If you remember my previous post, you’ll know that today I attended the St. Baldricks event in Milwaukee and had my head shaved to raise money for pediatric cancer research. My team (2 of us) ended up raising just over $1000! Thank you so much to everybody who participated and donated. I can not express in words how grateful I am. The turnout was great and I got to meet, among money people, one of the children who the charity was working to assist.
Elise is a 3 year old girl who was born with a brain tumor. She was adorable, all smiles and helped shave her grandfather’s hair while laughing as they removed a patch from the middle of his head. As I stood there and watched this little girl, I couldn’t help but simmer in a pan of my own anger. Everybody who has ever settled with a gesture as useless as a prayer, Facebook status, tweet, pink picture or otherwise completely feckless form of self-fellating altruism should have been forced to sit there and watch. Take a good look at what you actively chose to ignore but lied to yourself about. This precious 3 year-old little girl was giggling and trading high-fives with everybody and there’s the possibility that she doesn’t stand a chance. It breaks my heart to know that it’s even possible in this world for a child that young to have these kinds of problems. It burns my very core to know there are people out there who throw up a half ass “I Care” flag at half-mast to try and convince themselves that they’re contributing. If you don’t care then don’t care, but don’t lie to yourself about it.
Other cancer patients and survivors were there also telling their heart breaking, inconceivable stories about struggle, triumph and loss. I dare one of you narcissistic, counterfeit benevolent dip shits to stand in front of one of those people and gloat about your pink profile picture, or how much you ‘understand what they’re going through.’ You’d be lucky they don’t choke you to death with the scarf that’s wrapped around their bald head. You don’t understand shit, and neither do I. Most of us haven’t been there, and having a family member or friend who has doesn’t count either. That’s a cop-out, and a weak one at best. The only thing to understand, if you’re willing, is how to help.
I watched my cancer-ridden grandfather take his last terrifying, deep, gasping breaths too early while we all cried and held his hand as he laid in his bed. He was a war veteran, husband, father, grandfather and one of the greatest and most magnanimous people you would ever have had the opportunity to know. He never smoked a day in his life, always preached about and lived a healthy diet, lifestyle and worked out daily. Logic and reason would tell you that he should have lived much longer. Problem is, this world doesn’t operate on what would seemingly make sense. We are the hand, and the knife is constantly zig-zagging through our aching fingers just waiting to slip up and lop off a knuckle. Cancer is awful, evil, malicious and unforgiving. It’s not fair and I don’t understand it, but I also won’t try to pretend like I do.
Don’t ever try to tell a cancer patient or survivor how much you care, then turn around and not do a fucking thing to help their cause. Some people simply can’t give, and that I understand. But for the rest of you, the pink picture and copy-and-paste status crew – don’t try to tell me you couldn’t forgo that $6 Starbucks coffee or 1 extra beer at the ballgame to donate to the cause you swore you cared so much about. Also – a very special “Fuck you” to all the celebrities on Facebook and Twitter who made sure to “Keep breast cancer awareness in your prayers” throughout October and always ask us to share a post or vote for them in some dumbass contest. All it takes is one re-tweet from them (or anybody, really) to spread the word to your followers (sometimes millions in the celebrities’ case). I remember reading about how you prayed for cancer, or turned your picture pink. I appreciate you showing your true colors once I gave you the opportunity to actually do something. I made this way too easy for you (especially for people who allegedly care so much), so just admit you’re a fraud already. You fake, pretentious, phony pieces of shit.
“Copy and paste this in your status if you think those who talk big but walk weak deserve the worst of what this piece of shit world has to offer http://www.retortnation.com/2011/04/10/cancermessage/.”
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