Friday, February 06, 2009

Go red for men!

Since today is National "Go Red" for women day, cardiologist and blogger Wes Fisher has an idea for how to include men:
And now, ladies and gentleman, completely free of commercial endorsement, I'd like to announce the Go Red for Men national campaign to raise heart disease awareness in men with a new logo, available to all, and completely free of any charge or requirement to purchase a thing.




I am glad that women are finally acknowleging heart disease, especially having had a heart attack myself. But honestly, the hype and "empowerment" mantra that goes with these types of programs for women really gets on my nerves.

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20 Comments:

Blogger TMink said...

I hear you Helen. I am not sure that anybody can empower anybody else. I think this is a progressive myth. We can support people as they empower themselves, but I think that claiming our personal power is a personal endeavor. I mean, when somebody else tries to empower another person, it is disempowering!

Trey

11:24 AM, February 06, 2009  
Blogger Cham said...

Rather than wearing red I'd suggest a diet low in saturated fat and a moderate exercise program for all adults, male and female. I'm not sure clothing color has much to do with minimizing heart disease. Empower shmempower.

11:46 AM, February 06, 2009  
Blogger Thor's Dad said...

So what color and symbol are assigned to testicular cancer? That's sort of a serious question. You have the bumper stickers that save the TA-TAs for breast cancer - do we get save the balls?

12:35 PM, February 06, 2009  
Blogger Larry J said...

Wearing red to raise awareness about heart disease is about as effective as those silly little ribbons some people used to wear. Before that, sometimes people were encouraged to drive with their headlights on in the daytime (before daytime running lights) to create the similar illusion of doing something meaningful.

So what color and symbol are assigned to testicular cancer? That's sort of a serious question. You have the bumper stickers that save the TA-TAs for breast cancer - do we get save the balls?

To the extent that breast cancer has been politicized (over other types of cancer that kill as many or more people each year), that's unfortunate. However, women have proven very effective at increasing research and treatment funding for breast cancer. Men should work just as hard to support expanded prostate cancer research.

1:09 PM, February 06, 2009  
Blogger lovemelikeareptile said...

Problem is -- men don't have anything like the narcisstic self-absorption in their gender-- and the monomanical pursuit of its self-interest-- as do women. Women are indifferent to men and their health care needs-- unless they can be shown to have a direct adverse impact on the only people that matter-- women and girls.

I suggest men don snouts and big ears and little tails and protest the piggish selfishness of women-- and invite them to care about everyone as much as they do their own damn gender..when pigs fly...

2:18 PM, February 06, 2009  
Blogger Helen said...

lovemelikeareptile,

Well, maybe men should have more interest in their health. Women get together and help organize and set up programs so that their best interests are looked after. Men used to have the Elks club or lodges where they could organize, talk and had more of a support system. Now they don't. They were shamed into quitting all that. Now men have few places to turn for support. They used to be interested in being men but now they are chatised so much for being so by our society that most just keep their nose to the grindstone or in the basement playing video games.

2:29 PM, February 06, 2009  
Blogger TMink said...

love me like a lizard wrote: "Problem is -- men don't have anything like the narcisstic self-absorption in their gender-- and the monomanical pursuit of its self-interest-- as do women."

Well, I bet you know SOME men who are that narcissistic and self-absorbed. 8)

I know I do.

Trey

2:47 PM, February 06, 2009  
Blogger vivictius said...

Yes Trey, but they tend to be more concerned with AIDS.

2:58 PM, February 06, 2009  
Blogger Peter Dane said...

But honestly, the hype and "empowerment" mantra that goes with these types of programs for women really gets on my nerves.

Creepy, ain't it? I think it's because you see past the hype and see that such borrowed empowerment is not real power. What has been borrowed - or given - may be demanded back at any time. Which is why so many "empowered" women are insecure about it - deep down, they realize their power is really someone else's.

And you nailed it on Men's clubs. Nothing I could add which wouldn't be gilding the lily.

3:08 PM, February 06, 2009  
Blogger Peter Dane said...

Yes Trey, but they tend to be more concerned with AIDS.

Ouch.

3:09 PM, February 06, 2009  
Blogger Unknown said...

So, wearing red in FEBRUARY is supposed to make people think about women's heart disease? Don't people wear red in February anyway for Valentine's Day? Maybe wearing red makes men think of a Valentine heart, which makes them think of Valentine's Day, which makes men remember they need to get their sweetie a Valentine, so they get a heart-shaped card and box of candy, then their sweetie keels over of a heart attack because he actually remembered Valentine's Day, and THEN he thinks of women and heart disease? I'll have to think about that one. I need chocolate.

3:36 PM, February 06, 2009  
Blogger Peregrine John said...

Why the bloody hell do people intentionally associate perfectly pleasant colors with deadly, and frequently nasty, diseases? Deeply bizarre.

Carefully dodging any possible color schemes for it - oh, who am I kidding, blue springs to mind instantly for a host of reasons - I say we go with Thor's Dad's idea: Save the balls!

4:09 PM, February 06, 2009  
Blogger Toysoldier said...

To be honest, I am fairly tired of the "here's what men can do for women" concepts. There are a whole host of issues that effect men. Why is it that we do not see anyone suggesting that women ought to make completely pointless gestures in support of men's issues?

4:20 PM, February 06, 2009  
Blogger BR said...

I saw this last night. While making women healthier is certainly a fine and dandy thing, I notice that the AHA does not seem to have a campaign to stamp out heart disease in men (the number one killer of men, if I read the CDC report correctly).

Now, I get that women have worked hard to make this kind of thing an issue. Men haven't. Our fault. However, my problem is that when men do try to organize together, they're accused of being sexist. As Dr. Helen mentioned above, organizations like Elks and Kiwanis and such that were primarily men's clubs have been shamed out of existence.

I asked someone recently who is a huge supporter of the Avon Breast Cancer walk if he supported any other cancer research initiatives, specifically ones focusing on Prostate or Testicular. He didn't, so I asked him why he supported something that statistically didn't affect him. He said, "Because everyone has a mother." True, but doesn't everyone have a father as well?

4:42 PM, February 06, 2009  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm narcissistic and self absorbed.
It has taken years of practice and a lot of work. So by God, I'm gonna roll in it for a while.

Trying to keep comments short and sweet since blogger and I appear to be at odds.

4:55 PM, February 06, 2009  
Blogger Thor's Dad said...

"Men should work just as hard to support expanded prostate cancer research."

Ok so what's the color and symbol for prostate cancer? I'm glad women have done all that they have for breast cancer research and awareness but I ask my silly questions to make the point that the predominate male cancers due to their anatomical locale seem to encounter a societal revulsion which effects their media presence more than those lovely ta-tas do. I know there are other factors in all of this but I'm still of the opinion that this is a factor.

5:10 PM, February 06, 2009  
Blogger Cham said...

Does anyone have any prostate cancer statistics?

2:13 PM, February 07, 2009  
Blogger Peter Dane said...

Does anyone have any prostate cancer statistics?

Think of the four men closest to you.

If they live long enough, one of them WILL die of it.

7:23 PM, February 08, 2009  
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