this gets a lot more interesting if you think about it from a development econ pov, like what stages an relationship can go through and characterizing it relative to its neighbors

also thinking about it in terms of intentions, like what goals a country has and what trajectory they’re on, what limitations are imposed from without, what burdens do decisionmakers have from the historical position they’re thrown into

i’m obviously not taking this terribly seriously and there are myriad landmines with this metaphor,

it’s emblematic of the significance of what metaphors are readily available and why culture and having a “scene” is so important. even within that, there are limits to the boundaries of imagination imposed by history (though it may be beneficial to often forget this and ride the delusion)

citations