If an ex breaks up with you, and you later start dating a new person, you should be excited about and looking forward to the new relationship instead of fixating on the bad one that’s ended.
Well, maybe your ex is also your neighbour (literally happened to me). It’s not practical to not think of your ex at all anymore, because they still have a presence and effect on your life. So you still have to manage that and be civilly neighbourly, but they should not have any bearing or space in your new relationship.
International relations are hardly comparable to exclusive romantic entanglements. Having relations with multiple nations isn’t cheating, for instance, but rather the norm.
If we do want to make the connection, that Ex is your only close neighbour and also a huge cunt you can’t ignore, which does influence the way you deal with other nations in hopes of getting a support network.
Right, and analogies and metaphors should never be used because no analogy or metaphor will ever be normal. Would you be more satisfied if it were simply changed to “best friend”?
It’s not so much about normal as about the point of the metaphor. I don’t think they generally shouldn’t be used; I think this one doesn’t really work in this context because international relations aren’t nearly as “exclusive” as relationships, not can they ever be completely separated.
If we want to make an analogy about social relationships applied to international relationships, you’re still moving in the same social circles where a friendship or enmity with someone ripples out into the dynamics of your relationship to everyone else. They might approve of your choice of friends or look critically at your closeness to someone they can’t stand, feel like they have to choose a side or appease both of you, defend or condemn either party’s actions…
It’s not like you’d form new relationships upon one breaking down if you already know everyone else and everyone also knows both you and your ex.
If an ex breaks up with you, and you later start dating a new person, you should be excited about and looking forward to the new relationship instead of fixating on the bad one that’s ended.
Well, maybe your ex is also your neighbour (literally happened to me). It’s not practical to not think of your ex at all anymore, because they still have a presence and effect on your life. So you still have to manage that and be civilly neighbourly, but they should not have any bearing or space in your new relationship.
It’s like having an ex that’s your neighbour and your ex is constantly threatening to take your house from you.
Also your ex has a bunch of nuclear weapons and powerful military.
Hmmm… maybe it’s not at all like the dating scene?
International relations are hardly comparable to exclusive romantic entanglements. Having relations with multiple nations isn’t cheating, for instance, but rather the norm.
If we do want to make the connection, that Ex is your only close neighbour and also a huge cunt you can’t ignore, which does influence the way you deal with other nations in hopes of getting a support network.
Right, and analogies and metaphors should never be used because no analogy or metaphor will ever be normal. Would you be more satisfied if it were simply changed to “best friend”?
It’s not so much about normal as about the point of the metaphor. I don’t think they generally shouldn’t be used; I think this one doesn’t really work in this context because international relations aren’t nearly as “exclusive” as relationships, not can they ever be completely separated.
If we want to make an analogy about social relationships applied to international relationships, you’re still moving in the same social circles where a friendship or enmity with someone ripples out into the dynamics of your relationship to everyone else. They might approve of your choice of friends or look critically at your closeness to someone they can’t stand, feel like they have to choose a side or appease both of you, defend or condemn either party’s actions…
It’s not like you’d form new relationships upon one breaking down if you already know everyone else and everyone also knows both you and your ex.