If you live in a northern climate, you have to rely on a very complicated and expensive delivery system that will supply you with this fruit that can only be grown in the tropics. And the only way to keep it economical is to create an economy where food prices are artificially kept low because first world countries systematically suppress developing countries that grow bananas into becoming stable economies that would actually provide better wages for farmers and workers who would raise the price of bananas.
We have cheap bananas because we don’t mind living in a world where we abuse farmers and workers to work for pennies to supply us in the first world with cheap bananas.
And just to rub salt into the wound, someone created a clothing store named after the political corruption imposed on those countries to accomplish this: Banana Republic.
I can’t think of what an equivalent would be in terms of offensive marketing, Starving Irish brand potatoes? A Saudi demolition company named after September 11th? A clothing store inspired by antebellum southern US clothes? I guess some companies still use imagery of indigenous people for tobacco products. That seems like it’s in the same vein.
Generally, I try to focus on how beautiful life can be, but damn if there isn’t a crowd trying to make it ugly for others.
Well I think I just realised why they do it. There’s this longstanding conspiracy theory that whenever a politician does a fuckup they conveniently say keywords associated with the fuckup but put it in a different context (like say, scandal related to trains, so they get into a model train hobby), and they pay advertisers to market that changed context HARD, so if people search up their name plus trains what shows up are articles talking about their new hobby.
Just thought of this because I was searching up “Banana Republic” in the context of neocolonialism (while reading my country’s history) and besides the Wikipedia page being the first result, the next results were that store. And I remembered this reply.
I had never heard of that tactic. Thanks for sharing. I’ll be looking for IRL examples now.
Nixon should have started a hobby in hydraulic engineering specializing in the design and production of water gates, specifically for the Potomac River, including one near that hotel/office/apartment complex that’s name I forget.
That last one is just something that could’ve realistically existed.
…and would continue to exist, unaltered, well up until the 70s when, finally, it was modified due to growing public awareness; and only because of that.
They aren’t extinct, they just aren’t commercially viable to grow on large scales any more. A few isolated pockets of the trees survived the blight. A quick web search will turn up someone selling some if you really want to try them but like the other poster said if you’ve tried fake banana flavor you’ve tried gros michel.
just like the previous, gros michael, the cavendish is susceptible to a fungal/bacterial disease. Wild type are pratically resistant, or a different species. but they often have that unslightly seeds.
also WATERMelons, figs, oranges.
all the seeded varieties can hybridize, or can cross pollinate with other plants. oranges, often have to use the wild “trifoliate” orange to grow better by grafting onto it. the trifoliate is pretty unique as its very hardy and cold tolerant, also possess defensive spines.
One single plant, cloned thousands of times. Easily devastated by disease.
Millions at least,
If you live in a northern climate, you have to rely on a very complicated and expensive delivery system that will supply you with this fruit that can only be grown in the tropics. And the only way to keep it economical is to create an economy where food prices are artificially kept low because first world countries systematically suppress developing countries that grow bananas into becoming stable economies that would actually provide better wages for farmers and workers who would raise the price of bananas.
We have cheap bananas because we don’t mind living in a world where we abuse farmers and workers to work for pennies to supply us in the first world with cheap bananas.
And just to rub salt into the wound, someone created a clothing store named after the political corruption imposed on those countries to accomplish this: Banana Republic.
I can’t think of what an equivalent would be in terms of offensive marketing, Starving Irish brand potatoes? A Saudi demolition company named after September 11th? A clothing store inspired by antebellum southern US clothes? I guess some companies still use imagery of indigenous people for tobacco products. That seems like it’s in the same vein.
Generally, I try to focus on how beautiful life can be, but damn if there isn’t a crowd trying to make it ugly for others.
Well I think I just realised why they do it. There’s this longstanding conspiracy theory that whenever a politician does a fuckup they conveniently say keywords associated with the fuckup but put it in a different context (like say, scandal related to trains, so they get into a model train hobby), and they pay advertisers to market that changed context HARD, so if people search up their name plus trains what shows up are articles talking about their new hobby.
Just thought of this because I was searching up “Banana Republic” in the context of neocolonialism (while reading my country’s history) and besides the Wikipedia page being the first result, the next results were that store. And I remembered this reply.
I had never heard of that tactic. Thanks for sharing. I’ll be looking for IRL examples now.
Nixon should have started a hobby in hydraulic engineering specializing in the design and production of water gates, specifically for the Potomac River, including one near that hotel/office/apartment complex that’s name I forget.
Twin Towers wholesale outlet: our prices are coming down fast!
Pearl harbor casual clothing.
Jim crows bar and grill.
That last one is just something that could’ve realistically existed.
…and would continue to exist, unaltered, well up until the 70s when, finally, it was modified due to growing public awareness; and only because of that.
Sambo’s managed to barely survive until 2020.
Our prices are falling from our hot deals but fret not: the melting point of steel… 🤔
“Jet fuel can’t melt steel beams” was probably a gateway drug for so many of the crazies today
I’ve always assumed I misunderstood the brands name but no one has corrected you yet…
To the rabbit hole!
Ok I’m back, it’s just ignorant assholes all the way down
Well that didn’t take very long… Disturbing how quickly you were able to discern it was all assholes all the way down.
I think they just peered over the edge and were convinced when they saw sphincter after sphincter.
Oo°•.
Always has been 🔫
Wow, thanks for doing the research! Did you find anything especially interesting?
i’m stealing the demolition company named around september 11th idea, that’s actually funny as fuck
If our competition raises prices! … We’ll bring them down!!!
This is why bananas are cheaper in the UK than in Brazil
So they can feed disease too? Is there anything bananas can’t do?
Rebound from a viral pandemic, RIP Gros Michel
Only heard about those via my dad, never got to try one…
They aren’t extinct, they just aren’t commercially viable to grow on large scales any more. A few isolated pockets of the trees survived the blight. A quick web search will turn up someone selling some if you really want to try them but like the other poster said if you’ve tried fake banana flavor you’ve tried gros michel.
You can order them from Hawaii (or maybe you have to physically be there).
It’s just no longer worth mass producing and shipping any more due to the potential to lose your entire crop.
if you’ve ever had banana laffy taffy you’ve had the artificially created flavor of one.
And I find it preferable to the real thing
or banana jelly beans.
That’s only the Cavendish, there are other varieties of banana. I was recently in Hawai’i and got to try an Apple Banana that had been grown there.
In Southeast Asia we have lots of banana varieties that we regularly eat.
Picked by slaves.
just like the previous, gros michael, the cavendish is susceptible to a fungal/bacterial disease. Wild type are pratically resistant, or a different species. but they often have that unslightly seeds.
also WATERMelons, figs, oranges.
all the seeded varieties can hybridize, or can cross pollinate with other plants. oranges, often have to use the wild “trifoliate” orange to grow better by grafting onto it. the trifoliate is pretty unique as its very hardy and cold tolerant, also possess defensive spines.