Self-Centered by Metaphor Use?

McCloud makes a bold statement by accusing the human race of being selfish due to how we personify images, even if there isn't anything to be manifested. He uses cartoons as a wonderful example of how we automatically make a connection with a character. We give these characters life by exploring their worlds and simultaneously seeing us as them. In other words, we have a tendency to fuse with inanimate objects. Another great example would be how we drive our vehicles or when we eat with utensils; our minds are subconsciously finding ways to extend or bend reality. But is it really selfish to do so?

Maybe since we have this imaginative power, then it’s alright to think in this manner. Perhaps McCloud was provoking an argument so one could justify those reasons. On the other hand, both Lakoff & Johnson believe that because of our cultural influences, we live by metaphors and personifications. In our culture, we will always think that we’re in a dreamland. For example, “she’ll rise to the top. He’s at the peak of his career. He’s climbing the ladder” are great instances of phrases that represent how we like to suspend the real world (Lakoff and Johnson). With those key phrases there’s an understanding within our culture, they symbolize success and promotion. But imagine if our culture did not associate accomplishment with hiking a mountain or climbing a ladder. Instead, what if success was referenced with crawling. Clearly success wouldn't have the same impact in discourse now that we may connect accomplishing tasks as slithering. So is it selfish to live by metaphorical concepts?

Works Cited
McCloud, Scott. “The Vocabulary of Comics.” In Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: Harper Collins, 1994. 24-45

Lakoff, George, and Mark Johnson. Excerpts from Metaphors We Live By (1980). The Literary Link. Janice E. Patten. 2010. San Jose State University. Web. http://theliterarylink.com/metaphors.html