[Warren] Buffett is frequently asked why 90% of his investments are made in the U.S. He answers in metaphor: “America’s economic soil remains fertile.” Buffett’s explanation could fill books, but in five words a metaphor allows him to communicate complexity, simply. And that’s the beauty of metaphor.
A metaphor is a literary device by which we describe one thing in terms of another, replacing the meaning of one word with another. Aristotle promoted the use of metaphor as an element of persuasion more than 2,000 years ago in his work called The Rhetoric. Buffett is a big fan of the technique because it still works. We are hardwired to process our world in metaphor. In a few short words, an appropriate metaphor can teach us volumes about an event or situation....
One of my favorite Buffett metaphors that he’s used recently—although it didn’t make an appearance in his letter—is his description of America’s challenged healthcare system. In January, Berkshire joined Amazon and JPMorgan to create a program to reduce healthcare costs for employees. Buffett called soaring health costs “A hungry tapeworm on the American economy.”
What could be more evocative than a hungry tapeworm eating away at the inside of a system? It’s memorable and attention-grabbing. The Wall Street Journal used the metaphor as its headline to the story: “Healthcare Tapeworm Faces New Threat.”
Buffett has used unusual analogies in the past; unusual because they are unexpected in a financial report. But they serve their purpose—to explain and grab attention.
"Warren Buffett Loves This Ancient Tool Of Persuasion To Enliven His Annual Letters" Forbes. Feb 25, 2018
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