Anyone out there smart enough to understand a metaphor?

Question

Someone asked this in our section:

How did Jackie Robinson make the world a better place for all people?

I answered:

"If you think of racism as being a brick wall that divides people - sometimes it divides people with water who are hungry from people with food who are thirsty - he took a brick out of it."

and a line about doing your own homework. I thought it was a darned good metaphor. Brick wall, dividing people, he took a brick out of it. (He didn't destroy it.)

Y!A Deleted my answer because "Violation Reason: Not a Question or Answer."

I guess they don't get metaphors at Y!A central; that or the appeal process is automated and no human ever saw my answer.

What do you all think? Was that an answer? Was it any good?

Answer 1

I think it was quite good!  But don't blame YA--at least not for failing to understand a metaphor.  I've come to see that all it takes for an answer to be deleted is for one person to report it.  It seems very doubtful whether anyone at YA actually READS a reported answer or whether anyone reads the answerer's protest.  So the culprit was almost certainly some reader who didn't recognize a metaphor.

Now, please answer that email that someone sent you about James and Joshua Wood!

Answer 2

Ted, you are always good.  I wish I was a quick as you.  Good thing I am cuter.

There are brick headed people out there who don't like it if your answer is not what they wanted to hear, or if you have an answer that is waaay over their head.

You can protest--I have, but I don't know if I won.

Keep up the erudite replies.  We who are serious about genealogy appreciate them.

Answer 3

I thought that it was a great response.  Sometimes one can't respond to certain questions in a general/traditional way.  It is easier to convey the message in metaphors.  For people that attend worship services in the various faiths, the pastor/rabbi/muslim preacher usually works metaphors into their sermons.  Life is very complex and can't always be described in plain words.

Answer 4

Yes, I think it was an answer and a very good one at that! I completely understand your metaphors but, apparently Yahoo's automated system doesn't.  Which is one of many reasons why I think Yahoo could stand to have some human beings working on their Y!A site instead of just computers running it.  Don't let it bother you too much.  Just shows man is smarter than the machine! :)

Answer 5

could be the line about doing your own homework got it reported hehe.

i do think it was a real good answer

Answer 6

Your answers brings smiles to a lot of us.  I particularly like the one where you told someone how to grow hair.(you know, using the cows' nests).

Answer 7

Yes, I am smart enough to understand.

You did no harm, and the concept that you espoused was perfectly logical and appropriate.

Here's my answer to your main question that the Yamster brown-shirts might kill me on (or anyone else with class:) "What's a metaphor? To put cows in."

Answer 8

I never met a 4 - only lots of people who mistakenly believe themselves to be a 10.  Your metaphor was perfect,Ted.  I guess all you can do is challenge the decision or chalk it up to whoever judged it not having English as his/her native language, and/or not understanding the significance of Jackie Robinson's entrance into MLB.

Answer 9

Hello Ted, (you wise, charming and devilishly handsome guy you)

As you can well see from the answerers on this question, your answer was NOT out of line at all.  I think the metaphor was a great one.  As was earlier mentioned, the process to have an answer removed is practically an automated procedure and probably nine out of ten violations never get formally reviewed by a person.  I have had answers that I thought were unfairly removed and went through the process of disputing them and having the answers reinstated.

Your answer was intelligent and the advice was sound.  I would go ahead and file an appeal on your answer.  I think any human reviewing your answer and your credibility within the Y!A community will see things your way.  It takes them awhile to review them, but they do eventually.

When I saw your question "Anyone out there smart enough to understand a metaphor? " , it reminded me of the joke,

"What is a metaphor?"  

and the punchline is......To keep cows in, of course!!  

I hope that you have a GREAT DAY!!

Answer 10

It was an excellent metaphor, Y!A ***d up.

Answer 11

I'd say excellent answer.

If you insist they might look at it again and give you back the answer and then whoever reported this will have less influence when they report again.  I know this has worked for at least one of my friends/contacts.

Hope you are doing great!

Answer 12

It was a great answer, but from what I've seen reporting causes an automated response from the computer program and appealing is useless because they don't actually read the appeals. You get a form letter; always the same form letter making it obvious no one read your question.  By the way - form letter basically says "We are right; You are wrong." It's a shame that people can and do report anything and everything without it at least costing them some points.

Answer 13

Hello

Yes. You are 100% correct.

Answer 14

Ted Pack, I wasn't going to answer this because, well, it is in the genealogy section.  But then I saw YOUR picture and it piqued my curiosity.

I got one of those last week also...I appealed, but lost.

Me, I think you gave a very good answer!  Being an oldster, I remember Jackie Robinson.  When I read about him, I thought that he is and admirable person, one to be looked up to.  If more people were like him, the world would be a better place.

So, I will say that what you said was definitely an answer, and a very good one at that.  I like that: he took a brick out.  That is very apropo; Jackie Robinson was an ambassador to mankind.

I do believe that there are too many gremlins lurking on Yahoo!

Answer 15

I think it was a great answer.  Personally, I just LOVE Ted's style.  He has a very special brand of wit that just keeps me laughing.

I wouldn't worry about the violation.  I find that there are a lot of people on here that cannot handle the truth, cannot understand how to use the English language, and cannot understand basic vocabulary like the difference between genealogy and genetics.  People ask questions for which they really don't want the answer, or the answer is way over their heads.  I get in trouble all the time.  But I don't care.  I am a tell-it-like-it-is person and most people don't like being told the truth about anything unless you sugar-coat it and pacify them.  I don't pacify.  If you do that, you might as well just tell them what they want to hear instead of the truth.

Answer 16

Hey, Ted.. you KNOW darn well your answers are wise, witty and charming.  

It was an excellent answer and there was NO cause at all for it to be deleted.

Sadly.. it is clear many times that the process here at yahoo gets manipulated.  I have personally seen MANY excellent answers, from a wide variety of persons.. get thumbs down for absolutely no cause at all.  I guess there are always going to be trolls who are have "fun" <insert sarcasm here> by not getting the difference between giving thumbs down for a factually bad answer.. and giving thumbs down to persons/ answers they personally dislike.  

Racism is just one kind of wall.. every time we connect with people, we take a brick out of a wall and that's a good thing. You do lots of connecting.  But it is sure frustrating when the system malfunctions against valid and quality communication.

Answer 17

yes i think that is a very good and a very true metaphor

Answer 18

Racism as a brick wall does divide, but only it is noticeable to the naked eye. But, clear plastic is different, because it is clear, and cannot be seen.  What you had was a good metaphor, but from where did he extract the brick?  Was it from the top, middle, or the bottom?

It was  a good answer, plus, it was a great analogy.

I had a very good English teacher in community college, who my class to write on a PhD. level.  Many times we used metaphors.

Answer 19

You did good!  What are the guide lines that say a metaphor is is not a question?  Who makes up the list (as how many staff people make up or check on these rules)?  Whats to check?

I think it would be a wonderful metaphor to ask H.S. kids in a English  class  and ask them to write an essay about it.