I was watching TV last night and an awareness commercial for something came on, I can't remember what it was for, but it made me think about how we usually champion for a cause that has affected us in some way. No one really cares about texting and driving until someone they know has been in a car accident while reading or answering a text (well that's half true because my mom gets on to me about texting and driving all the time!). No one cares about cancer until they have been personally affected by it. The list could go on and on. I never thought much about melanoma until I had to go get a PET scan to see if it had spread to my internal organs, even though my mom had it and had a "shark bite" scar on her arm. Hers wasn't deep enough to warrant any further lymph node biopsies or PET scans, so even after she had it, it was still "just skin cancer" to me.
So as I saw this commercial last night for whatever it was, I was thinking about how we're constantly being told what to do or not to do. In the melanoma world, it's don't tan, wear your sunscreen, etc. In other worlds, it's don't text and drive, don't drink and drive, don't smoke, etc. The anti-smoking commercials are probably the best example. They show people whose lives have been drastically altered due to smoking, whether they have to use a voice box thing to speak (I probably could've googled the name of that thing but I'm lazy and you know what I'm talking about!), or have had body parts amputated, or use an oxygen tank to breathe. I wonder how many smokers are actually affected by these ads? If you're a smoker and reading this, let me know in the comments! Melanoma obviously isn't as widely talked about, but I've seen some pictures that should make anyone put on sunscreen and visit their dermatologist, but I wonder if I'd seen those pictures pre-mel, would it have changed my behavior? I guess what I'm getting at is, I wonder if these awareness ads actually make a difference? Are they ignored by many, and maybe taken seriously by a few? Or are we all desensitized to anything we hear or see on TV?
I know that no one ever comments on my posts, but I'm really curious what other people think about this, and what you think does get through to others, so if you have an opinion, please share!
I don't think they have any effect at all. I've not seen one, but if a "Don't eat sausage" commercial comes on TV, I'll ignore it.
ReplyDeleteHa! Same here, maybe fries instead of sausage though. When those obnoxious Truth anti-smoking commercials used to come on, it almost made me want to take up smoking because they were so annoying.
ReplyDeleteI think scare tactics do work, but it depends in the age of the audience. They are effective in children I believe, and that's who we should be targeting through early melanoma awareness & education!
ReplyDeleteI have recently seen some really good Melanoma Awareness commercials, and they immediately caught my attention because I was diagnosed with melanoma last May. I think it's similar to when you hear or read an unusual name or word that you've never heard before, and then all of the sudden you hear it or read it all the time. I know that when I hear anti-smoking/drunk driving, etc., commercials, I tend to tune them out, because I don't do any of those things.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't know if I had seen the melanoma commercials ten years ago if I would have taken better care of my skin. Probably not, I was young and liked being tan. I knew that tanning was not healthy, but I didn't think that "it" would happen to me.
Thank you Kate & Anonymous - you both make good points. Kate I definitely think we should target younger kids with all kinds of awareness, and especially as far as melanoma is concerned, starting the habit of wearing sunscreen and protecting skin at a young age is a great thing.
ReplyDeleteAnon I feel the same way about melanoma awareness, now I'd pay attention because it's affected me, but a few years ago, I doubt I would have. I also have to wonder if awareness commercials and advertisements were less obnoxious and more compassionate, if people would be more likely to listen then?