In case you haven't heard, or seen, movember the month "formally known as November" is taking the world by storm!Or is it? In this edition I will review the merits of movember as well as the weaknesses.
I heard of movember last year when Andy Goode and a few other Leicester Tigers rugby players were sporting mo's ( which in case you are unaware are styled moustaches). In this instance I think the money raised was going to the Matt Hamill foundation instead of prostate cancer which is the direct charity of movember. I have 3 questions?
Does Movember raise awareness or is it just a stylish/hip thing to do?
What, if any, is the use of 'mo sistas'?
finally,
Just november?
Upon visiting the website it is clear to me that this charity is all about being upbeat and trendy, aimed at 'mo bros' who wanna raise awareness!!!Firstly, for this campaign to have any effect surely the advertising should span a greater age group than arguably 18 to 33? I say arguably because it really depends when a person is capable of growing facial hair and I say 33 because after that you just look ridiculous ( although this is the aim). Do men over 35 not get prostate cancer? I thought that was approaching the risk category but why would we want them to know!!! Its great to see the youth of today taking such an interest in the problems of tomorrow!! i mean realistically who in the aforementioned age target pop is really concerned about developing prostate cancer? Fair enough if it runs in the family but thats not a high percentage. People aren'y even setting up mortgages at this age never mind worrying about a disease that they probably won't get! This generation is worried about women, drink, nights out, college and work. This target age group feels like its invincible;
"that'll never happen to me" syndrome.
Which leads me to ask the motive behind participating in Movember. The main reason, in my opinion, being that it is one extra thing to talk about, something to draw attention to yourself. It is proposed that mo bro's are a 'a walking billboard' for prostate cancer.?When I see somebody in the street with a moustache I don't immediately think about prostate cancer and the detrimental effects that may be 20 years around the corner!!I think, this guy looks like an idiot!Most the time you never even know that they are involved in Movember because the 'mo' just looks like a moustache. In conclusion to my first question, Movember appears, to me, to be just another way to stand out in a society that gradually sucks you into conformity as you age.
My second question...mo sista's. This is a piece from the website www.movember.com ( I hope to raise awareness for prostate cancer as we speak)
Calling all Mo Sistas...
As you've probably noticed(Not really) Movember isn't just for the lads. Mo Sistas can get involved in Movember in numerous ways by:
- [ Registering ] as a team captain or part of a team, recruiting Mo Bros and raising some money
- Once registered enter the Mo Sista Competition - Pose with Mo's. All we need you to do is [ submit a photo ] of you and your Mo to be in the running to win an awesome Mo Sista pack! It's that easy!
- Organising events like [ Mo Town ] or [ Mo Office] parties
- Attending the highly anticipated [ Gala Partés ] and voting for your Man of Movember
- Making a [ donation ] to a Mo Bro
- Generally showing love for the Mo!(great, when do I start!)
I realise that I have been highly cynical here and I am aware that any donations are better than none but I just have an issue with the way movember presents itself. Why is there only one month for this cancer promo?What happens the other 11 months when prostate cancer isn't on the map? Surely this has to be seen as a flaw! What happens to these mo bro's and sista's, do they just hibernate and forget about their good cause?The build up to november must be agonising! There is surely a better method for raising year round awareness of prostate cancer.
In closing I would like to say that I blogged this not because I am jealous of those who can gro mo's but because movember appears to be a trendy style option for the month of november as opposed to a charity for prostate cancer. The movember creator needs to think of a way to branch out to the population that this actually concerns and is a real concern of. The website needs to be populated with prostate cancer material and not just a fun place to put mini mo's on a picture of your face ( whose face fits they're mo's I would like to know?). There is one page about prostate cancer and a referral link to a proper website.??strange that the creators couldn't take the time to relay the facts on their website.
Blog over
(I had no real drive to write the GAA conspiracy yet, nothing sparked the fire but soon my friends)
4 comments:
Excellent blog my friend, very cynical, which I'm all for.
But you have to agree, and you even eluded to it yourself,"any donations are better than none"!
Fair enough the creators goal of raising awareness of Prostate cancer was misconceived, but the point is that they have raised millions for cancer research which in itself is a very noble thing. So who cares if the event is hijacked by socialites and networking nympho's??
I say, let them have their fun, no harm no foul and all that...
outrageous....how can something that will kill you not be of consequence...people cannot be spared from their own ignorance.
brushing the issue under the carpet solves nothing.
in short-your statement that the the mo sistas are uneffected by this particular cancer highlights the flaws in your argument, ask any widow left alone due to another avoidable loss of life through prostate cancer.
are they not affected?
Firstly I never said that the issue should be brushed under the carpet I asked for the initiative creator to try and branch out from one single month to a whole year.
Secondly, you cannot say that mo sista's partake in Movember because they are concerned with losing their future husband to prostate cancer. This just doesn't happen because the target population is too young for the issue to be a real concern as discussed. They are not directly affected by the disease and I ask you when was the last time you went out and rallyed support for cervical cancer on the off chance your future wife may be affected by it?
Thirdly, I am yet to hear of any males who were actually affected by prostate cancer sport the mo?Or even comment on movember's website as to the importance of the month?
Fightin I agree that the money raised is for a good cause and I'm for that I just have an issue with the way it is raised effectively highlighting mo's whilst prostate cancer takes a back seat!
marko your response is obtuse and deliberately argumentative...you dont need to attack to prove a point!
and cervical screening is at present conducted in ireland, altho this may be changed by the new government. but I am not at the helm of this particular quest.
also you cannot be a widow to a future husband, it implys a current (or in this case former) relationship.
and I repeat my statement...you cant shepherd people from their own ignorance.
thirdly, does your third point have any relevence?
in conclusion it raises money and awareness. if you think it only mo's i guess its just perception..
Post a Comment