metaphors are not reality
Vishvapani's Thought For The Day on BBC Radio 4 this morning started:
When I first heard as a child that Europe was divided by an iron curtain I imagined a huge wall of steel behind which everything was in shadow - and also freezing cold, which was why people said there was a cold war. And when I heard the terms left- and right-wing, I imagined all the politicians standing in a long line according to their views, and shuffling about when someone switched policies.
:: read the whole essay here
I do hope he's going to be invited to be a regular contributor