March of Dimes: Difference between revisions

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{{a|devil|}}The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, was — and is, a US charity, set up at Franklin D. Roosevelt’s prompting, to combat polio. <Ref>Eddie Cantor invented the title "The March of Dimes" for the donation campaign in 1938 — it was a play on “The March of Time” newsreels popular at the time. The radio campaign asked listeners to mail a dime to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, at that time, After funding Jonas Salk's polio vaccine, which basically eradicated polio, the organisation “expanded its focus” — pivoted, as they say — to address the prevention of birth defects and infant mortality generally, rather than for polio specifically, since polio specifically turned out not to be the enduring problem.
{{a|devil|}}{{quote|
''March of flowers <br>
''March of dimes<br>
''These are the prisons<br>
''These are the crimes<br>
''Sound of thunder<br>
''Sound of gold<br>
''Sound of the Devil <br>
''Breaking parole —''
:—David Bowie, '' Ricochet'' (1983)}}
The [[March of Dimes|National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis]], was — and is a U.S. charity, originally set up at Franklin D. Roosevelt’s prompting, to combat polio.<Ref>Entertainer Eddie Cantor invented the title “The March of Dimes” for the donation campaign in 1938 — it was a play on “The March of Time” newsreels popular at the time. The radio campaign asked listeners to “mail a dime” to Roosevelt, a well known polio sufferer.</ref>
 
After funding Jonas Salk's polio vaccine, which basically eradicated polio in 1952, the organisation “expanded its focus” — pivoted, as they say — to address the prevention of birth defects and infant mortality generally, rather than for polio specifically, since polio in itself turned out not to be the enduring problem.


This is all good news, of course — but, as {{author|John Gall}} observes<ref>{{br|Systemantics: The Systems Bible}}</ref> it serves as a prescient and salutary reminder that [[power structure]]s established for a one purpose, which meet it, do not fold up their tents and go away. [[Power structure]]s tend to have lives, and survival instincts, that transcend their earthly purpose.
This is all good news, of course — but, as {{author|John Gall}} observes<ref>{{br|Systemantics: The Systems Bible}}</ref> it serves as a prescient and salutary reminder that [[power structure]]s established for a one purpose, which meet it, do not fold up their tents and go away. [[Power structure]]s tend to have lives, and survival instincts, that transcend their earthly purpose.

Latest revision as of 22:41, 11 August 2021


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March of flowers
March of dimes
These are the prisons
These are the crimes
Sound of thunder
Sound of gold
Sound of the Devil
Breaking parole —

—David Bowie, Ricochet (1983)

The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, was — and is — a U.S. charity, originally set up at Franklin D. Roosevelt’s prompting, to combat polio.[1]

After funding Jonas Salk's polio vaccine, which basically eradicated polio in 1952, the organisation “expanded its focus” — pivoted, as they say — to address the prevention of birth defects and infant mortality generally, rather than for polio specifically, since polio in itself turned out not to be the enduring problem.

This is all good news, of course — but, as John Gall observes[2] it serves as a prescient and salutary reminder that power structures established for a one purpose, which meet it, do not fold up their tents and go away. Power structures tend to have lives, and survival instincts, that transcend their earthly purpose.

See also

References

  1. Entertainer Eddie Cantor invented the title “The March of Dimes” for the donation campaign in 1938 — it was a play on “The March of Time” newsreels popular at the time. The radio campaign asked listeners to “mail a dime” to Roosevelt, a well known polio sufferer.
  2. Systemantics: The Systems Bible