It Doesn't Mean Anything

In the past decade or so, we have become an nation of symbols for causes.  These symbols might come in the form of ribbons or wristbands (think LiveStrong, for cancer awareness), or even something as simple as a color (think pink, for breast cancer awareness).

People often show off many different symbols for many different causes, but they all have one thing in common:  They don't often help the cause.

I've always thought the best example of this is people who put magnetic 'I Support Our Troops' ribbons on their vehicles.  This got to be a big deal while Americans were fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it was all very nice, but it didn't do a single thing for the soldier or his/her family.  Not one thing.  But hey, that vehicle is supporting the troops, right?

Another more recent example are the various symbols to show support for the families (or is it the victims?) of the Newtown, CT shooting.  Yes, it was a terrible tragedy, but prayers and ribbons aren't going to do anything for either the families or the victims.  If people really want to do something that matters, they need to speak out publicly against a crazy gun culture that allows the sale of semi-automatic weapons.  That will not completely stop these types of killings, but it would at least save some lives, and maybe at least one good thing can come from those deaths.

Full disclosure - I've been a long-time wearer of the yellow LiveStrong wristband, a symbol for cancer awareness, the one that started the entire wristband craze.  While I wear it to remind me of those I know who had/have cancer, I also actually do something about it by donating every year to the American Cancer Society.  I get a kick out of all the people who simply stopped wearing it once it lost it's cache', and again this year once Lance Armstrong fell from grace.  Do they suddenly not care about cancer?  Or maybe they only care when the cause or its leader is popular?

So if you wear red or pink or purple, or a ribbon or a wristband or a magnet, stop for a moment and ask yourself:  Are you truly making things better for those you say you support, or are you really just pretending, as a way to make yourself look better?