[couchand]

Well this isn't exactly a currently-standing fence, so the metaphor falls down.

It's more like someone coming upon their neighbor complaining about a mutual neighbor and their fence and offering them advice for the next confrontation with the neighbor.

[TillE]

It's a really simple allegory that warns about the dangers of approaching a situation from a position of ignorance.

[couchand]

Yes and misusing simple allegories and therefore misunderstanding the situation is very common.