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Donald Trump seems to have jumped on the war metaphor as useful in the covid-19 situation and maybe it is, for those who are in need of a metaphor to galvanize and justify their actions. But it is to be hoped that the track record of wars following WWII is not the model upon which to build the strategy. We seem to have trouble bringing them to an end, and some pretty dreadful things get justified along the way.
@js357 saidThere’s not yet enough swamped hospitals and overflowing mortuaries for people to feel suitably galvanised into action.
Donald Trump seems to have jumped on the war metaphor as useful in the covid-19 situation and maybe it is, for those who are in need of a metaphor to galvanize and justify their actions. But it is to be hoped that the track record of wars following WWII is not the model upon which to build the strategy. We seem to have trouble bringing them to an end, and some pretty dreadful things get justified along the way.
The nitwits in the UK are all parked up cheek-by-jowl in the hills, presumably hoping the fresh air and a layer walking spandex will somehow nullify the virus.
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@divegeester saidHere’s another take, that says basically that the best metaphor for a deadly pandemic virus is “deadly pandemic virus.” And an acknowledgement that it is far worse than war.
There’s not yet enough swamped hospitals and overflowing mortuaries for people to feel suitably galvanised into action.
The nitwits in the UK are all parked up cheek-by-jowl in the hills, presumably hoping the fresh air and a layer walking spandex will somehow nullify the virus.
“Rather than applying societal metaphors to illness, we’ve applied illness metaphors to society, stripping them of their malign associations in the process. It may be that our fondness for virus as metaphor has made it difficult for us to see viruses as potentially dangerous, even lethal, biological phenomena. In turn, our disinclination to see viruses as literal may have kept us from insisting on and observing the standards and practices that would prevent their spread. Enthralled with virus as metaphor and the terms associated with it—spread, growth, reach, connectedness—we ceased to be vigilant. Jetting around the world, we stopped washing our hands.
“In the weeks ahead, we are going to see a profusion of metaphorical interpretations of the coronavirus. We’ll be tempted to make them ourselves. But we must keep in mind the need for language to function in a literal sense, so that we can think clearly as we respond to the covid-19 virus.“
https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/against-the-coronavirus-as-metaphor
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This thread has had a short life, and I want to say one more thing.
At
https://daringtolivefully.com/the-garden-as-life-metaphor
it is suggested that we think of tending a garden as a metaphor.
For what?
Of what treatment, is the present predicament an obvious outcome?
Try that on as a source of wisdom.
If you despoil nature, it will despoil you.
Cheers and have a nice day.