WHY CAN'T CANCER RESEARCH COPY IRELAND'S MEN'S HEALTH FORUM

 

In a variation on Cancer Research UK's discriminatory Run For Life event the Men’s Health Forum Ireland is drawing attention to the need for focus on men’s health needs through runs for men, and women willing to dress as men! A fun idea to highlight the issues and raise money. Happening in September the Forum seems, with these runs, to have combined the idea of raising the issues and money without a blanket exclusion policy.

Meanwhile last year Cancer Research UK published the results of the most comprehensive research into the risks and treatment of all major cancers. The results shocked the researchers themselves.

 

Men are 70% more likely to die of cancers that are not sex specific (and 40% more likely if all cancers are included). Though such research indicates that many lives would be saved if there is little in the way of  action. CRUK in their own research establish men are more likely to contract all forms of cancer (apart from those specific to sex) and very much more likely to die in all apart from Melanomas.

 

However they continue to wriggle and squirm to avoid an inclusive approach to their Runs for Life. They may be correct that many men would prefer to do more challenging fundraising events, but why exclude those who do want to participate? Even better how about picking up the idea from Ireland to highlight men’s need for earlier diagnosis and treatment?

 

Posted by Adrian Ashby

 

Coverage of CR UK reseaerch is here - Daily Mail, Daily Express, Daily Telegraph and BBC

 

Editor's Note - Please read this article about John Taylor's fight for equality in the Yorkshire Press

 

 

Comments

[John Taylor]

I agree whole-heartedly Adrian...

For those that have followed the invitation, in Editor's note, to read the article in the York Press. Below is my "edited letter" -further to the article...

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/features/readersletters/8345701.Charity_races_for_all/

I repeat a question, omitted from my letter -

"Would Cancer Research UK launch a 'racist for life event' and get away with it- like it is against males of all colours?

[Jon]

I will repeat my response to the "feminist BBC" thread:

I'm considering creating a satirical website called 'Race For Whitey' which raises money for skin cancer and doesn't allow black people to participate. The wording would be almost identical to that on the 'Race For Life' site apart from the words 'breast cancer' would be replaced with 'skin cancer', 'women' with 'white people', and 'men' with 'black people'. THEN we can ask people if they think it is a good or bad idea, and if they think the solution to initiatives like this one would be to create an equivalent 'blacks only' event, perhaps for a form of cancer that principally affects black people. Do they think that this is a good solution, or would they consider it discriminatory and divisive? Sorry, waffled on a bit there, but Race For Life is one of my own personal bugbears - to the point that I refuse to sponser family members who ask for support with it, and usually letting them know as clearly as possible why they are not getting sponsored.

[Groan]

Good luck with the site. In the 90 students in the US had sales of cakes with different prices for women and ethnic minorities and black students to satirise the easier entry requirements to college. Got a lot of press and made the point.