Thursday, July 30, 2009

211/365 The Problem with Metaphors


211/365 The Problem with Metaphors
Originally uploaded by tallasiandude.

@TallMatt tweeted about this article which leads with the following quote from Energy Secretary Steven Chu:

"Energy efficiency--it's not just the low-hanging fruit, it's the fruit that's lying on the ground."

And while I don't disagree with his points, I do sometimes have a tendency to get caught up in where metaphors break down. In this case, the part where the fruit on the ground is covered with slugs and has been picked over by squirrels. Of course, I must admit that the squirrel bites and slugs haven't necessarily stopped us from eating the delicious pears when it's late in the season and it's a choice between squirrel/slug leftover pears or no pears...

...which may also be a reasonable extension of the previously mentioned metaphor.

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