Seen this poster for the CrossFit for Hope fundraiser?
It has offended some people. It upsets me as well. Let me first state that this poster is NOT A JOKE!!!! Russell Burger who works for CrossFit put together I think rather eloquently some commentary on it.
“I get what it’s trying to do, convey the horror of what child illness really looks like, which makes me want to help. A lot of other people are outraged. I talked to Greg Glassman this morning about his decision to create this poster and this is what he had to say:
“If you don’t like it, throw the posters away for God’s sake!! You get it or you don’t. If the poster is honestly disgusting to you, you’d probably not survive a visit to see the real thing. I get that.
The point is to support cure, treatment, and prevention of catastrophic children’s illnesses by any effective means rather than to produce ill conceived, corporate, maudlin, art work of no importance or net effect so that nobody is actually confronted with the reality of dead or dying kids. Plenty of others are doing this already.”
Glassman explained to me that the poster was wholly inspired by his visit to Phoenix Children’s Hospital Pediatric ICU two years ago while his son was a patient there. He described seeing this exact scene- An attractive female nurse pulling a train of four wagons, each containing pale, sick children with black eyes, hunched over looking like nothing even close to human. He said it made him weep right on the spot. He says he stands by the posters artistic representation and potential effect on the cause. He said seeing “the wagons” has changed his life forever.
As far as I see it this poster should upset you, but why it upsets you and how you choose to direct that is up to the individual. I just hope people will rally around this cause regardless of their opinions on this piece of artwork.”
In any event, it was never my intention to upset anyone to any kind of degree where they thought they need to sign a petition to have the poster removed. I will of course take down the poster. If anyone would like to see it, let me know. I hope that regardless of how you feel, that you are inspired to raise money for this cause. CrossFit is trying to raise 1.7 million dollars for St. Judes. That money is enough to keep the hospital afloat for ONE DAY. St. Jude’s hospital never turns patients away EVER!!! They truly need our help.
Todd
