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The Politics of Breast Cancer
Discussion Questions:
Do breast cancer organizations promote group support or imply that those "who live "fight" harder than those who've died?"
When Ehrenreich posted on the Komen.org message board under the subject "angry," she received replies that were not supportive of her frustration with breast cancer. For example, "Kitty" replied: "You need to run, not walk, to some counseling....Please, get yourself some help and I ask everyone on this site to pray for you so you can enjoy life to the fullest." Is it healthy for cancer patients to reject feelings of negativity?
In the 1970s and 1980s, medicine was a patriarchy. How has US culture changed in 20 years to allow for women cancer patients to network directly?
Barbera Ehrenreich's essay in Harper's Magazine
"Welcome to Cancerland: A mammogram leads to a cult of pink kitsch"
was a finalist for a National Magazine Award in 2003.
Comments
Cancertainment
While looking at blogs dealing with cancer and how to cope with it I came across this:
http://cancerisnotfunny.blogspot.com/2009/09/cancertainment.html.
Unlike it's name, the blog is really about finding hilarity in terminal illness. And written by a a women in her 20's dealing with a rare form of bone cancer, the blog seems like a support system for other young adults (20's-30's) dealing with cancer.
While looking at the blog, there was also mention of Planet Cancer: a "community of young adults with cancer. (You know, that age between "pediatric" and "geriatric," where no one knows whether to give you a lollipop or have a serious talk about your fiber intake.) It's a place to share insights, explore our fears, laugh, or even give the finger to cancer with others who just plain get it. We don't deny the dark side of illness and death here. But we also firmly believe that laughter and light can turn up in the strangest places."
Realism in Cancer Culture
Personal causes
I think the examination of the success rate of of our endeavors to manage or cure cancer is so interesting. It employs moral reasonings that I've never had a chance to think about before. According to these articles, it seems that our efforts to prevent cancer-related deaths have not been effective, and the investment in resources have not generated proportionate results. If we agree that there are limited resources, then we cannot deny that resources diverted to cancer has precluded resources toward other diseases which caused much more deaths.
This begs the question: How does one choose which cause to devout oneself to, and which cause to garner other people's support for? If one chooses a "futile" cause and encourages others to do so as well, does that not take awareness and resources away from the more feasible, immediate results producing causes?
New Recommendation from the U.S. Government
current stories about breast cancer, and cancer generally?