The strings are not tied to a puppet.
The strings are weaved.
Who pulls the strings controls the fabric.
A crease here. A hole there.
Squeeze this. Loosen that.
If a problem enters popular culture it is a string someone pulls.
Mafia. Human trafficking. Drugs. Opioids. Alcohol. Cancer. Mental illness. Loneliness. Hostile computing. Hackers. Surveillance. Putin. Trump. Senile world leaders. Natality decline. Migrants on boats.
It's many strings in this fabric.
Some of the strings are those you hold on to.
Let them go