Let’s begin where all unsettling truths begin—with kale. Did you know that if you throw water on kale, it disappears? A statement both surreal and suspicious. Objection. It’s a plant. Water makes it grow. That’s how photosynthesis works. Sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water combine in green leaves to produce life. And yet, here we are, watching kale flake into oblivion under the very thing that’s supposed to save it.
This isn’t science. It’s symbolism.
Which brings us to The Wizard of Oz. The film begins in black and white. Then, suddenly, color floods the screen. It’s a transformation. A shift. A reveal. And somewhere in that flood of color is the wizard. Green. Powerful. Projected on a screen. Objection. Yes. The wizard is not who he claims to be. He is artifice wrapped in performance. A giant head, a thundering voice, a puff of smoke—and yet, behind the curtain, he is simply a man. Or perhaps, a leaf.
The wizard is kale.
This is not about vegetables anymore. This is about illusion, projection, and how authority often stands on leaves, not legs. Kale, in this theory, becomes more than a trendy garnish. It becomes the metaphorical infrastructure of everything we’re told is good for us, when in reality, it flakes under scrutiny. The wizard’s green glow is not power—it’s chlorophyll, fading in the sun.
The deeper commentary here isn’t just cinematic. It’s existential. The Wizard of Oz isn’t only about finding home or courage or heart. It’s about pulling back the curtain on every system that tells you it has the answers. It’s about realizing that what you’ve been told to worship might just be kale, confused by too much water and too many metaphors.
So what must we do?
We must question. We must sustain. We must throw water on every idea that claims to nourish us, and watch closely to see if it grows—or disappears. And when something flakes, don’t mourn it. Understand it. Laugh a little. Then keep peeling back the layers.
Because behind every wizard, there might just be another leafy green trying to hold itself together in the spotlight.
