Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for November 01, 2010

Bob sure is making a good argument for being the anti-Ekert.

Ah, the old Ostentation-or-Insensitivity Trap!

In retrospect, it’s rather amazing the breadth of topics and characters Wiley manages to incorporate in his daily cartoon. The different ages and backgrounds – family members who must reminisce how a certain President looked just like their son or brother. Quite an eclectic gathering.

@Darkeforce,

Stage 1 prostate cancer has a survival rate of 100% while the survival rate at stage 4 prostate cancer is about 33%.

Stage 1 breast cancer has an excellent survival rate of 98 to 100%, which eventually drops down to 16% at stage 4.

Additionally, though 1 in 6 men will contract prostate cancer, 95% of those will be 70 years or older. Breast cancer affects women from their early 20s and peaks in their 40s.

Instead of whining about the “800%” funding (when did you pass math), jump on the bandwagon and help bring awareness to the “men’s” cancers. Grow a Mo for Movember! Convince people to wear BLUE ribbons for prostate cancer. ACT!

BTW: 1 % of men are diagnosed with BREAST cancer (cuz we’ve got’em too). 4 sitting congressMEN are breast cancer survivors!

kheman, nicely put. To be honest, I didn’t know about the blue ribbons (though I am a bit tired of the entire ribbon phenomenon - pink, yellow, black, multi-colored - I’ve seen ‘em all, and it tends to be dizzying)

What is the “Mo” that you grow for Movember?

How come bob looks like president nixon?

I am sure they have no intention of curing the above cancers, when they are pulling in boocoo bucks for research that goes nowhere.

@kheman -

Just from the math point of view, “800%” makes plenty of sense - it means that one group gets eight times as much money as the other… (whether those numbers are true, I have no idea…)

@submachine -

There are many different types of cancers, and as far as treatment goes, one size definitely does NOT fit all. The research is difficult and tedious, and each type has to be studied and treated according to its own rules.

This ends up being extremely expensive. A lot has been done in the past half-century or so, and even more remains to be done.

If we’re going to spend money on research, I’d rather it be spent of figuring out how to fix what ails us, rather than weapons and the next great carbonated beverage or whatever…

BTW - anyone notice how the spammers have been getting really cute and creative with their graphics? Not that it stops me from flagging them… Anyone know how to get the codes they use for that?

If you are a POW/MIA or a cancer victim, do you feel comforted by the display of pieces of colored cloth?

Not really, but I do approve of the yellow “support our troops” ribbons; those do help, I’ve seen service people’s faces light up when they see one, it helps brighten their day knowing people do care that they are putting their lives in danger for the rest of us. Not too many MIA’s get to see the ribbons (since they are “Missing In Action…..), and it would have to be a released POW in order for them to have seen one……

I love how Wiley cuts to the essence of the issue - no matter what it is there will be pros and cons because that is the human condition.

As for the predators above, even with ASCII graphics it is “Stink, Stank and STUNK!!!”. Aarrrgggghhhh!

Bottom line we’re all dying to know is: Where can I get one of those ribbons, Bob?

“I’m comin’ home, I’ve done my time Now I’ve got to know what is and isn’t mine If you received my letter tellin’ you I’d soon be free”

I always took the lyrics of Tony Orlando’s song to be about a guy getting out of prison. So I can’t see how yellow ribbons ever came to be used to support our military.

And I agree about too much pink. How much money is spent on making pink things? How about spending that money on research instead?

I believe the yellow ribbon deal began, with a nod to the Tony Orlando song, as a sign of support for the hostages from the American embassy in Iran. From there, it came to mean support for the return of troops, etc.

I would prefer a ribbon that said, “I support our troops”, rather then an imperitive that someone else do so. I don’t have a ribbon; I have a sticker showing I’m a submarine veteran, and I figure that covers it.

The breast cancer awareness campaign is AWESOME! Women successfully do something (okay, many things) men don’t; they organize.

The 800% figure is conservative, however it is a comparative. Charitable donations are finite, the statistic was calculated not only with the increased donations by Breast Cancer groups, but also against decreased donations to other social agencies. The Red Shield Appeal (Salvation Army), United Way, food banks, etc have noted dramatic decreases in donated dollars. Some have publicly commented on the aggressive and successful pink campaign for redirecting “their” historical funding.

My wife even has pink grips on her golf clubs that she doesn’t use, and pink work boots that she doesn’t wear.

I like Bob.

Oh, I forgot, give prostate cancer the finger!

This reminds me so much of the people in this town who shove their religious views in your face like all over the back of their vehicle as if it were “normal” to be so arrogant and extremist while advertising their narrow views.

A lot of diseases, (like religion) there is no cure and people are vulnerable to being guilt-tripped into donating scare resources into a charity, like cancer research which has no chance of being cured as it’s a byproduct of evolution.

Which by the way, most religious addicts are essentially “science atheists” when it comes to reality-centric ideas or theories that require evidence to support their existence in reality.

So, don’t expect a cure for cancer anytime soon or if there ever is a cure, expect it to take another 30 or more years to be brought off the shelf while they milk the “find a cure” disingenuous “research cow”.

As a veteran, I can say that those made in china “ribbons” mean as much as a cup full of warm snot to me.

I realize that for a lot of Americans, symbolism means more to them, than personal sacrifice that me and my fellow veterans have answered the call of “duty”.

I’m still waiting for a “I sacrificed my comfort to stand a watch for a veteran while they unwind from an arduous tour of duty overseas” ribbon.

The “support” ribbon usually is hung on the back of a gas-guzzling SUV, which is part of the problem when our government feels compelled to sacrifice our lives to prevent the flow of gas-guzzling oil supply from ever being cut off.

If you want to support the troops, vote democrat, they typically won’t try to privatize or cut the funding for the VA like Bush did for 8 years while he was in control of the V.A. budget funding via his hand-picked cronies.

As a vet, I agree with you Aposteriori. I don’t need jingoism or a cheap ribbon shoved in my face, neither does my nephew who just returned from his 4th (and last I hope) trip to Afghanistan/Iraq.

Everything you just said reflects how I feel.

thank you for saying it better than me.

I don’t wear any ribbons. I don’t have money to spare. I donate blood to the Red Cross and free computer time to http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/ . They coordinate the download of project computations to your computer and the uploading of results. You can choose to work on Cancer, Childhood Cancer, Clean Water, Muscular Dystrophy, AIDS, Solar Energy, Human Proteome Folding, and Clean Energy. There is no cost and it does not affect the functioning of your computer. I’m Grainpaw on the Homebrewers Team.

Tuesday is the Big Day in the U.S.A. So EVERYONE GET OUT THERE and

wiley has always had exceptional art, but his tone is so meanspirited and cynical. I can only handle in doses.

Sounds like election “logic” to me

Why more awareness for breast cancer, than for prostate or testicular? Simple. Visibility. There is ample attention paid in our culture to breasts. Many women go to great lengths to accentuate their bustline. Most men like to look at breasts.

Few of us will ever see our own prostates, let alone anyone else’s, and while we men tend to be very fond of our testicles, I don’t think very many of us would consider them “showpieces.” In almost any body-part beauty contest, breasts are going to win over testicles by a landslide.

(This only marginally serious post brought to you by the letter ‘B’ and the number 2…)

Love you Wiley. You’ve done it again. Hit the nail right on its head with this one.

Re the ribbon vs none debate. I contribute but I don’t take a ribbon.

The only thing I wear is a Poppy for Remembrance. The Vets in Canada sell these around this time of year and I buy at least 4 in the 2 weeks leading up to November 11th. Again, I only take one if I need to replace the one I was wearing due to loss, because the poppies are only held on with a straight pin and can be easily knocked off your lapel by seat belts, etc. Few years ago however, found the solution and wear a dual flag (U.S. & Canadian) tie pin skewering the centre of the poppy. Keeps it in place and I can then just “buy” my support. The money collected goes to various “Vet” related issues, as well as the “Champs” program for kids who have lost limbs to illness. The research into lost Vet limbs was extended to include this group after the WWII vets began dying off in the sixties and seventies.

So, buy a poppy, wear it and support our troops, both old and new!

@joefish25 - You must be awfully sensative about your politics if you think today’s strip is about the election.

@Darkeforce - I’m a cancer survivor (Non-Hodgekins Lymphoma), and my wife has leukemia. I’m just glad to see some sign that people are aware of the dangers - and potential for curing - any cancer.

For too many years, it was something no one spoke about (it was the “C” word), because it was considered a death sentance. When my grandfather was diagnosed 40 years ago, it was discussed in whispers.

Now we talk about it, walk about it, contribute to research, and fight it, all in the light of day. It’s still bleeep scary, but we know we aren’t facing it alone, and know we have a chance to beat it.

Not too shabby for a piece of ribbon.

So funny! Good one, Wiley!

comicsexpert: it helps enormously to employ your sense of humor when you read the comics, being an expert, I thought you would know this.

PEOPLE! Let’s not inject meaning where there is none. The comic isn’t about awareness of anything; it’s about one more way of saying “I’m superior to you because I’m doing something and you’re not.”

To those who actually know what the cause of certain ribbons is about and actually care, kudos. But let’s not forget plenty of others just do it because they want to be seen as morally superior even when they couldn’t care less.

It’s “mourning.” Morning is the time before noon…

But where’s his flag?

Bob needs to learn it’s what’s on the inside that matters. It is possible to care about others without having to rub it in other people’s faces and feel morally superior.

They did a “Movember” fund-raiser at our workplace a few years ago, where several of the men volunteered to grow mustaches in order to raise money for men’s health issues. The fund-raising was very successful! Work productivity on the other hand…. (As a woman, it was very hard to interact with Tom Selleck look-alikes without wanting to avert our eyes - very distracting during meetings. I was happy when December came. Overall, everyone had a good time raising money for a good cause. Perhaps next time they try it, women can donate money for the men not to grow mustaches….)

Hoomi – no, the reason there is more money for breast cancer than other cancers is that it was totally neglected for over 70 years and women finally got mad and demanded research into better diagnostics, treatments, and hopefully one day a cure.

As one who has been there, I can only say that I was completely amazed that the treatment options were so limited and impotent – for a disease they have known about for over 100 years.

It could also be added that prostate cancer diagnostic procedures are much less dangerous (radiation), painful, and destructive than those for breast cancer. It does seem that if they can devise a blood test for prostate cancer, they can do the same for breast cancer – but they will NEVER give up those mammo machines.

And, yes, they could just skip the ribbons and put the money where it might do some good.

I don’t wear any ribbons and where I’ve given is to general cancer research. I think that it actually can begin anywhere and spread to other organs of people not in optimal health. My dad had a small skin cancer on his nose, and died of stomach cancer that was not detected until a month before he passed.

Another reason prostate cancer is less urgent: some are active, but most are quite slow growing, while breast cancers tend to be more aggressive. If a 80-year-old will die of cancer in 25 years…

Wow! Wiley’s most prescient strip. Here he predicts the rise of the ‘virtue signaling’ we see around us now in 2022.