "save the tata's" campaign! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment