Racism And Stereotyping Lessons From The Garden

I love that I have a garden perhaps more than I love gardening. Most of my garden is dedicated to plantings of Japanese maples and such along with sections for vegetables and herbs. But in one section on the hottest side I have container plants of succulents and cactus varieties.

Now this came about as much as anything as a nod to my more recently developing interest in all things Mexican, the culture, the colours, the food and the design influence of the Spanish Missions in California and vegetation and landscape of the Baja California peninsula. 

In the course of acquiring these plants I ended up throwing in a memento from the nursery of a Mexican having a siesta. This sat out in the pot mostly and never come to mind at all very often but when I noticed it, it began to bother me in a strange way.  Finally I took it out and thought about it some and wondered what it was that was causing the cognitive dissonance. 

In a way it seems obvious but it wasn't for quite a while. I bought this little memento as a fun reminder of a visit to Mexico and to bring a bit of that memory to live in my garden. In Australia we don't really know much about Mexican culture as a general rule, most Australians perhaps, thinking that hard shell tacos and Tex Mex is representative of Mexico. But the best intentions in the world don't alter the fact of the damage that stereotyping can do. 

In Australia we may typically not be aware of the way that Mexicans are reviled in the US. Having spent quite a bit of time there I know too well the low regard that is sometimes accorded to the culture and the ignorant notions that some American citizens have towards them. Notwithstanding the economic benefits the country derives from exploiting their workers in menial low paying jobs. Picking lettuce and working as field hands as one example. 

Of course Mexicans are proud of their culture and their customs and are much more than the stereotype of sleeping in the day, in the field wearing a sombrero. 

Mexicans are no more represented by this than the now thankfully unPC 'lawn aboriginal' ornaments that once decorated the Aussie front yard of some homes. Just as the fake stone pagodas at the garden store do not represent the Japanese people and do not turn your pansies and grevillieas into a Japanese garden. No not even that ugly concrete pond is going to do it. 

So my succulents will just have to stand on their merits. 

Mature succulents in the wild in Baja Mexico

I will just have to let them get big enough to take on the characteristics of the plants as they exist in their natural habitat. 

We all grow best in a natural environment. 

Update: 

In the US the fight goes on to change the names of some sports teams to be more culturally sensitive. Here's one advertisement they won't be showing at Superbowl. It illustrates this point clearly.