FACE TO FACE: B.C. was painted pink Wednesday, but not the Face to Face columnists. Why?
They say that brown is the new black. Next year, black will undoubtedly be the new brown, and all the fashionistas will have to change their wardrobes yet again.
Which brings me to the evolution of pink. It used to be so simple: Pink was for girly-girls - pink bloomers, pink Barbie dresses, pink curtains and pink Cadillacs. Now, every autumn, pink is the colour of the ribbons and scores of accessories that are worn to signify a commitment to fight breast cancer.
But that's not all. Earlier this week, pink was the colour of shirts and blouses worn by all goodly people to show their solidarity with the anti-bullying movement.
You might be surprised to learn that, even though I am a progressive, socially aware, and hyper-empathetic crusader for justice, I decided to leave my pink shirt in the closet on Wednesday. And it isn't because I'm colour-blind.
My debating partner and I are in rare agreement in our lack of enthusiasm for Pink Shirt Day but our reasons for making a stink about pink differ.
Of course, no one in their right mind supports bullying. It's mean and ugly. But does a day-long parade of pink really accomplish anything other than signal the participants' willingness to conform to a top-down, mass-marketed, simplistic idea? To me, the wearing of pink shouts: "Look at me! I like to be enthusiastically politically correct!" Give me a break.
Instead of urging everyone to strut around in shades of cherry all day, community leaders might want to take a hard look at some deeper issues. For starters, they could examine their embrace of a popular culture that celebrates flexible morals, fluid family relationships and the pleasure principle. And don't think for a moment that society's relativistic attitudes aren't directly related to bullying.
While they're at it, experts might also want to look at the unnatural places where many of us end up spending several hours every day - huge, open-floor offices, hormonally charged high school cafeterias and even large, noisy newsrooms. These can easily breed interactions in which some people become bullies and some victims.
And one final thought: I wonder how many people ended up being bullied on Wednesday for not wearing pink.
