Pink is everywhere this month, even on the golf course. But as lovely as this muhly grass looked yesterday, I couldn't help but think of all the breast cancer pink we see in October. It may be too much, and it may not be the right shade of pink.
As Barron Lerner describes in his discussion of Gayle Sulik's new book--Pink Ribbon Blues: How Breast Cancer Culture Undermines Women's Health--many of the corporate sponsors of Breast Cancer Awareness Month are themselves pharmaceutical companies invested in the manufacture of cancer drugs. With cancer funding heavily weighted towards treatments and awareness rather than prevention, these sponsors may represent a conflict of interest. Indeed, a key part of Sulik's book is her analysis of the “financial incentives that keep the war on breast cancer profitable.”
Lerner does not dismiss the efforts of the Komen Foundation and other fund-raising groups. He captures, though, the frustration that many activists feel with a funding culture that doesn't sufficiently sponsor research into the causes of breast cancer.
Ubiquitous pink is a reminder of a devastating disease. Perhaps someday it can be the symbol of successful eradication.
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