It not so much makes folks defensive, but rather nauseous and disgusted. I had no idea that political correctness had made it's way into the garden. I've never heard of Lawson, but I go through gyrations to avoid reading this type of tripe. Unfortunately, sometimes it gets pas my gatekeeping . Lovely photos, by the way.
Thank you for the comment and the restack! I actually read through all the comments on the piece on her website and noticed a very interesting thing. They are full of positive reactions to the main theme of making gardens ecologically friendly by planting natives, avoiding chemicals, etc, etc. Not one actually addresses the specific way in which she suggests doing this, i.e. getting rid of useful words. It's barely mentioned. Very strange indeed.
I heard that during the cultural revolution in China zealots in the red guard were annoyed that red also means "stop." They insisted that red should always mean "go" as it symbolized the spread of communism. They stood at intersections excitedly waving people through red lights leading to a smashing lack of success and ending their well-intentioned efforts.
But the main thing, the thing I failed to mention, is that your essay is really good, beautifully written. Language police seem to be everywhere, in the basement in the attic, under the bed and even in the garden.
Thank you. I never know if what I write is well written or not. This one didn't get much attention, but I didn't know if this was because I did a shoddy job, or it's a boring topic, or if it sounded too much like a right-wing rant.
It not so much makes folks defensive, but rather nauseous and disgusted. I had no idea that political correctness had made it's way into the garden. I've never heard of Lawson, but I go through gyrations to avoid reading this type of tripe. Unfortunately, sometimes it gets pas my gatekeeping . Lovely photos, by the way.
Thank you for the comment and the restack! I actually read through all the comments on the piece on her website and noticed a very interesting thing. They are full of positive reactions to the main theme of making gardens ecologically friendly by planting natives, avoiding chemicals, etc, etc. Not one actually addresses the specific way in which she suggests doing this, i.e. getting rid of useful words. It's barely mentioned. Very strange indeed.
I heard that during the cultural revolution in China zealots in the red guard were annoyed that red also means "stop." They insisted that red should always mean "go" as it symbolized the spread of communism. They stood at intersections excitedly waving people through red lights leading to a smashing lack of success and ending their well-intentioned efforts.
I love historical factoids like this. That is some hard core zealotry.
But the main thing, the thing I failed to mention, is that your essay is really good, beautifully written. Language police seem to be everywhere, in the basement in the attic, under the bed and even in the garden.
Thank you. I never know if what I write is well written or not. This one didn't get much attention, but I didn't know if this was because I did a shoddy job, or it's a boring topic, or if it sounded too much like a right-wing rant.