[PCA] ARTICLE: We do not wa nt to “cure plant blindness” we want to grow plant love

Tue Aug 13 17:23:39 CDT 2019

I just read the article.

My life-partner has macular degeneration and she most definitely 
does see her condition as a deficit and something “to be 
cured.” I can’t quote her response due to the included 
obscenities, but she certainly doesn’t feel “excluded” by 
the use of the term “plant bindness.” She just told me she 
thinks its “a very apt term.”

But one anecdotal response does not establish high confidence. 
Since the article was published in a scientific journal, perhaps 
the authors could actually back up their hypothesis - that the 
term is exclusionary - with some data? Have they surveyed people 
who are blind or whose sight is impaired? What are their 
opinions? Do the opinions differ depending on education and area 
of knowledge? Degree of sight impairment? Cultural background?

The author’s concede that this two word label is catchy, has 
spread rapidly, and describes the condition. Having been 
involved in numerous advocacy campaigns, that is exactly what is 
needed. Somehow, I just don’t believe that “failure to fully 
understand the importance of plants to human existence and 
biospheric function” is going to cut it. Do you think that 
“extinction rebellion” would have spread as rapidly as it 
has if instead it was phrased as “very very serious 
disagreement to diminution of biological diversity brought about 
by socio-economic world views strongly associated with modern 
industrial civilization?”

~Steve
Frosty Hollow Ecological
Whidbey Environmental Action

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On 8/13/19 at 1:22 PM, kathryn.kennedy at usda.gov (Kennedy, 
Kathryn L -FS) wrote:

>The general message “plants for people and people for 
>plants” works for outreach...as I noted to folks earlier 
>plants touch our lives so many ways, that is what folks need to 
>appreciate.  I think the thing to refine here is the right 
>message in the right audience.  We haven’t been good at that 
>generally as botanists and are paying the price.
>
>Still, remember  “plant blindness” is a physiologically 
>limited condition of humans, as Jim Wandersee demonstrated.  We 
>don’t need to revile this described condition, we need to 
>work to expand our powers of observation and appreciation to 
>counteract and correct for it.
>
>
>[Forest Service Shield]
>Kathryn Kennedy, PhD
>Regional Botanist
>Forest Service
>Southwestern Region
>p: 505-842-3263
>c: 314-302-3760
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>333 Broadway Blvd SE
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>Caring for the land and serving people
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>
>From: native-plants 
>[mailto:native-plants-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org] On 
>Behalf Of Grund, Steve
>Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2019 2:06 PM
>To: Prescott, Leah <lprescott at blm.gov>; native-plants at lists.plantconservation.org
>Subject: Re: [PCA] ARTICLE: We do not want to “cure plant blindness” we want to grow plant love
>
>Sure. The “Plant Blindness” thing seems OK within the 
>botanical community, and humorously catchy, but when it gets 
>out to the general public, it will appear (or perhaps already 
>appears) as if we are looking down at the people not in our 
>clique. Not a good way to reach out to people. “Growing plant 
>love” (not sure that is actually proposed) might also be a 
>put-off to some, being rather romantic, and would be labeled 
>“touchy-feely” by some. Awareness and appreciation might 
>perhaps be more effective positive messages, but I am not 
>coming up with a pithy slogan.
>
>From: native-plants 
>[mailto:native-plants-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org] On 
>Behalf Of Prescott, Leah
>Sent: 13 August 2019 11:35
>To: listserv
>Subject: [PCA] ARTICLE: We do not want to “cure plant blindness” we want to grow plant love
>
>From: Plants, People, Planet New Phytologist Trust
>By: Caitlin McDonough MacKenzie, Sara Kuebbing, Rebecca S. 
>Barak, Molly Bletz, Joan Dudney, Bonnie M. McGill, Mallika A. 
>Nocco, Talia Young, Rebecca K. Tonietto
>July 18, 2019
>
>"We have a duty to conserve plants for the health of current 
>and future generations. To do that, we, as a community of 
>scientists, need to move plants from the background and into 
>the foreground of people's hearts and minds. Effective 
>movements need a clear, unifying rallying cry. We have made a 
>decision not to use “curing plant blindness” as ours. 
>Instead, we would like to encourage an honest and inclusive 
>discussion about the disenfranchising and exclusionary term 
>'plant blindness.'"
>
>Read more: https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ppp3.10062<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.
>outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com%2Fdoi%2F10.1002%2Fppp3.10062&data=02
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>--
>Leah Prescott
>Seeds of Success
>National Collection Curator (Contractor)
>202-912-7232
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Frosty Hollow Ecological Restoration
Helping Nature Heal
Box 53
Langley, WA  98260
(360) 579-2332   FH at Whidbey.com
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