Hundreds -- maybe even thousands -- of Penn State students are living strong.

You see those damn yellow bracelets on dozens of wrists at football games. Even at the bars, it's hard to find stylish guys and gals foregoing their rubber bracelets.

This trend isn't showing any signs of slowing down.

As of a month ago, LiveStrong sold 20 million bracelets. That's nearly one in 10 Americans buying into this trend.

All you have to do to see the exploitation is to search "LiveStrong" on eBay. Nearly 7,300 results come up, with many merchants charging more than twice the bracelets' retail value. I highly doubt the extra money goes to charity.

THON is getting in on the rubber bracelet craze with blue versions emblazoned with "For the Kids." And like the ever-so-clever freedom fries, there are also red, white and blue "freedombands" that show support for American troops.

I foresee the ridiculousness of it all in the near future, when Americans are wearing dozens of multi-colored charity bracelets up their arms, a lá the slap bracelet trend of our youth.

I don't know if I'm the only one that thinks this, but here goes -- enough already.

Charity isn't fashion. It shouldn't be wearing a brightly colored bracelet on your wrist to proclaim your dollar well-spent on your charity du jour.

What's a dollar? A slice of pizza. Half a tea at Café on a Friday afternoon. A bottle of pop.

What a big frickin' deal.

Here's a novel idea: Why not donate that dollar directly to the cause, bypassing whatever production cost factored in making the bracelets? Why do you have to wear your generosity on your wrist like a label?

Maybe all those who are buying into this trend should think about finding a way to actually make a difference instead of a fashion statement, maybe by volunteering at a hospital or helping at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen.

Let me say this, lest you think I'm a heartless, pro-cancer wench: I respect everything that these charities do, and I'm not trying to demean their work. If this is the only way that they can raise money, then so be it. LiveStrong bracelets have raised $20 million for cancer research -- an amazing accomplishment indeed.

But shouldn't we, the public, be a little less concerned about the coolness factor of these bracelets? Shouldn't we turn inward and decide if we're wearing the bracelet because it's the cool thing to do or because we actually care about what it stands for?

I'll admit it. I worship the ground Lance Armstrong cycles on. I had a mini-shrine to him in my dorm room last year, complete with clippings from American and French cycling magazines.

My obsession began when I traveled to the south of France in summer 2001 and saw him glide up a steep mountain I had huffed and puffed walking. That's when I knew he was the most gifted athlete alive.

To come back from such a small chance of living after battling testicular, lung and brain cancer is a miracle unto itself. But to excel at an exhausting three-week long, 3,000 miles-plus race? Armstrong has my admiration for life.

After I found out that he had created the Lance Armstrong Foundation, I wanted to do something -- anything -- to support his cause.

Go ahead and make fun, but I'm an avid crocheter. I made security blankets that I sent to his foundation for children dealing with cancer. I have a stash of several blankets I'm going to mail over the break, too.

I didn't feel the need to share what I was doing with others (though I'm sure some readers will think I am declaring my awesomeness by writing a column about it). I was happy enough with the possibility that I had made some little kid's day a little more comfortable.

That's how charity should be -- an inward satisfaction, not an outward display. When I first heard about LiveStrong bracelets in June, I got one right away. Some friends teased me, saying my Lance Armstrong obsession had gone a bit too far.

But wearing LiveStrong bracelets became the cool thing to do, and I took mine off and let it take up residence on my desk.

I felt (and still feel) that some people are in it for the wrong reasons.

I can only hope that people will continue to support these causes -- bracelets aside -- long after this craze has died down.