Gardening and racism

[Quantum Windbag]

That's right, if you have a garden that uses native plants you are a racist.

With its amiable discussions on greenfly and compost, it may seem as innocuous as a radio show could be.

So regular listeners to Gardeners’ Question Time will be surprised to find it caught up in a race row.

For an academic claims that Radio 4’s long-running programme is spreading covert racist stereotypes disguised as horticultural advice.



Dr Ben Pitcher, a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Westminster, says the panel show is ‘saturated’ with racial language.

From debates about native and non-native plant species to advice about the purity of different soil types, the programme’s resident green-fingered experts are secretly feeding nationalist and fascist fantasies, he claims.

Speaking on another Radio 4 programme, Thinking Allowed, he said: ‘Gardeners’ Question Time is not the most controversial show on Radio 4, and yet it is layered with, saturated with, racial meanings. The context here is the rise of nationalism. The rise of racist and fascist parties across Europe. Nationalism is about shoring up a fantasy of national integrity. My question is, what feeds nationalism? What makes nationalism powerful?’

Gardeners' Question Time caught up in race row | Mail Online

I dare anyone to talk to me about White Privilege after this crap.

 

[Mr. H.]

Blacks taught whites how to garden, taught them math and astronomy too. The white savages were eating dirt before the black man taught them.

And when there was no dirt, we ate crawdad. And when there was no crawdad we ate sand...

 

[Gracie]

Wow. Sure are a lot of pinks. Good.