In The Pink

Germaine Greer has too much time on her hands. Either that, or The Guardian is clearly short of good copy. The British newspaper has published an article -- or rather, a rant -- by Greer on the theme of the color pink. Reading it makes me blush with embarrassment.

"Why has the world gone pink mad?" Greer asks. "It's the colour of hypocrisy, gingivitis and all things girly."

The article is mildly interesting for its esoteric insights into the history and culture surrounding the color. I had no idea, for instance, that "the heyday of pink as we know it began in 1859, when a new pigment was isolated from coal-tar and called after the nearby town of Magenta." But Greer's dislike of the color of candy floss and roses cannot be taken seriously. The whole thing feels like a high school debating exercise. Reminds me of when I stood up in class as a teenager and created an argument against scaffolding.

Beyond that, I don't think the world has gone more pink mad than it has gone, say, ga-ga for green. The environmental movement's signature color is far more prevalent in popular discourse and far more evident on supermarket shelves than the color pink has been, is or ever will be.

Let's face it Germaine. There are far more important things in the world to get uptight about than the color pink. Even along the color spectrum, other hues are more troubling. Like the dangers of living one's life seeing only the color red. Or the refusal to understand that not everything in the world is black or white.