They new the old folk wisdom: what has been built might be really crap and therefore it doesn't make any sense to dig it, for the smell could make the life really impossible. They regarded Gorbachev exactly that kind of a fool, who had broken the rule.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- They invoke old wisdom that a badly built thing should not be dug up because its smell makes life impossible, likening Gorbachev to a fool who broke the rule.
- In plain terms
- They claim Gorbachev is a fool who broke a rule, using a metaphor about avoiding a bad foundation.
- What can you take from it?
- Critics use metaphor to dismiss reforms.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How effective are metaphors in political argument?
- What does the ‘smell’ symbolize?
Another view
The metaphor oversimplifies complex political realities.
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