I wanted to hear what Nancy Brinker had to say. The founder of an organization that has been passionately, seminally and inspirationally at the forefront of breast cancer awareness, screening, research and pink ribbons deserves our time during this heated and seemingly very political juncture. Is the “bi-partisan” issue of breast cancer advocacy intertwined with the impossibly heated abortion debate? Please, say it isn’t so. I watched Brinker’s response video four times and then watched her interview with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. I was very surprised by what I saw.
First (and I am not joking) is the serious problem of Botox, which as its own subject has been on my mind of late. I don’t know what your experience is, but I am practicing how to focus while I am talking to someone who has unmoving face parts. I find it seriously distracting and while I don’t really care about the decisions people make about feeling and looking good, as a human being and a communications analyst, I find it incredibly hard to deconstruct facial expression and body language. So when I look for the visual cues that inform trust, credibility, and honesty, it is hard to tell what is true, especially with a stranger, and frankly, that really bugs me. Nancy Brinker You Tube Message
I was stunned by how distracted I was by the Ambassador’s immobile face. I had to watch this clip over and over until on take four I realized, “just listen and don’t look.” Then I watched her interview with Andrea Mitchell. Andrea Mitchell Interviews Nancy Brinker
Understandably, the woman is very defensive. She is under attack. But what I see and hear feels unreal. While she is a polished and experienced person in front of the camera, her words and phrases seem jargony and don’t add up; all the “new standards for metrics that Planned Parenthood doesn’t meet,” the “new strategies required” and “changes necessary to further our mission” were circling around something much more fundamental. The net effect of watching and listening to her was distrust. Does that mean that Susan G. Komen is becoming a political force in an already sickeningly polarized, slightly fanatical election year? I deeply hope not. I encourage you to listen to what she has to say and decide for yourself.
-Charlotte