The following is an editorial comment from Gordon Clay of MENSTUFF.  While the Warrior Soul Resource Center may not endorse everything contained in this editorial, there is some important information here for your consideration.  Bottom line: if you are a man over 35, get yourself checked out for possible prostate cancer risks.

September 20-24 is National Prostate Cancer Awareness week, the only 5 days out of the year that there is any focused attention to make men and the people who love them aware that 41,000 of them will die this year from prostate cancer, primarily because they didn't catch it soon enough. (About the same number of women succumb to breast cancer, considerably more men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year than women with breast cancer.)

There's tons of information out there talking about breast cancer, how to do a self exam and recommending an annual pap smear test, which is usually covered by most medical plans. However, men can't really do a self exam without a doctor. So, our time and money is spent trying to convince men at risk (which includes all men over 35) to get over the embarrassment of having a finger inserted up their anus and get an annual digital rectal examination (DRE) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test.

So, imagine my surprise when I opened the September, 1999 "Why We Love Football" special issue of GQ (which used to stand for Gentleman's Quarterly) to find a six page 4-color insert from General Motors advertising a sweepstakes that raises funds for breast cancer. If you're really into football and prefer to learn about women's health versus your own, you'll love the copy.

"On the cover (1), Nadja in a silver liquid satin dress from Dana Buchman Luze Collection.

This page (2), Ling in gold, burning paper, sequin dress by Vivienne Tam." It goes on to say, "In it's third year, GM and the Council of Fashion Designers of America have teamed up to fight breast cancer through Concept: Cure. This unique and creative collaboration pairs GM vehicles with top fashion designers for "makeovers." Designed to be one-of-a-kind vehicles, they're the ultimate in luxury and style. The designers donate their time and talents to create these vehicles for the Concept: Cure sweepstakes. By entering this national sweepstakes and making a pledge, you can join them in the fight against breast cancer - and maybe win one of their vehicles! To date, Concept: Cure has raised more than $2.6 million to benefit such breast cancer research and awareness organizations as the Nina Hyde Cancer Center at Georgetown University's Lombardi Cancer Center. Every woman is at risk for breast cancer. The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) urges you to take an active role in your health, and learn as much as you can about the science of breast cancer. According to the NBCC: (1) One out of eighty women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer in her lifetime and (2) Breast cancer is the most common from of cancer in American women. To give yourself a fighting chance against breast cancer, the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO) recommends: (1) Yearly breast examinations by a doctor or nurse. (2). Annual screening mammogram beginning at age 40. (3) Learning how your breasts normally feel and examining them regularly."

Five pages (attachments 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6) follow describing the car designers, the special cars, and how to "make a pledge" and enter a sweepstakes.

(7)  And, the saga continues. Further back in the publication, Saks Fifth Avenue has a full page 4-color ad that they didn't put their name on. The headline reads "Fashion Targets Breast Cancer September 23-26" (though October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Saks' Laurie Rode's said it made a nice lead-in). The ad gives an 888 number where Saks tells you that all 59 stores will donate 2% of their sales during this time, plus sell you a long sleeve T-shirt. Also, if you give them your home phone number (hopefully that's not a ploy to use it in their other marketing activities without your knowledge), they'll tell you which regional charities will receive these funds.

Because women's cancer organizations, even the American Cancer Society, are so organized, and carry so much clout, they got American Express, Continental Airlines, Walmart and the New York Times involved. Saks' Laurie Rodes said that they did it during this week because it was the only time during the year that the fashion designers were available.

She also said they weren't aware of the conflict with the 11th annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, but that even in the future, they would probably make the decision to do it then rather than not to do it at all.

(8) You might think that was all. You hope, maybe they would do a story in their football issue during Prostate Cancer Awareness Week about someone like Superbowl winning quarterback Joe Montana. According to a film he was in on prostate cancer, if his wife hadn't persisted in making him get an exam when he did, he would probably have died shortly thereafter. But, alas, no such story. Instead, GQ gives ten pages of editorial support to their advertisers and do a story about Chris Spielman, of whom the Buffalo Bill's owner called the most intense player they've had in thirty-seven years. The majority of the story is about his helping his wife through cancer (an admirable thing, don't get us wrong) and toughing it out without anyone really knowing. That's what we men do about our own illnesses and weaknesses and GQ didn't go there to encourage men to overcome their egos around having a prostate cancer exam before it's too late. They, too, probably weren't aware that this was Prostate Cancer Awareness Week. Another missed opportunity. Then again, maybe they were afraid to go to that vulnerable place that most of us will have to go to sometime before we die. Hopefully, in time.

Research funding is substantially in favor of breast cancer and continues to be the recipient of more grants, income from the US Postal Service stamp program, and now special cars designed at GM. In 1997, about $2,700 was spent on prostate cancer research for every death from the disease, while spending for breast cancer was five times that amount or $12,800 per death. Investment in AIDS research totaled $47,000 per death. The scarcity of funding for prostate cancer research creates a vicious cycle. Young and established researchers are drawn to more profitable avenues of investigation; private enterprise views the field as too risky for investment; and ideas that might lead to a cure are conceived but never completed. Source: CapCure (http://www.capcure.org/)

Now, don't get us wrong. We support spending even more on breast cancer awareness and research. That's not the point. The point is that significantly more men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, even without the huge awareness campaigns. And, self exams aren't a viable option. So, if we don't get a doctor's help, our survival chances diminish when early detection isn't achieved. And many health plans don't pay for these exams. And there are no laws requiring them to do so.

On the other hand, there are federal laws requiring all health plans that cover mastectomies to provide breast cancer reconstruction for mastectomy patients. including coverage of prosthetic devices and reconstruction for restoring symmetry. A federal law, mind you. It's called the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act (H.R. 4328).

Alas, no such concern for men. Under many health plans, the simple DRE or PSA blood test must be paid for out of the man's pocket. (For questions or concerns about the law, contact the Department of Labor's hotline at 202.219.8776.)

Pleading ignorance or not, I think GM is "out-of-bounds" with this program and should reconsider it's timing (during Prostate Cancer Awareness Week) and it's direction (to men in men's magazines). I think that GM is doing a disservice to men who, over the years, built their market for them. The fact than somewhere around 300 men die each year from breast cancer not withstanding (none of the promotion or editorial talked about this to the GQ audience), this seems like its motivation might have come from a direction that doesn't have anything to do with their concern with women's health.

If you want to let GM know what you think about the timing and direction of this program and the lack of any support for men around prostate cancer, here are some places to start:

• John F. Smith, Jr, Chm Bd, Pres & CEO (313.556.5000- it's better to send him a letter, but chances he'll never see it),

• Matt Pensinger, Adv & Corp Mktg (313.667.2722) General Motors Corporation, General Motors Bldg, 3044 W. Grand Blvd, Detroit, MI 48202

Unfortunately, there are no women VPs listed in the Standard Directory of Advertisers.

Of the 30 executives listed, the first woman to show up, Luana Floccuzio (Dir-Adv of NAO), is in the 26th slot and is followed by Elizabeth C. Lazar (Dir - Media Operations) and Nancy M. Kaza (Mgr Adv Resources NAO). The only women "executives" listed. And, the only GM advertising agency run by a woman is N. W. Ayer Detroit (2000 Fisher Bldg, Detroit, MI 48202 313.874.8500), the agency for GM Brand Advertising. Their president is Dannielle Colliver. Coincidence? I think not.

Then there's Saks Fifth Avenue, the company to schedule their Breast Cancer sales event for profit (only 2% of sales goes to the charities) the same week as the Prostate Cancer week. Bryan E. Kendrick is their Vice-Chairman, and Jackie Lividini, the VP of PR, at 212.753.4000. I talked with her assistant, Laurie Rhodes at 212.940.4246. All three are at 611 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10022. Let us and them know what you think.

And, be sure to check our "Today" section each day from September 20-24 for information about Prostate Cancer. You can also find information and resources here.

Is this totally unconscious on the part of the organizations putting this together. I hope so but I have a hard time believing this is a total coincidence. One thing that came up is that it seems those corporations that contribute the most money to women's organizations are the same ones that have the fewest women in upper management. Isn't that an interesting concept. "If we contribute alot of money to women's organizations, they won't dare push us to have women in upper management for fear of loosing the money." Interesting thought. Why else would GM have no women VPs? We would love to see someone write their graduate thesis around an investigation of this issue!

If you are a man over 35 or care about a man in your life in this age group, take this opportunity to learn more about the Prostate during Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, September 20-24.  Go to http://www.menstuff.org/ each day and click on "Today" or the Lenny icon on our home page to get information on that days topic around the prostate.  To borrow the line "The best protection is early detection."
 

Thanks to Jim Bracewell from the MensCenter for forwarding this item to our attention.
"The silence of not speaking our truth is oppressive" anonymous
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