Pink (Pro) vs. Purple (Con)

I will begin by addressing my opponents arguments and will then explain the harms of the color pink and the benefits of the color purple. In their opening statement Pro claims "pink is the color of love." This is simply not the case. Pink is most often associated with feminine stereotypes. Red is a color of passion and is most often regarded as the color of love. In fact, people are more likely to find a member of the opposite gender more attractive when they're wearing red. (1) Not to mention most things that symbolize love are red (red rose, red lipstick, red hearts, etc.) Pro points out that pink is the color used in the breast cancer awareness campaign and claims that the color does not represent anything like that. That is simply not true, the purple ribbon is most commonly used to represent awareness for military kids, victims of homophobia, and awareness of interpersonal violence and abuse prevention. (2) It can also represent awareness for ADHD, Alzheimer's, animal abuse, cancer survivors (all kinds), children left unattended in cars, cystic fibrosis, epilepsy, lupus, macular degeneration, March of Dimes, thyroid cancer, pancreatic cancer, religious tolerance, the homeless, the victims of 9/11, and dozens of other things. (3) Having addressed Pro's argument, I will now proceed to present the Con argument. I) Pink has a net negative effect on individuals and society. First of all I should point out that the color pink has a psychological effect of making people feel weaker and more passive, thus the reason pink is often associated with promoting negative or oppressive stereotypes about women. This effect is also often utilized in professional sports where the away team locker rooms are painted pink so that they are less competitive on the field. Pink might be a good color for a young girls room but is otherwise largely unhelpful. Pro pointed out that pink is used for breast cancer awareness which sounds good but is actually somewhat negative in that almost as much money is donated to breast cancer awareness as gets donated to actual research and treatment. The movement has by and large become a cultural fad that's more about virtue signaling than actual virtue or benefiting those that suffer from breast cancer. II) Purple has positive psychological effects. According to color scientists and color psychologists, "Purple utilizes both red and blue to provide a nice balance between stimulation and serenity that is supposed to encourage creativity. Light purple is said to result in a peaceful surrounding, thus relieving tension. These could be great colors for a home or business office." (4) There have been many studies that have shown different positive effects for both red and blue and purple, being a combination, can be adjusted to be more red or more blue depending on the desired effect. For instance, blue has a calming effect on the mind and has been proven to boost performance of weight lifters and people taking tests. Conversely, red has been proven to boost performance in competitive athletics and combat. By making a purple more red or more blue you can get closer to either effect or find a nice balance between the two. It also has the strongest electromagnetic wavelength, being just a few wavelengths up from x-rays and gamma rays hence black lights being purple. III) Purple has positive associations. Purple ribbons represent awareness for a great deal of serious conditions and problems faced by our society as I elaborated in my rebuttal of the Pro argument. The Purple Heart is one of the highest awards for outstanding bravery in military service. The reason purple was chosen may have something to do with it being representative of honor or prestige throughout history. In the United States there has been increasing political polarization which has been the cause of a lot of animosity between those on the left and right side of the political spectrum. The left side (Democrat) is represented by the color blue while the right side (Republican) is represented by the color red. It makes sense then that the Independent Party would choose the color purple as a sign of compromise between the two opposing sides. Often political compromise is represented by the color purple which is something our nation desperately needs. Purple was also historically associated with royalty, luxury, and wealth because purple dyes were rare. To this day, the color purple plays an important part in the Catholic Church. It is the color of penance and martyrdom, and during the Passion of Christ, all crucifixes are covered in purple cloth. In conclusion, it seems obvious that purple has far more beneficial and a far greater variety of uses than pink. I urge a vote for Con based on the positive associations and psychological effects of the color purple in comparison to the somewhat negative associations and psychological effects of the color pink. Thank you. 1) https://www.psychologytoday.com... 2) https://en.m.wikipedia.org... 3) http://awarenessribbongifts.com... 4) http://www.arttherapyblog.com...