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Metaphors

One metaphor that Lakoff and Johnson discussed, “time is money,” initially struck me as a little off, or not as universal in my culture as the others. My first reaction was to think “yeah, we say that sometimes, but it’s more about time being a limited resource.” When I turned the page to see “time is a limited resource,” I laughed. I didn’t even think of how closely related “time is money” and “time is a limited resource” really are, and how money, resources, and value are employed in metaphors all over our language. So many of these — “happy is up,” “future is forward/up” — feel so fundamental that it almost doesn’t feel like a metaphor. It FEELS like happy IS up. And I think that’s the point. The feeling of things impacting our language and understanding is powerful — and can also be limiting.

One metaphorical system that is commonly used amongst my friend group is that of pets being children. We refer to them as “fur babies,” dogs go to “doggie daycare,” fancy or expensive kennels are “spas” or “camp.” I think the motivating rationale for this is that many of us do NOT have kids yet, but we do have this special bond with our pets, and we need to take care of them. The deep love, connection, responsibility, and other mix of feelings motivates this connection.

I think that one of the ways that I have somewhat intentionally changed the metaphorical system that I use is when speaking out things and about groups of people as gendered. It is common to hear “she’s a beaut” when talking about things like cars or boats or other objects that one is excited about. This is starting to feel really dated though, and gets into an objectification of women/women as objects system that is deeply problematic. I’m also trying to be more aware of gendered terms for people that are not as inclusive as I’d like to be, like “guys.”

Gardens are commonly discussed as paradise, oases, natural, peaceful, and purity. But sometimes gardens are serious drains on the environment. Some gardens actually decrease biodiversity and encourage the spread of invasive species. They are sometimes far from the “natural” landscape. It might be useful to consider plants inhabitants.

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