SRL Archive - Discussions & Debates

What is your view on awareness campaigns? I don't know why, but it really bothers me. I mean, yes, I know breast cancer exists, I'm aware of it already, you're not helping anyone with breast cancer….
What is spurring this is the facebook "change your profile pic to a cartoon to raise awareness of child abuse". Yes, I know child abuse sucks, and yes, I know it exists. What are these people trying to accomplish? It raises no money, nor does it stop any children from being abused….

Any insights into this? It seems some people get genuinely offended when you don't play along.
From my friend's status poking fun at the people:
"Myself being a police officer and working with childen who have been abused i am honestly sorry to say buddy but a little offended at your cold sholder to the subject and a little disappointed in you."

someone else:
"it's just to raise awareness, people see the cartoon pictures and wonder what it's for and then they find out. Just passing on knowledge the facebook way"

to which he responded:
"And then when people change back, people forget. And Jay, its not a cold shoulder, its a reality check for people who think they are helping. People like you are the ones who actually know and help the situation. Yeah, if I knew about a situation where that was happening, it shouldn't take facebook to spread awareness."

Making people think about something might make people interested in the topic, and some of them might actually do something about it..
I'd say 70% of those who actually bother to do things like that read some more about the topic, then there's 2% of those 70% that get's interested in the subject and maybe some of them again does something about the problem

It's just for lazy people to think they are actively making a difference in the world.

People like to feel they are in control, even if they aren't really contributing anything.

From: Capricorn
It's just for lazy people to think they are actively making a difference in the world.

People like to feel they are in control, even if they aren't really contributing anything.

I agree this is definitely a factor.

Also though, I think it does help in a very indirect way the organizations that actually do help. This small amount of indirect help is made smaller for causes that already have a high awareness. If someone asked you to donate for the foobar endangered species fund, and someone else asked you to donate for something you heard about the other day and have heard about several times before, which would you be more likely to donate too? I think most people would go with the latter, unless the 30 second pitch for the former was convincing and the latter was soo famous that it's a sure bet that there are several charities already doing a lot for it.

Also what Zyt3x said.

I don't think they get much done at all, if anything, but I've stilled changed my Facebook profile picture to Edd, Ed 'n' Eddy. Good times!

Awareness isn't always a good thing.

Some say that awareness is the key to early detection, which is the key to successful treatment. Let's say for example that for a certain type of cancer you have a 90+% chance of successful treatment if detected early, while that might drop to below 50% if detected later. But I think more and more doctors are beginning to realize that cancer doesn't always grow, or spread, or kill you.

So, let's say that your mom gets a mammogram and detects a lump which turns out to be cancerous. She gets chemotherapy and goes through a living nightmare for 6 months, but ends up cancer free. This is a "success story" for awareness. But what if she never got the mammogram? There are two possibilities. One, the cancer grows, spreads, and kills her. Two, the cancer goes away on its own, she never has to go through chemotherapy, and doesn't worry about getting breast cancer again for the rest of her life.

So, when you have an early detection, are you really "curing" the people? Or are you just killing off cancerous cells that were going to go away on their own? Maybe only 10% of those early cancers are going to grow and spread and kill you in the first place. And maybe it's that same 10% that were there early that make up the 50% of cancers that kill you when detected later. It's a legitimate question that doctors are still struggling to understand.

That's interesting Tarajunky

I guess if you have detected something like that, then it's better (Psychologically better) to remove it..?

tbh i kinda tl;dr'd this entire thread, read the first few sentences of the original post. Here's my take:
People who do this don't do anything. However, it's a nice feeling they feel when they *think* they're saving some child from being beat. I do, however, beleive that fundraisers like how February (i think its February?) is pink ribbon month for breast cancer. A certain amount of profits (supposedly) goes towards cure studies.

http://www.facebook.com/joinred
This made some people buy tshirts and wear them outside a building or something, and some people were wondering why people put up a red profile pic, and got told to checkup (RED), making even more persons interested

From: tarajunky
Awareness isn't always a good thing.

Some say that awareness is the key to early detection, which is the key to successful treatment. Let's say for example that for a certain type of cancer you have a 90+% chance of successful treatment if detected early, while that might drop to below 50% if detected later. But I think more and more doctors are beginning to realize that cancer doesn't always grow, or spread, or kill you.

Not sure how it is in the US but you don't just get cancer treatment here, only if it is threatening.

From: tarajunky
So, let's say that your mom gets a mammogram and detects a lump which turns out to be cancerous. She gets chemotherapy and goes through a living nightmare for 6 months, but ends up cancer free. This is a "success story" for awareness. But what if she never got the mammogram? There are two possibilities. One, the cancer grows, spreads, and kills her. Two, the cancer goes away on its own, she never has to go through chemotherapy, and doesn't worry about getting breast cancer again for the rest of her life.

Why do you state she'll never get cancer again? I have seen absolutely no scientific proof of this. (I know this is your area, and if there has been any proof or breakthrough/research, I'd like to see it…) If cancer goes away by itself, if it all, it won't return? To my knowledge cancer is just unrestrained cell growth/replication, caused by defect cell replication. At least that is what I was always taught at school. How can you counter this?

From: tarajunky
So, when you have an early detection, are you really "curing" the people? Or are you just killing off cancerous cells that were going to go away on their own? Maybe only 10% of those early cancers are going to grow and spread and kill you in the first place. And maybe it's that same 10% that were there early that make up the 50% of cancers that kill you when detected later. It's a legitimate question that doctors are still struggling to understand.

Early detection doesn't mean that the patient will be treated immediately. I know numerous of cases where people have cancer but nothing was done, because it was not really threating. But these persons just remained under supervision. They had to visit every month, or so. When it gets worse you can help them. So yeah, awareness does help…

From: Wizzup?
Not sure how it is in the US but you don't just get cancer treatment here, only if it is threatening.

interesting to know

Why do you state she'll never get cancer again? I have seen absolutely no scientific proof of this. (I know this is your area, and if there has been any proof or breakthrough/research, I'd like to see it…) If cancer goes away by itself, if it all, it won't return? To my knowledge cancer is just unrestrained cell growth/replication, caused by defect cell replication. At least that is what I was always taught at school. How can you counter this?

Cancer cells can shrink and even disappear. - They can also be 'killed' by chemo.

There have been several studies / experiments where a cancer patient was completely cured of it by several 'out of the box' methods.

–> The power of Belief & the subconscious brain:

Our physical bodies function according to energetic and information-based processes guided by subconscious levels of our being. Our minds literally create health or illness since some layer of our consciousness is operating the body and creating whatever state we are in. There are a variety of healing systems that examine how this mind-body system works and how we can heal physical conditions by addressing the psychological and energetic disturbances that have led to illness.

http://www.altmd.com/Specialists/Counseling-Hypnosis-Reiki-Holistic-Healing/Blog/Mind-Emotions--Physical-Health--How-Subconscious-B

There's a lot on the interwebs about the power of the mind.
It probably won't come as a surprise to you that several drugs (namely cannabis, shrooms and LSD) have been used to successfully cure several mind related diseases, as drugs make you actively use the parts of the brain usually reserved for your subconscious brain.

:)

All from wiki:

From: weed

In a collection of writings on medical marijuana by 45 researchers, a literature review on the medicinal uses of Cannabis and cannabinoids concluded that established uses include easing of nausea and vomiting, anorexia, and weight loss; "well-confirmed effect" was found in the treatment of spasticity, painful conditions (i.e. neurogenic pain), movement disorders, asthma, and glaucoma. Reported but "less-confirmed" effects included treatment of allergies, inflammation, infection, epilepsy, depression, bipolar disorders, anxiety disorder, dependency and withdrawal. Basic level research was being carried out at the time on autoimmune disease, cancer, neuroprotection, fever, disorders of blood pressure

From: Shrooms

There have been calls for medical investigation of the use of synthetic and mushroom-derived psilocybin for the development of improved treatments of various mental conditions, including chronic cluster headaches,[19] following numerous anecdotal reports of benefits. There are also several accounts of psilocybin mushrooms sending both obsessive-compulsive disorders ("OCD") and OCD-related clinical depression (both being widespread and debilitating mental health conditions) into complete remission immediately and for up to months at a time, compared to current medications which often have both limited efficacy[20] and frequent undesirable side-effects.[21]

From: LSD

In the 1950s and 1960s LSD was used in psychiatry to enhance psychotherapy. Some psychiatrists believed LSD was especially useful at helping patients to "unblock" repressed subconscious material through other psychotherapeutic methods,[39] and also for treating alcoholism. One study concluded, "The root of the therapeutic value of the LSD experience is its potential for producing self-acceptance and self-surrender,"[40] presumably by forcing the user to face issues and problems in that individual's psyche.

LSD has been used as a treatment for cluster headaches, an uncommon but extremely painful disorder. Researcher Peter Goadsby describes the headaches as "worse than natural childbirth or even amputation without anesthetic."[46] Although the phenomenon has not been formally investigated, case reports indicate that LSD and psilocybin can reduce cluster pain and also interrupt the cluster-headache cycle, preventing future headaches from occurring.

Basically - Any disease to do with the mind. Link that to the fact that the mind controls the body.. ;)

~RM

I meant that if she went through all of that once, she would -worry- about it for the rest of her life. Emotional distress.

Breast cancer is an interesting case, because there are now several genetic tests that can be done to determine how susceptible people are to getting it. There are even reports now of some women that have both susceptibility polymorphisms and with a family history of breast cancer getting preventative double mastectomies in their 20's or 30's.

I guess in one sense you could call that the ultimate in early awareness, you don't have any sign of breast cancer at all, but can detect the susceptibility genes at any time. This is again a bit controversial, because most insurance companies aren't going to want to pay for a double mastectomy / breast enhancement for someone that has no sign of cancer at all. Maybe they would handle it differently in other countries?

This sort of genetic susceptibility testing seems to be the future of medicine. Personalized treatments based on people's genes rather than only the inadequate tests that are done now to detect and analyze cancer risk.

Awareness is good. People putting pokemon all over facebook is annoying.

Many approaches to it, but what I think is that all this hassle is silly, several TV shows etc where there's some thing like -

This is Mary. Mary is a succesful 32 year old mother of 2 children, happily married. Until February 2009, when she was told she has toe cancer. *Church bell* .

Mary (Crying): It felt like everything just collapsed under me…


That shit just pisses me off, the fact that they know that they have cancer doesn't make them die any earlier than if they had cancer and did not know about it… I'm hoping someone gets what I'm saying…

Felt like everything collapsed under her, because she realised she might have to face death sooner than what she originally planned on. And most people are pretty scared of death..and cancer is basically the most likely way to die, if you get it. Its pretty much the grim reaper of our times, like the plague was 500 years ago or whatever

Meh guess I'm just optimistic then…

…

Zyt3x no!!!
That image alone will strike fear into the hearts of ALL would be child abusers!!!!

just a follow up <3:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1336035/Facebook-cartoon-character-campaign-NSPCC-charity-says.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

"One Facebooker asked: &#8216;How is this gonna help stop child abuse? Sounds like something a paedophile would do!&#8217;" (dailymail.co.uk)

btw i'm a telletubbie <3 haha

Thanks pinky, i just posted my facebook message to all the dumbys on facebook.

Everyone that's changing there pictures to their favorite cartoons should have not done it. All you did was just make it easier for pedophiles on the internet locate little children. The paedophiles have it easy finding the
kids this way from a cartoon in your past! Obviously if someone posts
Spongebob Square Pants it&#8217;s probably a kid…, now Betty Boop an adult! Here is my source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1336035/Facebook-cartoon-character-campaign-NSPCC-charity-says.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

From: Brain
Zyt3x no!!!
That image alone will strike fear into the hearts of ALL would be child abusers!!!!

Lol :o

I just wrote "I am against child abusing." on my profile instead lol