Daily #victorygarden content:
Food as a weapon of war.

There's been a lot of commentary lately about how the US reaches instinctively for the metaphor of war even where it is totally inappropriate (e.g. our current public health crisis). 1/x

#envhist #aghist #foodhist #garden

It's important to remember how UN-intuitive it is to think of food as a weapon even in WW2 -- food is generally conceived of as personal, nourishing, and defensive rather than political, destructive, and aggressive.

( @USNatArchives link: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/535632#.V_FWl_v4Tuk.link)

But not everything is a weapon.
Not every public crisis is a war.

It's tempting to frame them that way, because of how successful #victorygarden and other campaigns were in uniting a diverse U.S.

[Thanks @UNT_Libraries for this & 1st pic. See more: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc156/m1/1/zoom/?resolution=2.602683710883867&lat=3067.989935703347&lon=702.7744661805195]

I understand we all want a sense of unity now, more than anything else while facing COVID19.
I want us to all be in solidarity tackling #climatechange together too.

But I think we can do so without metaphoric wars, fights, or battles.
( @UNT_Libraries again)

Food as a weapon, "wars" on poverty, drugs, and famine...
Let us leave this rhetoric in the past.

How about empathy, mutual aid and uplift, collaboration, -- "granting everyone a seat at the table"?
Food itself can provide nourishing metaphors for the future!

I included Rockwell pics w/ these last two tweet not b/c it illustrates diverse/equitable solidarity
(it doesn't - it shows a white middle class cishet and otherwise normative family) but because I wanted to show that even in WW2, other visions of food were possible.

I think the #victorygarden is another WW2 example where war metaphors didn't reign supreme.

It shows us there is another way to think than martially, even during literal total war.

(Watch this inspiring community harvest vid from @carevealed :
https://californiarevealed.org/islandora/object/cavpp%3A16100)

So let's get busy sowing seeds of future justice!
Let's bring diversity and understanding to the table!
Let's make sure no one is left with crumbs while others feast!
Let's grow a better world!