The third rail of a nation's politics is a metaphor for any issue so controversial that it is "charged" and "untouchable" to the extent that any politician or public official who dares to broach the subject will invariably suffer politically. The metaphor comes from the high-voltage third rail in some electric railway systems.
Does anybody else besides me feel there is a "third rail" topic at HSE that would cause metaphorical electrocution (moderators calling you to the carpet, colossal downvoting, nasty comments, questions answers and comments deleted, sanctions up to and including suspension) if you touch it?
