So I heard my friend call an invasive plant a displaced relative and when pressed on it they basically said that the plants didn’t choose to come here and they are victims of colonialism. Invasive implies they aren’t welcome, you wouldn’t say that the enslaved people brought over to the new world are invasive so why would you a plant? Then they said human agriculture was invasive because it’s monoculture and doesn’t allow other plants to grow, which you know fair point. So what’s the consensus is my friend an idiot or am I an idiot?
Edit: I just texted my friend, they said they got the concept from this book. Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science
They are plants. Plants cannot be “victims” as they are not subjects
Look I’m recommending everyone to the book that inspired this thread. Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science
Sounds like it’s not your “friend” with these stupid ideas but you
Look I was trying to do a dear prudence bit to set up the thread, there is no friend, I made it up, are you happy? I was honestly just trying to remember the name of the book I heard about one time that talked about this and hoped someone would remember it before I did.
Comparing the plight of indigenous and colonized humans with non-sentient plants feels closer to mockery and belittlement than it does anything useful or emancipatory
I’m also pretty sure the vast, vast majority of indigenous and colonized people are not taking this absurd pro-invasive species position of ecological destruction