Great tits T shirt -like or dislike? Please read.

[Guest user]

How many members does this forum have, anyone know? We can work out the percentage of dislikes and neutral/like members then.

[Guest user]

I have just been contacted by The Wright Stuff on Channel 5. The issue will run tomorrow on their live show. Please ring in to let them know your views. They are following the debate on this forum and are aware of the controversy.

[Guest user]

Morning

With regard to the standard reply I received from BBC I assume that the last part of it is their mission statement:

'Breakthrough Breast Cancer is dedicated to improving and saving lives through finding the causes of breast cancer, encouraging early detection, ensuring precise diagnosis, discovering new and better treatments, and improving medical services.
We believe passionately that breast cancer can be beaten. Our aim is to bring together the best minds and rally the support of all those whose lives have been, or may one day be, affected by the disease.'

If this is the case then they are failing pretty badly on gaining the support of all those whose lives have been affected by the disease by their endorsement of this t-shirt.

[Jo_C]

Someone has just posted that Channel 5 are interested in following up on the story ......

[Guest user]

My daughter said this is a way getting people talking about it and it gets lots of publicity for them.But i hope we have a chance to give our side and feelings.so if your going to the press this will be good. x

[Ninja]

Even if you don't have press contacts, if you're on FB, you DO have access to Breakthrough BC's wall.
Post your feelings on it - quite a few have said that they are never going to give money to them again after this.

[Guest user]

Been busy emailing media, just had reply from channel 5, they are following up the story. Will keep you posted.

[Guest user]

So. What happens now?

[Guest user]

DISLIKE

would they make jokes like this about other cancers/major illnesses?
don't think so

capitalism at its crudest

[xwelcomex]

If anyone does take this to the press, please inbox me first. I have something helpful.

[Ninja]

The pic of the T-shirt is still there, in the gallery.

The mass removal of comments by BC sufferers sounds like disability discrimination. Call me old-fashioned, but isn't that illegal?

[belinda]

Re going to the press with this story does anyone have good 'contacts'?
I remembered reading this article by Libby Brooks in The Guardian online..
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/02/cancer.women
it was written a few years ago but The Guardian might be very interested in our voices being silenced..?

[Midge]

Well that just takes the biscuit. They have removed the picture from the top of the page, so i thought maybe they had removed the product, but while they have removed all of negative comments they have retained the positive.

Wonder how long that one post will last. Really hope the national press have been informed.

[Ninja]

English Threads has "disfriended" loads of us at a stroke, thus removing our posts and we have been banned from posting if we become 'likers' again.

One new post has appeared:
"The very fact that the admin of this page has deleted all negative comments made by breast cancer sufferers, and blocked the sufferers from commenting, shows that this company is using breast cancer as a cynical marketing ploy and nothing more. Many people have been upset and their genuine grievance with this product has been ignored. This has now been shared with the national press and I am sure will lead to a boycott of all your products. Admit you cocked up (pardon the pun) and disassociate this product from Breast Cancer."

While it is on, I have used the "report page" button. One cannot enter free text, but there was a drop-down option for "upsetting folk with an illness or disability"

I suggest that anyone who is annoyed by this dreadful withdrawal of freedom of speech by breast cancer sufferers does the same.

[Guest user]

DISLIKE

Ugh, don't get it. Have I missed a pun or something? Don't really understand its relevance to BC.

[doxey]

DISLIKE

[Guest user]

Definately dislike !!!
I object to anything that trivialses this horrible disease that kills far too often + rips families apart. there is nothing fun+ lighthearted about breast cancer. Nothing at all. Maybe I've lost my sense of humour + need to 'lighten up' but strangely, I don't get the joke, being a young woman+ mum to a toddler, battling a terminal disease...
Really disappointed that breakthrough have associated themselves with this.
Tina x

[oldandlumpy]

i am surprised the press has not got hold of this--they would love the story

[Guest user]

Since quite a few have taken the trouble to voice their opinion on this and clearly English threads are ignoring us is their any way that bcc could help us get our point across? It is plain that English threads do not want dissent as they took down the fb page and previously deleted adverse comments. Anyone can make a mistake, I feel it's time that they at least acknowledge how it has made some people feel.

[Bunny3]

Absolutely DISLIKE!!!
It is so in appropriate and I made my feeling clear on the English Threads FB page but it was deleted!!

DISLIKE

[tors]

Bumping up for the night shift

[Guest user]

post deleted

[Guest user]

Dislike I agree with others when they say it's not the t shirt it's the fact it is associated with bc xx

[nymeria]

Dislike - horribly insensitive when associated with BC.

[Guest user]

El Kat, if u haven't done so, u need to read the post from Knowles about sleeping in a dorm, halfway down page 3 of the 'Wind' thread, that really had me crying with laughter, hilarious, i'm still laughing at it.

[Guest user]

DISLIKE....completely inappropriate and insensitive.

[AnnieK68]

Dislike & not because I haven't got a sense of humour! I've had such a laugh about my smurfy nipple (still here after more than 6 weeks!) with family & friends but I wouldn't broadcast it to the world!

[katytc]

T shirt fine if you like that sort of thing but the association with bc is abhorrent, disgusted by the lighten up comment on FB. I think we have an amazing sense of humour reading through the many threads have laughed out loud lots of times but the insensitivity towards bc ladies is appalling so DISLIKE x

[Guest user]

Totally agree - If anyone doesn't find this offensive in the context of raising money for BC then please do say so and don't be afraid you'll be "bullied" 😉 (As was suggested by the MD guy)

Everyone is entitled to have their opinion - especially people who HAVE BC who should not be offended by the items used to raise money for them and future BC people.

[Guest user]

HJV - giving birth to a blue alien - that was hilarious, I was practically crying with laughter then. That's just how I felt! My first constipation poo after my operation and a load of codeine etc.
I was expecting it to start running round the bathroom screaming!

Ha ha ha ha.

Thanks for that!

[Guest user]

DISLIKE completely insensive

[Guest user]

DISLIKE. It's vile.

[tors]

Too tired to count but 100% dislike of this t-shirt being associated with breast cancer awareness and fundraising so far.

If anybody does think the ends do justify the means, or just aren't bothered by it, please post as nobody should be scared of doing so. Thanks x

[Guest user]

Dislike. Would never wear and certainly never buy!

It just lacks respect doesn't it???

[Guest user]

Dislike the tshirt, completely inappropriate to be associated with BC.

El Kat, if u want a good chuckle have a read through the 'Wind' thread, i was crying with laughter last night, it was soooo funny.

[Guest user]

How insensitive, definitely DISLIKE

[d1zzy22]

Me too DISLIKE. I find it totally offensive on all levels, I think it would make a woman/girl look cheap!

[Ninja]

DISLIKE

I posted on EThreads and BBC pages.

[Guest user]

DISLIKE

[Guest user]

Supertrouper - it's good to have a good old rant though 😄
But agree, could do with a bit of "like" at the moment, perhaps going back to having a good old inappropriate laugh about rudey things again to lighten the mood.
We're all pretty much capable of a good old chuckle as well as a good old rant.

[supertrouper]

I DISLIKE the connection of the t-shirt with breast cancer. I don't mind the t-shirt itself although I would never have worn something that drew attention to my boobs.

I also dislike all the disliking of things at the moment. Or am I on my own with this one.

[Guest user]

OK - I misunderstood and thought we were just commenting on the tshirt - and was just showing that there was a market for the t-shirts as many comments were about how terrible the t-shirt was and were questioning why people would wear the t-shirt. There are alot of people who would wear tshirts like this... But that's not the issue. And also - they weren't designed FOR people with breast cancer to wear.

Changing my vote to DISLIKE for the connection with Breakthrough Breast Cancer. (But still neutral on the actual tshirt!).

[Guest user]

as Tshirts go I have said on the other thread that i put this on a par with the ones you get with hand prints on the boobs!.... my opinion is the same as EL KAT.... (maybe I' turning into her).. I dont mind it, its the BC connection that is wrong

[Guest user]

ABSOLUTELY DISLIKE!

[Guest user]

Sandytoes - I like the t-shirt, I don't like that it's in support of BC though as it's not appropriate in that instance.
So I guess you're not on your own with liking it for what it is, just not as a fund raiser.

I'd have worn it maybe 10 years ago.

[Guest user]

A bit ashamed of being the only one.

I see people with REALLY rude stuff on their t-shirts - have seen the "c" word and all sorts... I've seen very similar tshirts with "great pair" with a pear and one with "tits" on too. In fact, I just googled it and found others:

http://www.zazzle.co.uk/great_pair_of_blue_tits_tshirt-235965541660560192
and

http://www.redbubble.com/people/jon77lees/t-shirts/3089319-a-nice-pair-of-great-tits

So there is a market for this kind of thing - people DO buy and wear them.

I understand that the issue here is that a breast cancer charity is connected to this shirt and I do agree that this is inappropriate - and I assume that this Simon chap of English Threads has approached the charities to add a unique selling point to his shirts and to boost his sales and cash in on breast cancer awareness month rather than because it's a charity close to his heart otherwise I am sure he would have designed something more appropriate which I also think is completely inappropriate.

I was just commenting on the t-shirt itself. I, personally, don't like it or dislike it - am neutral on the t-shirt itself. BUT completely agree with the controversy around the t-shirt's connection with Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

I actually have a friend (well, more of a friend of a friend, but a VERY good friend of one of my best friends) who works for Breakthrough Breast Care. I'll find out the circumstances of how the association came about.

[xwelcomex]

After I was told about the T shirt I posted the first query on the Breakthrough site this morning; couldn't quite believe they had ok'd it. Then went over to English Threads to suggest that they had it wrong. It is heartening to see the support in favour of my comment since this morning.

So big dislike.

[Guest user]

I've seen it on a social networking site, and think it's in bad taste. My daughter doesn't like it either.
It's a double dislike from us.

[tors]

Current tally

36 dislike
1 neutral or like

[libby_2010]

DISLIKE
DISLIKE
DISLIKE