Wear a ribbon for breast cancer, wear a poppy for Remembrance Day, eat your veggies at dinner because there are starving children in China who would love to eat them, take a Vow of Silence for children who do not have a voice, etc. What difference does it make? When it doesn't really affect the people who we're doing it for? To raise awareness? Well what are the people we're 'awarifying' going to do? Do the same thing and make more people aware? Lot of good that will do...This is really debatable in my head, as I can see the point from both sides. However, I'm leaning more towards doing it. It's kind of a personal thing. Giving money all the time loses its meaning after a while, and it's just another dollar going to some organization. Wearing the ribbon or making some sort of stand reminds you of why you're doing it. It reminds you that you care, and truly are in support of whatever you're supporting. Don't you feel better when you can physically see that you're doing something? Donating is good, but you can't actually see with your own eyes what you're sponsoring. When you where the ribbon or eat your veggies or take the vow of silence, you do it proudly, knowing that you're in support of whatever it is. It gives the giver both a sense of pride in what they are doing as well as sort of puts them into the shoes of whoever they're supporting, or makes them realize what they have that others don't.
Not that it's only for the person doing it, of course. People do notice and they do take joy in the fact that you're supporting it, and sometimes they ask what it's for, but not always. It does raise awareness, but not nearly as much as your own. It mostly increases your will to give and support this cause.
Well that's all I can think of at the moment. You'll see there's no structure to this entry at all, just like all the others. I'll probably continue this later with more and better points, but for now that's all there is.
Awareness Ribbons:
White - adoption awareness, Methamphetamine[Meth] abuse awareness, lung cancer
Yellow - bone cancer, suicide awareness and prevention, endometriosis awareness, bladder cancer, Association of Young People with M.E, genocide awareness
Puzzle Pieces - Autism awareness
Clouds - Congenital diaphragmatic hernia [I think it's some sort of birth defect thing...?]
Blue - child abuse awareness, 'Bring Home our Troops', thyroid awareness, prostate cancer, colon cancer, anti-sex slavery, ant-tobacco
Jade - Jade Ribbon Campaign [hepatitus B and liver cancer]
Purple - crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, sarcoidosis, religious tolerance, domestic violence awareness, childhood stroke awareness, alzheimers, cystic fibrosis, March of Dimes
Lavender - epilepsy, cancer awareness[general]
Periwinkle - stomach cancer, eating disorders, esophageal cancer, pulmonary hypertension
Pink and Blue - Pro-Life, breast cancer, infertility awareness, infant loss, pregnancy loss, male breast cancer
Orange - self-injury, animal protection, leukemia, multiple sclerosis, anti-racism, kidney cancer, ADHD
Red - heart disease, AIDS, substance abuse, vasulitus
Gray - mental illness awareness, diabetes, brain cancer, asthma, and... zombie awareness[yes, it's real!]
Black - melanoma awareness, Anarchist Black Ribbon Campaign, remembering the Virginia Tech massacre thing
Pink - breast cancer, LGBT violence
Green - bipolar disorder, gastrochisis, depression, lyme disease, organ transplantations, environmental protection, mitochondrial disease, pedestrian safety
Teal - ovarian cancer, OCD, panic disorder, dissocatiative identity disorder, anti-bullying, batten disease, agoraphobia, food allergies
Violet - testicular disease
Gold - bone cancer, childhood cancer
Silver - brain disorders
Daisy - neurofibromatosis[those bumps on old people]
Burgundy - brain aneurism, headaches
Red and Blue - Haiti recovery[from earthquake]
Orange and Black striped - World War II
Red and Black - atheist solidarity
Blue and Black - law enforcement
And then of course there's the poppy on Remembrance Day, and many many others. There's also [my favourite] awareness bracelets!
