Those rubber bracelets are all the rage with kids these days. The yellow Livestrong bands are almost ubiquitous on campus, with many people sporting a veritable rainbow of bracelets for worthy causes. Of course few people care about the cause they are purporting to support, ask any a few questions about the charity responsible for the bands and you’ll be met with blank looks. _“But I’m fighting poverty!”_. Rubbish. Donate some money, volunteer your time, that’ll get things done. By and large, it seems these bracelets are firstly fashion items, secondly self-conscious “I’m socially-conscious” badges of honour and thirdly something that will help anyone other than the wearer.
Bah, humbug.
How about selling bracelets with subversive messages to highlight how silly it all is? The messages might be along the lines of general consumer whoreage, or perhaps ‘supporting’ unloved causes such as the rights of fur-seal hunters, globalisation, tobacco industry workers etc? I’d buy one.
