One paragraph begins, “Rooting for the Celtics is like supporting inflation, unemployment and locusts.” (No comment from the Locust Union yet, but the edit is still fresh).

But the jawdropper is the pre-edited line that originally appeared: “Rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim.”

Ouch, yikes, and tsk-tsk on so very many levels, Ms. Hill. (Quite apart from our Celtics fan status).

We get the rivalry/still-hurting-about-the-Spurs-losing bit. But the choice of eek-inducing words is a curiosity indeed. Was Ms. Hill was only half awake the day they taught similes in English class?

Just in case, we’re offering a brief tutorial on a literary device that should meet the criteria of funny or insightful—not highly inappropriate and unprofessional.

Here are some examples of good similes:

Rooting for the Celtics is like . . .

. . . invoking the memory of a murderous dictator who altered the course of 20th-century history for the sake of comparing a mostly one-sided NBA rivalry.

. . . a certain writer at ESPN confusing “humorous” with “completely lame and not at all funny, even in a Mel Brooks-purposely-politically-incorrect” kind of way.

. . . trying to make nice about a controversial piece even though the edited version is a joke because everyone already knows what was in the initial version.

So there you have it, Similes 101.

Post from: EveryJoe

Fun With Similes: A Tutorial for ESPN Writer Jemele Hill in lieu of her Hitler-Sympathizer Comparison