If Rubber Bracelets Ruled The World

First, there was Lance Armstrong and his yellow “Live Strong” bracelet. An uplifting message and every dollar went to cancer research. That was pretty cool. Everyone and his cousin Ed was wearing one.

Within 6 months – and it seems forever after – there was a veritable rainbow of bracelets you could buy to support everything from breast cancer research (don’t forget your Daily Click… over there to the right… no, your other right!) to your alma mater to “Walk Your Dog Day”. Okay, I made that last one up. But I seriously think it’s gotten a little out of control. With the profusion of colored bracelets out there – and there are so many causes and backstories – how is anyone supposed to know what the hell you’re supporting?

A friend of mine was here the other evening, and being naturally attracted to the color purple these days (pink, too – couldn’t you tell?), I noticed that she was wearing a purple rubber bracelet, and asked what it was for. K being a generally sensible kind of girl and being tuned in to the grassroots – which I’m not usually – I was expecting something noble. She showed it to me and it said: “A Complaint-Free World”. A complaint-free world?

Apparently some pastor in a church in Kansas City (no, I don’t remember which KC), got tired of hearing his parishioners complain about things. So he had a bunch of these purple bracelets made up and handed them out to the congregation. The idea is to wear it on your wrist (obvy!) everyday for 21 days without complaining about something. If at anytime you catch yourself complaining, you have to move the bracelet to the other wrist and start over again. The pastor picked 21 days because researchers say that 21 days is the amount of time it takes to learn or unlearn a behavior. It’s become a freaking world-wide movement. Even Oprah had the guy on.

I mean, I can see wanting to stop a lot of the trivial whining you hear a lot of people do on a regular basis (like one of my co-workers: “…so-and-so leaves early all the time, so why can’t I? so-and-so is always late (or never at her desk, or always on the phone, or….” shut UP, already, will you?!?) Does anyone make a “Whine-Free World” bracelet?

But seriously, if no one complained, how would we evolve? Women and minorities would be content to be second class (or lower) citizens, for example (we may still be thought of that way by many, but we don’t have to be content about it). Disabled people wouldn’t have ramps to access public buildings and transportation. So, you shouldn’t complain about the high price of gas? You shouldn’t complain when your neighbor builds a three-story monolith in a one-story neighborhood? You shouldn’t complain to the cable company when you pay for service you’re not getting? Am I missing something?

Nope, sorry. A Complaint-Free World. I’m not buying it. If no one complained, then the powers that be – from the government to the schoolyard bully – would get away with anything and everything.

Or better yet, maybe we should start a “Rubber Bracelet-Free World” campaign. I think black – it goes with everything.