In a way, it’s like brand extension. People of a certain persuasion think organic = good, while chemical = bad. They have no idea what the words actually mean. Given the plasticity of the English language, those words will soon be corrupted beyond recognition.
Dang! The corruption has already happened. Right after I wrote the above, I checked the definition of “organic” using an on-line dictionary. Here’s one of the definitions:
d. Simple, healthful, and close to nature: an organic lifestyle.
So, I guess, “organic salt” (Na-Cl) is supposed to be simple, healthful, and close to nature. As opposed to the inorganic mineral salt I’ve been ingesting all my life, which remains one of those evil chemicals.
One of the great strengths of the English language is how adaptive it is. Apparently, that’s also its greatest weakness. If enough self-righteous ignoramuses call salt “organic”; then, against all reason, salt can be organic. (Once again, we’re talking about Na-Cl — not actual organic (i.e. containing carbon) salts
The problem with the "woo" definition of organic is that it is not a definition at all. ("Woo" refers to pseudoscientific quackery; it's a term I picked up at one of the science blogs.)
Sometimes, at the store, I notice the term "natural" printed on a package. That's another one I wonder about; I am hard-pressed to imagine *any* product that could be made using non-natural processes. Do manufacturers of "non-natural" products hire wizards and alchemists to make their wares through arcane means?
I do take some comfort in that stores take the effort to specify that some foods are organic. Although why they would make the effort for some produce, but not other produce is a mystery to me. I mean, I already know tree-grown peaches are organic, and that they're organic whether they're labeled that way or not. Furthermore, I can pretty much recognize a non-organic (e.g. ceramic) peach at a glance--I'd probably break my teeth trying to eat it, and I doubt it would taste very appealing. Even some organic peaches would be inedible, if the organic material is wax or plastic...