At Viacom Inc., an international media conglomerate, profits have been falling sharply, raising fresh concerns from investors over leadership roles. Recently, CEO Phillipe Dauman has needed to “Defend His Leadership,” according to the Wall Street Journal. Lakoff and Johnson would smirk if they read this news title. What a prime example of the metaphorical concept “Argument Is War.”

When a business is struggling, and performing below expectations, arguments will arise at the top. Freshly stoked concerns from major investors will need to be relieved, or taken head on. Therefore, Mr. Dauman had to defend his position at the top of the company, realizing those concerns, and assuring others he is the right man for the job.

The significance of using this title explains how the human mind categorizes all occurrences into different realms, such as argument, and then verbally explains it as war. A war where one needs to defend some position that is likely highly valuable, as in the case of CEO. The news reporter might have been thinking for a provoking title to draw attention to his article, but he did not realize why he thought of argument in that light, and the diction we therefore use due to that way of thought.