War as metaphor

"In debating social policy through the language of war, we often forget the moral reality of war." − James Childress. A 1944 illustration by Thomas C. Lea III of World War II: "The 2000 Yard Stare".

The use of war as metaphor is a longstanding literary and rhetorical trope. In political usage, war metaphors are used to manage a perceived societal problem, with the concept taking the place of an individual or state enemy in true war.

James Childress describes the use of war as a metaphor as a dilemma: "In debating social policy through the language of war, we often forget the moral reality of war."[1] One fundamental problem is that it is often unclear when the "war" is over.[2]

The Cultural Revolution in China 1966−1976, which initially was launched as a "War against Revisionism", is a discouraging example of a metaphorical war against "-isms".[2]

Examples

Examples of war used as a metaphor, often on the form "War on..." or "War against...":

Some "wars" are not proclaimed but rather a label used by adversaries:

Further reading

  • Childress, James F. "The war metaphor in public policy"[1]
  • Steinert, Heinz. 2003. "The Indispensable Metaphor of War: On Populist Politics and the Contradictions of the State's Monopoly of Force," Theoretical Criminology 7.3 (2003) p. 265-291.
  • Thomas, Ruth P. 1984. "War as metaphor in La Princesse de Montpensier", Forum for Modern Language Studies 20.4 p. 323-332.

References

  1. 1 2 Childress, James F. (2001). "The War Metaphor in Public Policy: Some Moral Relections" (PDF). In Ficarrotta, J. Carl. The Leader's Imperative: Ethics, Integrity, and Responsibility. Purdue University Press. pp. 181–197. ISBN 9781612491394. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Vad har Kina lärt av kulturrevolutionen?", professor Michael Schoenhals in Godmorgon världen!, Sveriges radio, 18 May 2016. Retrieved 23 maj 2016. (In Swedish)
  3. Xing Lu (January 2004), Rhetoric of the Chinese Cultural Revolution: The Impact on Chinese Thought, Culture, and Communication, Univ of South Carolina Press, p. 91, ISBN 978-1-57003-543-2
  4. Radley Balko. "Once again: There is no 'war on cops.' And those who claim otherwise are playing a dangerous game.", The Washington Post, 10 September 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  5. Sidky, H. (2018). "The War on Science, Anti-Intellectualism, and 'Alternative Ways of Knowing' in 21st-Century America". Skeptical Inquirer. 42 (2): 38–43. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  6. Mooney, Chris (2005). The Republican War on Science. Basic Books. ISBN 9780465046751.
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