War as metaphor

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. The war metaphor is sometimes invoked to pursue ordinary domestic politics.^[1]

Philosopher 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."^[2] One fundamental problem is that it is often unclear when the "war" is over.^[3] Simon Jenkins, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, said that "Never, ever, should a government use war as a metaphor in a time of peace."^[4]

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