Metaphors: Use with Care
Ed Yang wrote this article about how metaphors shape our thoughts and decisions ; and hence should be used with care. Why we use metaphors is obvious: “Good metaphors can make a complex and obtuse world seem exciting and accessible.” What’s the flip side? Yang points to some study done at Stanford on what kind of measures people advocate as a response to increasing crime. The finding was that the metaphors used to describe crime had a big impact on the responses. Thus people who heard these metaphors: “One common frame portrays crime as a disease , one that plagues cities, infects communities, and spreads in epidemics or waves.” preferred “curative” measures like creating jobs. Whereas those heard a different metaphor: “Another depicts crime as a predator – criminals prey upon their victims , and they need to be hunted or caught .” preferred measures like increased policing and tougher jail sentences. The trouble with metaphors starts when you (mis)apply aspec...