Breast Cancer Awareness Crap

This post is my official celebration of the end of Breast Cancer Awareness month. Finally, an end to all of the pointless, distracting, and misleading campaigns that claim to provide an end to breast cancer.

First, let's consider this thought from breast cancer survivor and feminist blogger Twisty Faster:

"My fucking problem is the popular belief that the greater the obsequiousness with which the breast cancerettes comply with the infantilizing femininity mandate, the prettier they’ll feel, and the less likely they’ll be to drop dead at any moment...You wanna cut a breast cancer patient a break? Let her know that the pink self-esteem injunction is a crock of shit, and that attempts to solicit approval from patriarchal authority won’t smite a single cancer cell." - Breast Cancer Awareness Month Finally Over: Retailers Descend Into Funk

Not only do breast cancer awareness campaigns contribute to the myth that devoting yourself to femininity will cure you of your diseases, they're also downright wasteful. The pollution that they cause actually makes women more likely to develop breast cancer than they would if they didn't buy a bunch of plastic crap. In the words of eco blogger The Worsted Witch:

"'There are some products that have a pink ribbon on them, but might actually be contributing to the disease by producing toxins that have been linked to breast cancer,' Katrina Kahl, a communications associate at the San Francisco-based Breast Cancer Action, tells TreeHugger. She points out auto companies that encourage people to test drive their latest hot rods by doling cash to a breast-cancer group for every mile driven. 'At the same time, car exhaust actually contains chemicals that are linked to the disease,' she says. 'So it's a little ironic to encourage people to test drive a car for breast cancer, knowing that what's coming at the other end of the tailpipe is actually contributing to people getting the disease.'" - Think Before Your Fall For Cause-Related Marketing

So let's all take a nice deep breath and focus on the real way to solve breast cancer - prevention - rather than ponying up a bunch of dough for "cures" that are self-defeating in the end. Goodbye October!

Klean Kanteens

I used to be pretty ambivalent about the green movement, until I started working for so many different eco companies. In no time at all, I was forced to learn the cold hard truth about what we are doing to the planet because of our waste and pollution, and the effects were much more extreme than I realized. Among other things, I learned that only 23% of the plastic water bottles used in America are recycled each year, which means that 38 billion end up in landfills. I also learned that plastic bottles leak toxic chemicals like BPA into our drinking water, which can cause cancer and infertility.

Before I learned about these issues, I thought I was being eco-friendly by reusing the same plastic water bottles over and over. Then I realized that I've probably been taking in a bunch of nasty chemicals, as well as a bunch of mold and who knows what else. So! In my new quest to lead an eco-friendly lifestyle, I've decided to invest in a Klean Kanteen. These reusable bottles are made of 100% stainless steel, contain no BPA, and are dishwasher friendly. I considered going with Sigg, another popular brand, but preferred the delightful minimalism of the Klean Kanteen bottles.

A 27 oz. Klean Kanteen bottle is $19.95, and shipping is $11.00, making my total around $31. I initially balked at the price, but then realized that it's definitely preferable to continuing to buy bottled water the rest of my life, or reusing old bottles and getting cancer. I'll post an update when my bottle arrives to let you know whether it meets expectations.