Analogies are often terrible because they just shift the conversation to identifying the differences and similarities in the two sides of the analogy and arguin

Analogies are often terrible because they just shift the conversation to identifying the differences and similarities in the two sides of the analogy and arguing about their relevance or lack thereof. That may lead somewhere eventually, but probably not, and certainly not efficiently. A good analogy illustrates a different way of viewing something that not all readers might have considered, rather than simply asserting that two things are equivalent in the given context. Edit: Also, I am American, so I hope you can curb your European-focused hatred when reading my comment.