Why Think Pink, Think BIG

building trust

 

When i think pinkwash, i think Komen Foundation. I had a professor at Evergreen State College who had breast cancer and was told by the Komen foundation that they were about cure and not interested in prevention, when she queried them.  As this prof was an environmental biologist, she didn't find the answer very appealing, which is why she told her story.

If one is sponsored by Big Pharma than creating a sustainable non-profit might be dependent on creating a sustainable pharmaceutical industry. Without addressing the clean up of products and processes, the Komen Foundation will be in business a long time.

Pinkwash, like greenwash is a symptom of a bigger wash. The big wash is the daily propaganda that business as usual pitches.  The big wash is to convince us that there isn't another way, that what we have is the best.

I was at a meeting a few days ago, where various nonprofits and budget concerned people were pitching ideas to each other, getting feedback and or support. I was there to snap some photos of David Pauling who is in the process of launching a local co-operative hub in the Seattle area.

SEGUE:
 I am on the advisory board of Main Street Values  (the hub) as David and i see enough commons that our minor differences are matters of discussion and vision explaining, friendly "window opening" discourse.  Like the name, Main Street Values makes me think of the fake 50s  where the economy was chirping but social reality was a mess. To David it means the local community counts, local worker/owner equity counts and we can do it by supporting each other.

I mention this to let everyone know that waiting for total alignment just might be an excuse to do nothing big, because real change creates a certain amount of unknowns and disharmony.

I am beginning to suspect that getting wants and needs in tidy lists when applied to relationships (business and personal, human and else) can be really damaging.  It appears to be part of the consumer/controller mindset and can cut us off from the very possibilities we need for personal discovery.  As we unfold, so too does the culture and the meaning of work and economics within that culture will change as we change.

So in relationships, i believe in staying open, aware and alive rather than dissing off the majority of viewpoints to find a clone version of my own imaginative reality. There is a nice flow in energy when one has the confidence to speak up and at the same time be willing to learn (not just listen or tolerate) from others. Like tossing a ball back and forth, it can be a bore or a terrific engaging challenge.

END SEGUE:
After listening to a couple pitches, like hearing how Solid Ground was picking up the ball dropped by the transit system; (cutting off free rides downtown that helped a lot of people get to doctors and  other appointments) it hit me how this was a privatize the profit, socialize the problem measure. Solid Ground relies on grants, donations and government funding,  (Part of the double dip cycle of write-offs)

As i was processing this information, i thought how all the people in the room were making a living off poverty and how MSV was the only pitch directed at changing the system and not directed at how best to bandage the wounds. Wow.

So all you pink and green campaigners,  please take a look inside and ask yourself if this is the best you can do. Look up the chain of reasoning and wonder why your organization is accepting smallness when it has the option to choose REAL BIG CHANGE.