Raising Awareness?

Okay, so I have sort of raised issue with this topic before, but I am seriously pissed right now.
Changing your profile picture to a cartoon, the "I like it ___", the "__ inches :(", the "__ weeks and craving _____" statuses -- they DO NOT RAISE AWARENESS.

Sharing a cohesive, heart-string-tugging story about a personal experience with a tough issue raises awareness. Spitting out statistics can raise awareness. Wearing a t-shirt with a clever phrase or picture can raise awareness. Donating money can help find a cure, or raise awareness.

No matter how many people change their facebook status to their shoe size, it will not help breast cancer awareness in an intelligent way.

However, for a just as simple way to help, you can click on the following link daily, and money will be donated to fund mammograms for women who cannot afford them.

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=2

Or, you could DONATE a few cents to the fabulous Susan G Komen Foundation, respected for the efforts in the fight against breast cancer.

https://secure.info-komen.org/site/Donation2?idb=0&df_id=5223&5223.donation=form1&scid=1041&itc=emoentpnt:7

Breast cancer runs in my family. It is a possible reality for my sister, myself, and my cousins.

Child abuse is also something very close to my heart. I know people who have been abused as children, and I work with children who have been abused annually.

Post-Traumatic Stress (while I'm on the subject of raising awareness, I'm going to throw this in here) is also something that I am pretty knowledgeable about. I have been informally diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress (it is no longer referred to as PTSD, technically. It is no longer classified as a disorder) myself and I have come across many people who live through daily symptoms.

My husband and myself and a few friends went to the Killeen Rodeo this summer and there was a huge deal made about a bull who had been named PTSD Pete, or something of that matter. The announcer repeated over and over that this was to "raise awareness" for "PTSD". Not only did it piss me off that the announcer didn't seem to know what it stood for, nor that it's not "PTSD" anymore, but I mean, seriously, what the hell does changing a bull's damn name do? Are the owners donating money to research? Are they creating a fund to provide free or discounted therapy to those with Post-Traumatic Stress? What are they DOING to help?

Raising awareness is all well and good, but in the end, it doesn't DO a lot of good. People knowing about breast cancer is fine, but people knowing that MEN can get breast cancer is BETTER. People knowing children are abused is fine, but people VOLUNTEERING to become foster parents is BETTER. People knowing about post-traumatic stress can be helpful, but people learning what to do with confronted with someone in the midst of flashbacks is BETTER.

I think there is a very small number of people in this country, and possibly the world, who are open to spending money and time to help someone else, especially if they are not particularly close to that person. Facebook's "awareness" BS has become an easy-peasy way for people to feel good about THEMSELVES, and not actually DO anything, or help anyone. The re-naming of the bull shows that the slactivism extends beyond Facebook, and it has become socially applaud-able to say that you are doing something (anything?) in the name of "raising awareness".

Awareness does not save lives, education saves lives. Knowing about breast cancer does no good if you aren't aware how you can do monthly self breast exams. Knowing about child abuse, even realizing a child you know is being abused, does nothing if you don't know what to do about it. Knowing about post-traumatic stress isn't really helpful; being able to identify symptoms in someone and respond accordingly can be a tremendous help.

Don't be aware. Be educated. Be helpful.