These metaphors are generally structured as short dialogues. Somebody posts an observation of something happening in the world, and in reply somebody else says: “ha, that’s a metaphor for….”. The reply establishes a metaphorical, and mostly satirical, link between something concrete happening in everyday life and something more abstract happening in political life. In my previous post, I discussed for example the scuttling of the SS United States, which was immediately interpreted as a metaphor for the state of the United States.

Here is one more recent example. Somebody wrote on Bluesky on 13 August: “This evening, a fire truck was coming from the opposite direction, sirens blaring, lights blazing. There was an obstinate car that refused to make way. I later realized it was a Waymo driverless car. It didn’t know better. I hope that clueless AI didn’t cause any consequential damage.” And somebody else replied: “A beautiful metaphor for US constitutional purists.”

To unpack this metaphor one needs quite a bit of knowledge of American politics – I’ll come back to that. For the moment let’s just say that this emergent situational metaphor works on multiple levels: the literal obstruction, the metaphorical blindness of AI to human needs, and the broader commentary on rigid adherence to rules while emergency services are blocked.

Metaphors as cognitive safety valves?

When I was reading this, I began to wonder whether such metaphors have always existed or whether they are something new or particular to politically tough times. I don’t know. Are such situational and satirical metaphors an indication of how societies process and cope with overwhelming (political) realities when direct discussion becomes too threatening or exhausting? Do they work a bit like cognitive and communicative safety valves? That needs further research.

To continue reading this blog post, go to my new blogging site, and don’t forget to subscribe!