Dave Barry now seems to appear once a year (a month ahead of the groundhog in Feb), but rarely fails to capture some news event in a potent comparison.
Comparison:
“Observers who are actually in Kabul paint a somewhat darker picture of the withdrawal, more along the lines of what would have happened if the Hindenburg had crashed into the Titanic during a soccer riot.”
Writers, or other rhetors, frequently can “stack” related comparisons to achieve a multiplier impact of emphasis and awareness. So, Dave Barry by using genuine historical tragedies manages to add HINDENBURG+TITANIC+SOCCER RIOT to attempt his critique of the recent Afghanistan withdrawal.
Context:
“The Biden administration, noting that the president has more than 140 years of experience reading teleprompter statements about foreign policy, assures everyone that it has a Sound Exit Plan allowing for Every Possible Contingency, and insists that the withdrawal is going well. This assessment is confirmed by observers on the ground, particularly Jen Psaki, with the ground in her case being the White House press briefing room. Observers who are actually in Kabul paint a somewhat darker picture of the withdrawal, more along the lines of what would have happened if the Hindenburg had crashed into the Titanic during a soccer riot.”