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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

IZBU about the commercialisation of Cancer?

111 replies

IamtheZombie · 15/12/2015 22:49

The most recent offender is the Macmillan Christmas Star campaign.

If any of Zombie's family or friends do anything even remotely resembling this she will come back to haunt them.

OP posts:
firesidechat · 16/12/2015 20:06

7 years in and we haven't seen hide nor hair of a Macmillan nurse. Not that we want to, but still....

I can't think of a single campaign or advert that hasn't made me very uncomfortable and sometimes raging. My husband would probably divorce me if I bought a Macmillan star (whatever that is).

firesidechat · 16/12/2015 20:08

We did go to a Macmillan cake sale once because some of the lovely nurses were organising it and it had CAKE.

Puffpastry1 · 16/12/2015 20:10

I hate the hard sell charity thing full stop.

I give what I want to give.

Crazybaglady · 16/12/2015 20:12

OldFarticus same! Terrible experience. I refuse to donate to them now

firesidechat · 16/12/2015 20:15

Me too Puff. Daytime tv is almost unwatchable if you don't want to be bombarded with soft voiced celebrities and heart wrenching pictures. I'm sure all it's achieving is acute compassion fatigue.

Puffpastry1 · 16/12/2015 20:21

Of course it is.

I was out somewhere a while ago and got accosted by someone on behalf of a deaf society. I was willing to give them a fiver but apparently they couldn't take it and I had to sign up to give £30 a month :/

firesidechat · 16/12/2015 20:24

I tried to give a couple of pounds to the Air Ambulance a couple of months ago. All they wanted was a monthly amount by DD. They didn't get my money. Sad

BrianCoxReborn · 16/12/2015 20:26

Senpai needs to realise that the tone in which she interprets Zombie's thread style says more about her than it does Zombie.

PushAPushPop · 16/12/2015 20:34

Flowers for everyone affected.

xxx

Playthegameout · 16/12/2015 20:47

My dad got nothing from MacMillan. Our local hospice were amazing and supportted all of us. I choose to support them in the hope their good work can continue. CR make me cross with their stupid slogans ("cancer, we're coming to get you"?). My dad was strong and brave, but cancer is indiscriminate. The idea that you just need to be tough enough is ridiculous. We remember dad the way he wanted us to, with a big glass of Martini on Christmas day and enjoying our lives.

hobnobsaremyfavourite · 16/12/2015 20:48

Senpai did you mean to come across as such an unempathetic twat?

TheCarpenter · 16/12/2015 21:45

The Carpenter loves Zombie's posting style and wishes Zombie a Merry Christmas.

SouthWestmom · 16/12/2015 21:57

I don't think we can have a consensus on this can we? I have a Macmillan star (felt, some years old) and every year it goes on the tree for my dad. Since he died aged 44, he has been joined by many more relatives young and old and I do feel like a bit of sentimental purchasing sometimes; after all I can't send them a card/ buy them a present/ give them a kiss.
Plus I am happy to contribute when I can to alleviate any suffering emotional or physical if I can.

PerpendicularVincent · 16/12/2015 22:04

Perp thinks that getting annoyed about someone writing in the 3rd person is daft, and that as it's the season of goodwill we should all be nice to each other.

Glad you're doing well, Zombie.

00100001 · 16/12/2015 22:06

001 thinks that everyone should write in the third person,

Madbythesea · 16/12/2015 22:06

ZINBU - I understand and hate the commercialization of it too.

personally I think Macmillan are one of the better ones. though their services are few and far between. from personal experience macmillian gave me £40 when i had cancer Hmm but they did sort out my electric and gas to £40 a month but then npower forgot to bill me so they wrote my whole bill off for 2 years Grin

i used to work for CRUK and would never donate not after what i saw.

hobnobsaremyfavourite · 16/12/2015 22:18

Perhaps those who have a problem with how the op posts might think that it says more about them being twats than anything else
The issues raised on this thread are hugely important and I say that as someone living in Wales.

mypoosmellsofroses · 16/12/2015 22:26

Agree with so many previous posters . My Mum was fucking awesomely strong but she had a shitty indiscriminate disease. I still get the rage at trite ads and bloody twee FB awareness bollocks.

Am currently waiting for surgery to remove uterus and ovaries due to family history, but well aware that shit can still happen.

I concentrate my fundraising on our local hospice who were fantastic.

BTW Am very tempted to write in third person ..."my poo gets the rage" has a certain je ne sais quoi!

Original poster
IamtheZombie · 16/12/2015 22:36

"my poo gets the rage" has a certain je ne sais quoi!

Grin Grin Grin Grin Grin

OP posts:
TrinityRhino · 16/12/2015 23:31

Anyone who doesn't like the 'posting in third person' thing can just fuck right off.

Leave Zombie alone. ffs.

DoctorTwo · 17/12/2015 00:09

Hedders loved Zombie
Teako loved Zombie
Doc loves Zombie

Haven't seen FB, will look tomorrow, a 14 hr shift delivering around London has wiped me out.

If you're going to reinstate The Dustbin PM me, I'm defo there.

Long live Zombie!

ThenLaterWhenItGotDark · 17/12/2015 06:27

Senpai and Binary need to get over the jealousies that Zombie is a bigger part of Mumsnet than they can ever hope to be with their obnoxious fuckwittage scattergunning.

Not big. Not clever. Not welcome.

OldFarticus · 17/12/2015 06:32

Yes - vive la Zombie Flowers

If people want to give to Macmillan et al then good for them. I am sure there are some patients that they help and their Chief Exec's salary won't pay itself Macmillan and its ilk and their shiny ribbons, head tilting and battle analogies do not sit well with me - the inference being that you need to be strong, positive and brave and You Will Prevail. By extension, if you die then you have Lost and are Weak. It's mendacious bollocks and it gives me the rage.

I read a book about the above whilst undergoing treatment and it was called "The Tyranny of Positive Thinking" IIRC. Highly recommended for anyone undergoing treatment for cancer and their families, especially cynical old farts like me. I spent chemo alternating between tears, rage, terror and occasional drunkenness. I was utterly convinced that death was imminent. Almost 10 years later I am still here and still cancer free and the people who told me I had to be More Positive can still fuck off!!

Agree with PP's - please don't forget the local hospices. They are the ones who can actually make the difference in the final days and the staff and volunteers - in my experience - are wonderful.

minmooch · 17/12/2015 06:52

My 18 year old son died from a brain tumour. This is our second Christmas without him. I have put up a tree this year because he loved a Christmas tree. I would like a star with his photo to put on the tree because I love seeing his face everywhere. Macmillan were good with him when he needed them. He died in a hospice though and I donate usually to The Brain Tumour charity and the hospice where he died. I mentally switch off to any cancer adverts because it's too painful - one of the reasons I dont watch much tv these days.

As for fighting the disease , he fought it every day, with fear, hope, black humour, reality, tears, smiles, laughter all mixed in together. A brain tumour takes your facilities bit by bit. He had to fight to keep hold of his ability to walk, stand, see, swallow, use of his fingers, but bit by bit he had to gracefully let each bit go as the tumour took him. In no way do I think he didnt fight hard enough - heshowedus all how strong he was. As you can see I don't mind the use of 'fight'.

Love and strength to all affected by the bastard cancer. We all deal with it in different ways.

00100001 · 17/12/2015 07:24

Binary is not jealous of Zombie, why would she be? Confused