Have you heard of Go Red For Women? It’s an effort by the American Heart Association to raise awareness of heart disease in women. Friday is National Wear Red Day.
The AHA can’t really seem to get its statistics straight, claiming on one page that women account for over 52.6% of cardiovascular disease deaths here while stating the following here: “Final 2005 CVD death rates were 331.1 for males and 237.1 for females.” Furthermore, 2006 data on heart disease deaths shows the number of men per 100,000 who died from heart disease is 248.8 while the number for women is 162.2. In other words, men are 53.4% more likely to die from heart disease each year than women.
Again we see warping of statistics to serve a female-centric / men-don’t-matter agenda, just like when we’re told women rarely commit domestic violence, women never lie about rape, and only women’s cancer deserves funding. Now, apparently women die of heart disease more often than men!
It’s great to raise awareness that heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States, but do they really have to exclude men? Apparently that’s the whole point, as you can see by their campaign for the HEART for Women Amendment: “Over the last 25 years, the death rate for heart disease in men has declined steadily (by more than 17%), while the death rate for women has declined by only 2.5%, resulting in a disparity in heart disease mortality in women compared to men.”
Ooh, there’s that disparity buzz word. It’s funny how even when men die more often there’s a disparity against women. And when women receive almost 60% of degrees, there’s a disparity in engineering degrees against women. And when women make the same pay for equal work, there’s a disparity in the number of female CEOs. Are we sensing a pattern here?
Heck, maybe with enough focus on the Go Red For Women movement – as opposed to a movement focused on heart health for both genders – we can turn that statistic around and get the death rate for men to go up where it ought to be! Seriously, though, the American Heart Association could still raise awareness in women just as effectively by calling it Go Red For Women and Men day.
No worries, though. Even if you’re male, you can call 1-888-MY-HEART for more information on how WOMEN can join the Go Red For Women movement and how WOMEN can get free information on heart health. Too bad my heart isn’t located in a woman’s body.
I propose we organize a Wear Tie-Dye For Men event. After all, men are #1 when it comes to dying. Last time I checked men still die five years younger than women and have higher death rates for the ten leading causes of death. Let’s call for men and women to wear a t-shirt with at least ten colors on it to work, one for each cause of death that men die more often from. I’m sure it would get attention.
