That's right. It's a "cliff," or at least that's what most people think. As an aspiring economist, I've been trying to stay up-to-date with the fiscal cliff drama, and one thing I can assure you is that THERE IS NO PHYSICAL CLIFF. Sure, an end to Bush tax cuts would spike the tax rates, and this may have hurt the economy eventually. But it's the president's job to take care of our country's citizens, especially the middle-class. Do you really think that Obama would just turn a blind shoulder and say, "Oh, I'm president now, does it really matter if over 100 million people are about to fall off a cliff?"
Even though congressmen were scrambling to pass a midnight resolution on New Years Eve, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 came a day late. Many claimed we would hit this cliff at the start of the New Year. Seriously, if a person falls off a high cliff, I'd be willing to bet that 9 out of 10 times they'd smack dead...but I didn't hear about millions of people dying. Thus, it's clear that there is no tangible cliff, and our physical well-being is safe for now. So then why scare Americans and warn them of their approaching death?
These metaphors that we use are apart of our daily life. English being my second language, I am often confused with some metaphors. This shows that some metaphors are only really language based. We discussed this one time with the difference with English and German metaphors. I can tell you the same thing happens when you translate into Polish. For me, it is not so much that these translations don't have a direct sensible meaning, instead it is that I have just plainly never heard of any of these metaphors. This may be that I am not exactly exposed to all of these metaphors in daily life. I go home and I speak Polish. My parents don't really know any English metaphors. It confuses them as much as it does me. For me, I have come to realize that I am generally direct with my comments in English. This is what I believe is my true challenge in the English Language, i don't have a lot of "flavor". But Polish is another thing for me, it is what I am truly comfortable with. It really shows the issue with language and metaphors.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point, metaphors are not uniquely an English thing. In German class we talked about metaphors as well, and I remember for some of them (passing air through your ear meant you were stupid or something along those lines), I was left confused. For people who don't understand these metaphors, they often lead to misconstrued interpretations. But on the other hand, for those who do understand the metaphors, they help them comprehend ideas by looking through a different lens.
ReplyDeleteRohan, I personally disagree with you. The "cliff" metaphor is absolutely correct. With an already sputtering economy, if the Bush Tax Cuts were completely wiped out with a significant decrease in government spending, then the economy would have launched into free fall. If congress did not strike a deal on New Year's Day, this fiscal cliff would have truly been a cliff. Metaphors are used to help simplify things for the general public. The cliff metaphor simplified the economic situation for the general public, and it painted a much more accurate picture of the situation than a "bump". The media is not always designed for the public, sometimes it is designed to signal congress. Of course congressmen and women and were aware of the fiscal problems that lie ahead, and they certainly understand the economics of the situation, but bad press is the last thing congressmen and congresswomen need. As officials elected by the country, the opinion of the people is the only thing keeping them from getting fired. The bad press may have sent the panic to congress, not panic about the cliff itself, but about bad publicity.
ReplyDeleteYes you're right, we are in a critical situation and I guess you could say we'd launch into free fall. My point is that it's not as literal as a cliff. We would've headed in a downwards spiral, but it would be gradual. I don't think you would've seen anything happen a day or even a week after the tax rises, because it takes a while for the money to stop circulating. I never said metaphors were a bad thing; they do simplify the situations for the public, which helps a lot of people understand them better. I'm just saying it's worth doing some research instead of interpreting those metaphors on your own terms.
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