Why the [blank]-as-other metaphor rarely works
((ETA: Until i can find conclusive evidence that Thomas has shagged with another guy, I'm baleeting that reference. The analogy still stands, though, with regard to perception - Thomas is a pretty boy ergo mistaken for gay, and that's another can of worms.))
The short answer: 99% of the time, authors are doin it rong. (Mostly because they're approaching from a privileged position and cannot see that they're doin it rong - and 'privileged' does not mean 'bad person' kaythanksbai. Nor does it mean 'possessed of a life that is always easy'.)
Of course that's just an extension of Sturgeon's Law, but anyhow. Let me break it down -
( dot dot dot! )
The short answer: 99% of the time, authors are doin it rong. (Mostly because they're approaching from a privileged position and cannot see that they're doin it rong - and 'privileged' does not mean 'bad person' kaythanksbai. Nor does it mean 'possessed of a life that is always easy'.)
Of course that's just an extension of Sturgeon's Law, but anyhow. Let me break it down -
( dot dot dot! )