.......... simple pickup awakens the advocate after a 3 year hiatus......

....... and has angered many of us going through a breast cancer journey.... 

according to Daily Dot.com

"The reigning bros of YouTube pranks have a thing about burying their faces in women’s chests. At Comic-Con 2012, Simple Pickup asked one costumed cosplayer if he could “motorboat” her. When she said no, he did it anyway. The group offers tips and advice for “guys like you” to “get laid,” and judging from the YouTube channel’s success (1.1 million followers), it’s found a substantial fanbase of dudes who feel they need it. But often, critics argue, the “advice” verges on harassment and humiliation. Simple Pickup videos have sparked aprotest among feminist bloggers for making a joke of unwanted sexual contact—sitting down on a stranger’s back so she can’t move, for example, and then rubbing her skin.

In another video, set at a gay-pride parade, one of the guys asks a stranger, “Are you trying to get raped? Because I’m down to rape you if you’re down to get raped. Just kidding. I’m not gonna rape you yet.”

In the most recent Simple Pickup video, the dudes might be looking to assuage some of that criticism by donating money to breast-cancer-awareness funds. There’s one catch, though: They’ll donate $20 for every woman who lets a Simple Pickup bro squeeze their breasts together, stick his face in between them, and shake his head back and forth while making abrbrbrbrbr sound."

So,

I wrote a letter to the BCRF..

-----Original Message-----
From: Marita  (removed this for privacy)
Sent: Saturday, October 19, 2013 10:48 AM
To: BCRF
Subject: 'Motorboating breasts' breast cancer awareness

Good morning,
I am a breast cancer patient with metastasis in a second diagnosis.  Recently I was sent a link from a friend of a breast cancer awareness campaign on You Tube that showcased 'motorboating' breasts.  They claim they have donated to you the sum of $2,080 for research.  

This was certainly done in poor taste and does nothing to create awareness of this deadly disease.  While I applaud the effort to fundraise for this disease, I am certainly at a loss as to the extent that some people will go to gain awareness of their own business ventures by using our disease to do so.

I would like to know if in fact they did donate this money to research as they claim.  I am a patient advocate and spokesperson for women in this journey and it is important to those of us in this journey to be respectfully represented in any and all fundraising ventures.

Always,
Marita DeVries
http://maritablogsherstuff.blogspot.ca 

Sent from Marita's iPad

.. but they had already refunded the group the money they had donated online without so much as checking to see if this was an acceptable way of fundraising.... let's see the logic in accepting funds from 'men' who have a reputation as already outlined above, suddenly gain a conscience and decide that they should do the right thing..... by motorboating 20 something women on a public beach while telling them that they will donate $20 for each time a woman allows them to motorboat their breasts??  This, according to what they tell the woman is for awareness and fundraising for the BCRP, who has no idea what they are doing to fundraise.... according to the return email sent to me by the BCRP:

"Dear Marita,

Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. Yes, there was a donation made. However, the donation from the makers of this video, Simple Pickup, came in via BCRF's online automated donation page without our knowledge of any of the activities involved in the making, solicitation, and distribution of their campaign.

We appreciate efforts to raise money to advance breast cancer research, but out of respect for the community of women and survivors that we serve, we asked Simple Pickup to cease all references and associations to our organization and refunded their donation immediately.

Thank you again for your concern and ongoing support-and we salute you for putting yourself forward as a patient advocate and spokesperson!

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation"

I must say that I was duly impressed by their letter and their immediate response.  

My comments however were promptly removed by Simple Pickup on their FB and You Tube site. Some responses sent to me via YouTube patrons of Simple Pickup told me to FU....  the same kind of 'men' who would likely have punched the living daylights out of any man who touched their partner's breasts.  But it's OK as long as it is for a good cause..... only now the money has been returned.... and not because the Foundation doesn't need money but it sets a dangerous precidence to accept money by men who have just groped women's breasts and using their Foundation's name without permission. PERIOD.  

The sum they donated was $2,080.  To get a real perspective of how much $2,080 is to a cancer patient...... my needles which are not covered by OHIP after chemo cost $2,600 each.   I need one after each chemo.  Over the past 4 years I have had 11 chemo treatments with an expected 1 left to go this week... so 12 x $2600 = $31,200. That is the cost of my car. 

Fundraisers are an important aspect of research and these dollars are hard to come by in the current economy and so I thank the BRCP for upholding their morals, values and show of respect to those of us in the journey.  For those who chose to attack me, I wish you all the best and hope that your Mother, sister, daughter or wife do not have to travel the same path as I or many of my breast cancer friends have.

Respectfully, 

Marita DeVries, Patient advocate and spokesperson.