Uttering the words “Knocked Up” for the first time at any congressional hearing, Seth Rogen made a splash this week with a profound speech about the importance of acknowledging and fighting Alzheimers Disease just as we do for cancer. He began by cracking jokes at his own expense, acknowledging the movies he is famous for and his stance on legalizing marijuana. After getting a few laughs he quickly and seamlessly transitioned into the serious topic of how Alzheimers Disease has personally affected his life. He (and his wife) were brave in taking this stance and telling their personal battle with the disease after his mother in law (her mom) was diagnosed. Rogen was able to reach a large and important audience with his story by using his fame as a platform to gain recognition for a subject he deems of the utmost importance. This is quite an admirable thing to do in my opinion.
In the way he spoke it was very clear that he was not trying to do this publicly to make himself look good, or gain any attention for “Seth Rogen the actor”. He is genuinely perturbed by the lack of knowledge this generation has about the disease and the “hush hush” way in which it is discussed. He asserted that instead of being ashamed of the diagnoses, people need to start sharing their stories and advocating the fight for the cure just as they do when people battle cancer.
While watching his speech I began to feel disappointed in myself because I am actually included in the group of people he is talking about who are not educated on the disease and not actively trying to help raise awareness. However, instead of trying to make his audience feel guilty for not knowing, he related, by saying that he too did not realize the extent of the disease until his life was directly affected by it. It was not until his mother-in-law was several years into her diagnoses that he realized the symptoms are much more than “forgetting your keys, or wearing mis-matched shoes”. His mother-in-law now cannot remember anyone or anything, even how to go to the bathroom on her own. All of the care surrounding this currently untreatable disease costs a fortune, even for a movie star like Seth Rogen. So how could anyone else possibly afford it? (that’s a whole other can of worms about the health care reform)
Rogen and his wife decided to stop talking about wanting to make it better, and complaining that no one was doing anything, and actually become the change they wanted to see in the world. They started “Hilarity for Charity” which is exactly what it sounds like! They have tons of celebrities put on shows and hilarious comedians entertain crowds to raise money for Alzheimer’s research and awareness.
Near the end of his speech he argued that because the government is whispering about Alzheimers, the citizens are too. The government needs to set the example for change and medical progress. Cancer used to be whispered about too. With lots of activism and public support from the government we have come so far since that point, and with his speech I believe Seth Rogen has started that movement for Alzheimers as well. And I plan to now take action. This blog post is the first step. What will you do?
So thank you, Seth. Thank you for calling everyone out. Thank you for opening our eyes to the reality of this disease. Thank you for being your funny, heart warming, ridiculous self and yet still getting everyone who saw your speech to sit and think. Thank you for being the change in the world we should all try to be.
Now to see why I titled this post “Lazy, Self-Involved, Man Child” please enjoy Seth Rogen’s video below:
Katie's Take 