To the casual observer I am utterly unconcerned about anything, no matter how dire, pressing, urgent, or imminent. This is not, however, because I don't care about vital matters of the day. It's simply because my social consciousness isn't visibly color-coded.
I am firmly in favor of cancer research, reducing gang violence, making poverty history, and many of the other fine organizations and movements that are hawking rubber bracelets as fast as they can pump them out. What bugs me are jump-on-the-bandwagon fads, especially ones that make you look as if you're wearing a Hartz flea collar on your wrist.
[ April 13, 2005, 12:55 PM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
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Ooh, that was great! I asked a of couple patients last month what their colored rubber bracelets stood for and they didn't even know.
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Sometime back a Tampa hospital began covering up patient’s LIVE/STRONG bracelets with medical tape so they wouldn’t be confused with the hospital's similarly colored “Do Not Resuscitate” bracelets.
This amuses me no end.
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It's the vague disquiet felt by people who had American flags up before 9-11, or who knew the words to "Bohemian Rhapsody" before "Wayne's World" came out...
[ April 13, 2005, 01:25 PM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
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The other question is how to select your stickers. What if I am concerned about street gangs, but not quite as much as I am about lupus? Should I get a larger ribbon for one of them? Could I just get one huge ribbon outline on my car and then fill it in with colors proportionate to the amount I care? That way passersby would know instantly that I am extremely aware of breast cancer, moderately concerned about pancreatic cancer, mildly troubled by pulmonary hypertension, and more or less apathetic about trisomy 18.
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The thought for the column came a few months ago, and got filed as a "I need a column idea, fast" idea. The Hartz line is what I say whenever anyone mentions the things.
My submitted column for today was a television parody, which my editor felt was coming too close on the heels of several other parodies, so it got held for later. I needed a quick replacement and remembered my forum post...
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I also like the subtle social stigma you get when you don't have a magnetic yellow ribbon. I get to walk around town and make people whisper "She went to college - she must be a liberal now."
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