That’s not how this started

True. It started with a joke about the dong airlines logo.

Becoming aware that the majority of your money is going towards an over-screened and relatively treatable form of cancer is worthless???

M'kay.

Who at this point isn't aware?
In typical American fashion everything has to have a day, a color and a thing so people can say "look at me, look at me, I'm helping".
After 9/11 it was the American flags on every car.
Every election it's yard signs and bumper stickers.

I wear one because 4 years ago my old boss got everyone that knew a survivor, a tie. Guess what, of the 50+ of us, we all knew someone. My great aunt is a 20 year survivor and my other aunt is a 5 year survivor. I wear it for them. Is Komen a waste if you are donating to research, you bet. This was one of the original color causes, and as much as I can't stand the 'look at me, I'm helping' of all the other things, I'm proud to honor my aunts and tell their stories, if asked.

I think the point of the pink tie isn't so much to "demonstrate awareness" as it is to, you know, purchase the darn tie so $$ may be donated to the charity.

Kinda roll my eyes when I see a 10 year old pink tie on someone making close to a half million a year.

You never know though; could just be recycling the tie and donating on the side every year.

Absolutely. Not.

If I wanted to donated to “the cause”, I’d give the $20 directly to a charity, not buy a new tie every year, so less than half gets to the charity. What an inefficient waste of “charitable” dollars.

The point is to show support for the ladies. (Yes, men can get Breast Cancer too).

Thats another thing.
Why does there need to be a charity to find a cure for a disease?

Here is a pragmatic approach to the pink tie. If you wear it, the FAs immediately become pleasant to you and it starts the leg off nicely. I have found it to be a great positive ice breaker with them (obviously speaking mostly of the women).

It’s a virtue signal, but it is a mostly positive one in my eyes as it brings people joy to see the support.

Only here could the pink tie be somehow controversial. Just like any of the other pieces of flair that are authorized:

Wear it, or don’t…and stop worrying about what others do