Yesterday, I spent most of my day, arguing with complete strangers on the Interwebs. A group on Facebook, De-fund the Komen Foundation, posted a link to a woman's op-ed called "Stop Trivializing Breast Cancer." I thought folks who were wise enough to see Komen for its bullshit would at least understand why slogans like, "Save the Tatas" or "Save the Boobies" could be offensive and not funny to people like myself.
I was wrong.
Kellic Youdontneedmylastame: I hate to break this to people but I've seen "Saving the Tatas" on more women then men. Yes its a serious subject. But if you can somehow attempt to make light of it, you will get more people to actually pay attention to the subject. Humor is the best form of advertisement. And frankly women with breast cancer NEED to be able to laugh, any way they can. Having an upbeat positive attitude is the best way of kicking its ass. It sounds like someone at US news needs to pull the stick out of their ass.
What other cancer or disease do we make light of? Do we make humorous references to testicular or prostate cancer like we do breast cancer? How about anal cancer, which actress Farrah Fawcett died from? Why is it okay to make light of cancer in the first place? I never got that memo. This disease is not cutesy, easy-going or sexy. This disease took my mom, and it has completely changed my life and body. Just because the body part in question is boobs (omg, BOOBS), that means it's okay to make jokes or light of?
I have a sense of humor, and the last time I checked, there was no stick up my ass. Just because I don't find these shirts funny, that doesn't mean I am lacking in the sense of humor department. My massive collection of GIFs proves that my sense of humor is quite intact.
I personally don't like "Save the Boobies" or "Save the Tatas" because it puts the focus on saving the breasts, not the woman's life. When my doctor told me that Righty had atypical hyperplasia (a hop, skip and a jump away from breast cancer), I decided to get my breasts removed because they were a threat to my life. Eff my boobies - SAVE ME. Because of my boobies, I have been through 4-1/2 months of chemotherapy, 7 weeks of radiation and 2 surgeries (so far) related to my breast cancer.
My life > my breasts.
Leo: ANYTHING that promotes research, detection and treatment is a good thing.
I would love to know how "Save the Boobies" promotes research, detection and treatment. Citation needed, Leo. I'm also tired of the promotion argument, which is just another way of saying awareness. We are all aware of breast cancer. I would love for the focus to be less on awareness and promotion and more on research. This disease is no longer that taboo topic that women don't talk about, like when my mom had to go through this disease. That's no longer the case when it comes to breast cancer. We are all aware. I'd love less talking, more action.
Pam: So another cause loses their sense of humor - one of my friends has recurring breast cancer and she actually sends a newsletter to her far flung friends to keep them informed of her progress and she calls it "The Busty Times" Political correctness is really getting the best of the American sense of funny.
This comment came after several breast cancer survivors, including myself, posted about how we do not like these slogans. The political correctness argument is just like the free speech argument that people throw around on the Interwebs. "I can say what I want because FREE SPEECH! FREE SPEECH!" Wow, so that means since I don't find "Save the Boobies" humorous, I'm a victim of the PC police? No, it couldn't possibly be because I just had my breasts removed two weeks ago. No, not at all.
Throughout my treatment, I have not lost my sense of humor. If you listened to me and my friend Nikki talking about what we've been through, then you would hear the crassest, vulgar jokes known to man. She's No Boobs, and I'm Foobs. I think these jagoffs confused having a sense of humor in general with specifically finding cancer funny. I'm sorry, but I don't find cancer funny at all.
My life, though? It's a barrel of laughs.
Y'know, I asked for suggestions on facile explanations for losing the top of my mouth to cancer, but it wasn't because I needed to laugh at any cost, or because I still had my un-PC sense of humor. It was because actually telling people what had happened, that I had had oral cancer and had to have a really awful surgery, was Just Too Much at the time.
ReplyDelete"It's the first step in my dolphinectomy" or "There's a dark side to Chipotle" made it easier for me to sidestep the discussion of CANSUH OMG ARE YOU GONNA DIE Y U NO DED YET?
"Save Second Base" or "Save the Tatas" isn't funny. It's reductive and disrespectful, and it ignores the women in the equation, as you point out.
TL;DR: Fuck the tatas. Save my friend.
Cancer isn't funny at all, I barely know you and I can tell your sense of humor is rawking. keep it up girl!!! :)
ReplyDelete