News Roundup & Open Thread for Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2012

Komen's problems... (0.00 / 0)

...aren't limited to Karen Handel. I'm involved in cancer fundraising as are many (perhaps most) of my friends. And the impression I get on my own as well as from many of my fellow fundraisers is that Komen has lost sight of its mission and has turned donors and participants off in many ways other than this latest issue with Planned Parenthood.

First, their is the matter of politicization of what should be a non-partisan and non-ideological fight to defeat cancer. Their board has deep ties to the GOP such that the Handel episode was not entirely out of character. In fact, to pin the blame on Handel alone for what was, to most outside observers, an ideological decision is overly simplistic. Doing so lets Komen off the hook for what was a board decision.

It doesn't help that their leadership is richly compensated, compensation always being a sensitive issue where charitable organizations are concerned.

But the things that have really troubled me and many others is Komen's overzealous defense of its "brand" on the one hand and its debasement of that very same brand on the other. In the former category, I'd place their rush to threaten lawsuits against any organization, however small, that dares use a pink ribbon or "for the cure" in their literature. In the latter category is the even more troublesome lack of judgment Komen has displayed in its choice of partnerships. A notable example is the partnering with KFC, a well known purveyor of fattening and generally unhealthful foods, this in the context of obesity being correlated with increased breast cancer risk. More recently, Komen has partnered with a gun manufacturer to put out a pink gun. Guns are not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of cancer prevention and healthy living. It seems that Komen has been eager to "pink" everything, no matter what those things are.

If anything, the Handel episode has opened the eyes of many would-be donors and supporters to much more fundamental problems in that organization. It certainly has left me even more reluctant to channel my donor dollars and effort to them. Thankfully, there are alternatives, be they in basic research or in early detection and awareness. I suspect many people are taking a look at those alternatives with a fresh set of eyes.

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by: Alex @ Wed Feb 08, 2012 at 13:15:33 PM UTC

Thanks (0.00 / 0)

This is fascinating, and I didn't know any of it. I've always been bothered by Komen's pink schwag branding, and the level of emphasis on breast cancer to the degree that it convinces women to forget they have a higher likelihood of dying of heart disease than breast cancer (of all cancers together, actually). The KFC thing? Pink guns? Damn.  

It's not a particularly snappy signature, but here's what I think we need in the next NJ Democratic State Chair.  

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by: Rosi Efthim @ Wed Feb 08, 2012 at 20:41:14 PM UTC

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The gun story... (0.00 / 0)

...is now being called into question, with Komen now denying it. The KFC partnership, is very much real.

But you raise an important point that I was reluctant to mention because it can be easily misinterpreted: Komen has been so effective at raising awareness of the deadly disease that is breast cancer that, unfortunately, other conditions that afflict women, not to mention other cancers that are less common but no less deadly have suffered from neglect in the public mind. In an environment where government spending is being constrained, there are only so many dollars to go around. There are many cancers with high (sometimes 100%) mortality rates that, because they don't have the marketing prowess of a Komen Foundation, have to go a begging for attention and resources. Add to that heart disease, cystic fibrosis (no cure yet), multiple sclerosis (another killer), just to name three.

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by: Alex @ Wed Feb 08, 2012 at 23:54:34 PM UTC

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