Why do we call it "raising awareness" in reference to certain things?

I think of it as raising the topic to get more people talking about it. A conversation starter promoting a good end. People see a ribbon, a bra color et al, and they start talking about it by sharing personal stories or research. The more people talk/think about something the more likely they are to donate money, volunteer or even vote on certain topics.

To me, that’s what they mean by raising awareness- not just of the problem, but of the solutions as well.

EDIT: ”...or even quirkier methods…”

I suppose I shouldn’t think too hard when I first wake up.

I absolutely take your point, and see what you mean about awareness – if we are talking about awareness of those things, full stop, then yes, I fully agree that it seems silly to try and make people “aware” of something they probably already know about.

However, I don’t really think that’s entirely the aim of the “awareness raising”, although I agree with you that the language used and justifications given are pretty ambiguous sometimes! I have always assumed it to mean raising awareness in the sense of letting people know about associated and less well-known factors that may relate to the cause (e.g., if we’re talking about an illness, I would take that as symptom awareness, or preventative action people can take, etc.).

For example, “raising awareness” of breast cancer may not mean telling people “hey, there’s a type of cancer which occurs in the breasts”, but it could mean trying to share the message of the importance of examining your breasts regularly, going to speak to a doctor if anything strange comes up, and so on. Every young woman in my acquiantance knows what breast cancer is, of course. I’d say that a fraction of those women regularly examine their breasts and could name some of the associated symptoms beyond a lump or growth, or are aware that if they take the contraceptive pill, they have a slightly increased risk of developing breast cancer.

A big part of the solutions to these problems comes from private donations that help fund the research to find the cures. Think Jerry Lewis MDA Telethons. Without raising awareness the problems fade into the shadows and ownership of the problems goes back to just those directly affected and they cannot solve these problems alone.

You make an assumption about “most people” here. I agree, however, that catch phrases become an irritation to the ear.

@perspicacious of course it is an assumption. But the overuse of the concept of “raising awareness” seems to undermine the point for me. I don’t mean to keep using breast cancer as my example, but I suppose I’ll keep on the same track. I feel like wearing a pink ribbon ought to be a supportive thing. It gives people a sense of community to be a part of something like that, a behavior that links people together on common ground. I just feel like “raising awareness for breast cancer” seems so generic and meaningless (I don’t want that to sound offensive, because I’m only attacking the choice of words/method.. certainly not the act itself.) When maybe the focus ought to be on preventative measures. Raise awareness of the importance of a self exam. The way that we do things now just seems vague. It’s really just semantics. I just feel that the overuse of the phrase “raising awareness” detracts from the real message. I think people start to tune it out.. because honestly, who isn’t raising awareness for something?

I always think it’s dangerous to say “most people.” We forget how many totally clueless people there are among us.

@TheOnlyNeffie I do see your point as the more we see the pink ribbons and yellow “Live Strong” wrist bands the more we could think “OK problem solved”...time to move along.

“Raising awareness” seems to be the “raising consciousness” of the new millenium. Fad expressions get overused, become hackneyed, and eventually fade away. The same thing happened to “at this point in time,” which has mercifully disappeared and been replaced with “now.”