Got banned from a gardening sub for comparing Roundup to manual weeding

I said that spraying Roundup took 15 minutes for a patch that would take me 3 hours with a hoe, and that FOR ME the chemical was safer than wrecking my back. They called me a corporate shill and permabanned me. Has anyone else noticed how certain topics get you instantly silenced no matter your reasoning?

3 comments

3 Comments

nguyen.angela14d ago

Oh man, that comparison to the pie crust thing is SPOT on. I mean, nobody is saying store-bought is BETTER than homemade for everyone, but for some people it's the only workable option. Same with the Roundup thing - I don't think anyone's claiming chemicals are great for the planet, but if your back is wrecked from a day of manual labor, maybe a little spray makes sense for your situation.

nguyen.morgan13d ago

Different bodies definitely do have different needs, but that doesn't mean every shortcut is automatically justified. Store bought pie crust is a matter of convenience and physical limitation, sure, but Roundup is a chemical designed to kill living things. Comparing a baking shortcut to dousing your yard in a probable carcinogen feels like a stretch. The person with arthritic hands isn't harming anyone else by using a pre made crust, but someone spraying chemicals near their property could be affecting neighbors, local wildlife, and water runoff. Maybe the real issue is that people want a free pass to do something they know isn't great, and they're using the body pain excuse to avoid the guilt. Plenty of folks with wrecked backs do manual weeding with ergonomic tools or just accept a messier yard instead of reaching for the spray.

kim.nina14d ago

...and honestly I had the SAME thing happen in a cooking sub once. I said I used a store-bought pie crust because my arthritic hands can't handle rolling dough, and someone went OFF about how I was destroying the integrity of homemade baking. Like, okay Brenda, I'm glad you can hand-crimp your lattice top but I have THUMBS that hurt. The mods banned me for "trolling" when I tried to explain. It's like people can't handle that different bodies and different situations might mean different solutions. Your back matters just as much as their perfect organic soil, I swear.