'Pink Ribbons,' Tied Up With More Than Hope

NPR reviews PINK RIBBONS, INC., based on the book by Samantha King.

King_pink coverProvocative yet far from definitive, Pink Ribbons, Inc. is a critique of "breast-cancer culture." It could even be called a blitz on pink-ribbon charities and their corporate partners — though to use that term would be to emulate the war and sports metaphors the documentary rejects.

As one woman observes, describing the treatment of cancer as a "fight" or a "battle" suggests that the disease is always beatable if patients make a heroic effort. The implication is that people who die "weren't trying very hard."

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Published in: NPR
By: Mark Jenkins