it's too early to say for sure, but i think that the komen foundation will not soon recover from this week's controversy. it may never get its mojo back. as i noted below, komen's decision to cut off planned parenthood changed it from a non-political organization to a political organization in the public's mind. once you're viewed as political, it's not easy to go back.
before, criticism of komen didn't get much airing because criticizing the organization was seen as being almost pro-cancer. by giving komen critics a high profile legitimate basis for criticizing the organization, it opened the flood gates. over the past 48 hours the critics weren't just talking about planned parenthood, they were also raising other complaints about the organization, like the "pinkwashing" charge, the fact that most of the money the organization raises goes to its "education" (i.e. marketing) budget as opposed to actual cancer research, its aggressive use of lawsuits against any other charitable organization that uses the words "the cure", and its decision to cut off funding of embryonic stem cell research.
putting aside the fact that the komen foundation's announcement looks more like a P.R. move than an actual reversal (as its being reported to be), i think the organization has forever lost some of its shine.
also, this movie opens today (h/t tbogg). before komen's PP decision,it would have played in a few art-house theaters for a week or two and then quietly vanished. thanks to the komen foundation's decision to cut off planned parenthood in the very same week that the film is opening, the film might get some real attention.
before, criticism of komen didn't get much airing because criticizing the organization was seen as being almost pro-cancer. by giving komen critics a high profile legitimate basis for criticizing the organization, it opened the flood gates. over the past 48 hours the critics weren't just talking about planned parenthood, they were also raising other complaints about the organization, like the "pinkwashing" charge, the fact that most of the money the organization raises goes to its "education" (i.e. marketing) budget as opposed to actual cancer research, its aggressive use of lawsuits against any other charitable organization that uses the words "the cure", and its decision to cut off funding of embryonic stem cell research.
putting aside the fact that the komen foundation's announcement looks more like a P.R. move than an actual reversal (as its being reported to be), i think the organization has forever lost some of its shine.
also, this movie opens today (h/t tbogg). before komen's PP decision,it would have played in a few art-house theaters for a week or two and then quietly vanished. thanks to the komen foundation's decision to cut off planned parenthood in the very same week that the film is opening, the film might get some real attention.
