Point Blank: Virgin Fresh?

The Art of Sensibility

By Winston Nugent

W. Nugent

Some time ago I heard that the Department of Agriculture has come up with a marketing plan with respect to products created or produced locally to now be labeled as “Virgin Fresh.” Needless to say, my historical and cultural “red-alert-light” went off like a vexed volcano.

You see, the first time that I came across the saying “Virgin Fresh,” was my research of slavery which brought me to a study called “Trafficking in Women & Children for Sexual Exploitation in Southern Africa.”

Interestingly and shockingly, the introductory page of this study  states, “…tens, if not hundreds of thousands of women and children have been trafficked to, from, and through the African continent for at least a hundred years.”

It further went on to say that maybe this could have been considerable longer if the African Slave Trade to the Americas can be considered a prelude to contemporary trafficking.”

I really don’t expect that the powers might be in the above-mentioned agricultural department are ignorant to the connotation of “Virgin Fresh” in this context.

What I do know a lot about is the meaning of words, and that when, why, where and how we use them, is of utmost importance. If there is any doubt of this, then just look back at the presidential race between now President Barrack Obama and John McCain.

“Virgin Fresh” is disrespectful to my mother, sisters, daughters, nieces, and granddaughters who are by-products of the African women who suffered and struggled as part of the African Diaspora.

It is also insulting to me when I know that during the time of chattel slavery, “Virgin Fresh” was when young slave girls were made to parade naked along a stage two feet high, led by their keepers and exhibited like wild beast being obliged to walk, stand, or sit as they were ordered. In other words, they were depicted as wild animals in a cage dancing for their buyers.

Is this the image the Department of Agriculture is planning to market and promote to the rest of the world with a label or logo called “Virgin Fresh?”

First of all, knowledge tells me that “marketing is an on going process of planning and executing the marketing mix for products, services or ideas to create exchange between individuals and organizations.

The questions that seemed to be popping up are what products are we going to sell?  What services are we going to provide?  Let’s face it; are we talking about prostitution here? Think of this scenario for a minute: imagine a young school girl wearing a white T-shirt with a logo saying “Virgin Fresh.” What would you think?

Common sense tells me that “Virgin Fresh” is a bad marketing ploy and that no government agency should be even thinking of getting involved in something that is a “double edged sword.”

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