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Metaphors Against Social Ills

Although declaring war on social problems has become popular among politicians, these metaphors rarely translate into better results and can frequently lead politicians to cling to failing policies.

published by
TVO
 on March 14, 2011

Source: TVO

 “Declaring war” on social problems such as drugs and poverty has become popular among politicians. Speaking on TVO's The Agenda, Carnegie's Moisés Naím argued that while declaring war may be appealing to politicians, and criticizing or defunding these "wars" can be attacked as unpatriotic, the metaphor rarely translates into better results. These “wars” often have no clear markers of victory, and those that declare them get “boxed into absolutist policies in which compromise is impossible,”  said Naím.

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