Inappropriate Metaphors

[Roboklopp]

For starters:

http://theliterarylink.com/metaphors.html

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Women-Fire-Dangerous-Things-Categories/dp/0226468046

http://markturner.org/blendaphor.html

I could go on, wrote a 50K thesis on this for my Cognitive Science MSc- very interesting as it happens. I actually tied it in with footy stuff cos I was watching Euro 2000 at the time of writing.

[Roboklopp]

Succinctly: No metaphor has a perfect mapping, otherwise it'd be exactly the same thing. All map on partially & rely on salient commonality to promote understanding & reasoning. A lot of the most basic metaphors rely on experiential grounding -i.e. stuff in the physical world mapped on to more abstract & intangible concepts. These often aren't consciously understood until you sit back & think about them.

Football is very commonly understood metaphorically. The prime example is in terms of a battle- attack & defence, countering, breaking down, sucker punch, blow, damage etc etc. (Cant quite remember them all cos it was over 10 years ago, but there were pages of them).

In the "rape" analogy, the commonality is seen in such facets as "taken by force", "damaged", "humilated", "penetrated."

[Roboklopp]

Happy now Dom?

[dom9]

Happy now Dom?

Yes. I've finally read a post of yours which reads well.

[Roboklopp]

Yes. I've finally read a post of yours which reads well.

Not bad for 7,800 or whatever.

Which one?

[dom9]

The last 3 I guess.

Msc huh?

[Roboklopp]

Ta.

Aye, hide it well eh?

[sambirken]

Most inappropriate metaphor of all time! Doesn't even make sense.

http://youtu.be/8FUdbRO4ZCo

[Zapater]

Generally used by kids and retards.

And Graeme Souness. Fitting.

[MrsB]

Why is a metaphor necessary? "Ran past frequently"? "Ran faster than..."? "Is considerably better at football than..."?

Aye, and the problem is that if you use "rape" in this context it sounds like a cool thing to do. Which is disgusting.

Some food for thought: Rape Culture

[Neil Young]

Aye, and the problem is that if you use "rape" in this context it sounds like a cool thing to do. Which is disgusting.

Some food for thought: Rape Culture

Interesting read MrsB.

I'm sure lots of men who use the word 'rape' in the context being discussed here aren't thinking of the original, literal meaning but using it metaphorically. The same could be said of plenty of other metaphors - "Spurs murdered us, Spurs thrashed us, Carra is a donkey" etc. We don't picture Ol' 'Arry beating Dalglish to death with his bare hands, or Luka Modric administering corporal punishment or Jamie Carragher standing around in a field, chewing morosely and saying "hee-haw".

(Actually forget the last one - it does seem remarkably apt now I think about it).

But there are a significant number of people - many women I suspect but also others, like dom (it seems) and me - who are immediately aware of the literal meaning when someone writes "Spurs raped us" and find it troubling and entirely unnecessary.

No doubt some will regard that as oversensitive and inconsistent (rape isn't worse than murder IMO, no matter what Julie Bindel may say, yet I don't immediately recoil if I read "Spurs murdered us"). But I see no problem with making people aware that their choice of words can offend others. They can choose to ignore it of course but I would hope they'd think before doing so.

You might see it as political correctness but, as Stewart Lee says, really it's just about being polite.

[Roboklopp]

Why is it any different from murder?

[Roboklopp]

Ah, it seems the old dog has written length discourse on my quick point.

[little dave hedgehog]

because murder is an equal opportunity offender.

[Neil Young]

I thought I'd explained, Officer.



It's simply because to me is 'rape' always connotes the literal meaning, even when the metaphorical usage is unequivocal and grasped immediately. Whereas, for some reason, 'murder' as a metaphor exists independently of the original meaning.

If I've just read about a terrible murder or there's some massive news story about one then this separation is likely to be less clear.

I think it would probably be better to avoid both terms really. It's only a game after all.

EDIT: Just seen Plod wasn't replying to me.