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Saturday, May 14, 2016

Inappropriate Appropriation...



I came across this article today.  At 1st this odd piece intrigued me,  Then it irritated me.   It's about something called bacterial wilt.   Some gardeners have taken to calling it the "HIV" of soil.  

I get it. The disease is difficult to detect.  It's hard to manage.  It's nearly impossible to get rid of the wilt.   

Still, this article is bordering on offending me.  I get they've made a comparison to help others to understand the severity of the plant illness.  But, have we really started viewing HIV as something so banal & casual we'll use it as a descriptor for some totally unrelated situation?  

HIV is a very highly charged word, (technically acronym). It carries an immense weight & severity.  To use it lightly on such an unrelated issue is just callous & ill-advised.   

How long before some ignorant person decides this " soil HIV" that killed his crops was caused by "the gays" & drug users?  How long before that same person decides to punish someone for infecting his crops?   Accusing them of who knows what in their efforts to contaminate his fields.

HIV is a serious subject & shouldn't be used to further some other item's or group's agenda.

Cya...

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