Pink Ribbons and Red Dresses

[neadods]

First, the advertisement:

The American Heart Assn. is sponsoring Go Red for Women to raise awareness for heart disease in women. They are encouraging women to wear red this Friday, there is information for action, for personal health, and a store. You can also sign up for a free red dress pin.

Second, the morose philosophizing:

Of course there's a pin. Everything is either a pin, ribbon, or rubber bracelet these days. And yet despite Think Before You Pink and the Wash Post article about students wearing rubber bracelets as a fad item instead of a mission statement, at least the makers and the runners of the campaign are doing something to raise awareness. And that's never bad. So I have signed up for a red dress pin; I will look through my closet for something scarlet.

But...

How many causes are too many? What is the line between aiding a cause and just making meaningless gestures? Considering my recent family history, I'm tempted to jump on the Go Red campaign in a big way. But I'm wrestling with the charity equivalent of my costuming dilemma of a week ago - the idea that I should be doing some certain pre-determined amount of effort in order to show myself worthy to some external scorekeeper. (I did, by the way, buy two more dresses and a bodice.) I don't want Go Red to take over from the women's rights or religious freedom or Team Wench charities I'm already working for, and then there is the charity that I kinda sorta wanted to bring into Team Wench and THEN there's the scholarship that my parents are trying to fully fund.

What do I owe them all?

I know the answer is "what you're willing to give" but sometimes that doesn't seem enough.

Comments

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I can walk. I was under orthopedist orders last time, but y'know what? My knees feel a lot better when I'm *not* doing what he tells me to do. So I'll make a point of getting my fat fanny on the treadmill and getting up to 5 miles of walking at a shot.

Garb in April... hmmm. Will think on appropriateness. May make something special for it, as am also considering asking if TW wants to join the Go Red heart health walk in October, and that would be fun to do in garb too.