Submitted For Your Astonishment

A BBC gardening show has been seriously accused of "racism."

The reason? Because they speak about things such as soil purity and the dangers of non-native species.

I'm not kidding.

According to an academic, the sedate Radio 4 panel show is riddled with "racial meanings" disguised as horticultural advice.

...

But Dr Ben Pitcher, a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Westminster, claimed the programme's regular discussions on soil purity and non-native species promoted nationalist and fascist beliefs....

Speaking on another Radio 4 programme, Thinking Allowed, the academic said: "Gardeners' Question Time is not the most controversial show on Radio 4, and yet it is layered with, saturated with, racial meanings....

He claims that this show is being broadcast "in the context" of the rise of nationalist politics in Europe -- and that gardening tips are just a secret code for expressing ideas of racial purity and cultural sanctity.

Dr Pitcher said the "crisis in white identity in multicultural Britain" meant people felt unable to express their views for fear of being called racist, so expressed their racial identity in other ways, such as talking about gardening.

This might come to a shock to Y-Not and WeirdDave.

On the other hand, maybe it doesn't come as a shock to them at all.

Hey, maybe I should be reading the Gardening Thread more regularly.

I had no idea that it offered me the opportunity to put in for the White Race.

Speaking on the same programme, Lola Young, a crossbench peer and former professor of cultural studies, backed Dr Pitcher's analysis.

She added: "I remember back in the late 80s-early 90s when rhododendrons were seen as this huge problem, and people were talking about going out rhododendron-bashing.

"That was at a time when Paki-bashing was something that was all too prevalent on our streets."

The people in the show deny this, and, for the moment, the BBC is claiming to support them.

We'll see how long the BBC holds out.

Now, you may think this is all nonsense, but I looked up their podcast, and what do I see, right away, right at the top?

Training dwarf cherries and suggestions for keeping raspberries in their place are two of the topics covered this week. Peter Gibbs hosts the horticultural panel programme from Shropshire. Chris Beardshaw, Bob Flowerdew and Bunny Guinness join him to answer the audience's questions.

This doesn't "just happen," people.

thanks to ‏@nowhere_nh, who might be our own MWR.

posted by Ace at 03:58 PM

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