The leaves have fallen, frost is on car windows every morning, and hundreds of bros across the North Side are posting selfies to show off their sometimes pitiful, sometimes impressive attempts at growing mustaches.
Yes, we're in the midst of another Movember.
For those of you not in the mo (that's the only pun in this column, I swear!), Movember is a tradition in which guys grow mustaches to raise awareness for prostate cancer and other men's health issues. The global phenomenon born in Australia is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
But go through your Facebook or Instagram feeds and you'd hardly know Movember has anything to do with cancer, men's health or Aussies at all. Too many of the guys participating in Movember don't seem interested in the cause. Instead, they see it as a cool way to stay occupied between Halloween and Black Wednesday.
Think I'm way wrong? Tell me one thing you've learned about prostate cancer, testicular cancer or men's health so far this month. Go on. I'll wait.
I was interested in learning about the campaign and its purpose, so I asked a few Movember bros about men's health. You know what I got? A lot of "uh" and "dunno" answers.
I learned more about men's health only while doing research for this column. I went to the Movember website, appropriately enough.
Here are a few important facts every man should know, directly from us.movember.com:
>>One in six American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetimes, making it the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men after skin cancer.
>>A man is 35 percent more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than a woman is to be diagnosed with breast cancer.
>>Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men between the ages of 15 and 35.
While I learned all of this and more from the website, I'm sad to say not one mustachioed participant I've met ever passed on any information about prostate cancer, testicular cancer or men's health. Not this year, not last year and not the year before that. Never.
Either Movember needs to get back to its roots, or those bros who use Movember only as an excuse to put their d-baggery on full display need to find someone else's campaign to ruin. I get that Movember is fun, in a male camaraderie sort of way. But this is bigger than a few whiskers.
To the dudes taking Movember seriously and using their fuzzy lips to spread the word about common forms of cancer among the hairier sex, I salute you. We all should be making sure our boys are taking good care of their boys.
Onward, bros! And check for lumps!
Hector Luis Alamo Jr. is a RedEye special contributor.
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