Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id PAA01538 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 12 May 2000 15:28:23 +0100 X-Authentication-Warning: poirot.umd.edu: debivort owned process doing -bs Date: Fri, 12 May 2000 10:26:34 -0400 (EDT) From: "Lawrence H. de Bivort" <debivort@umd5.umd.edu> X-Sender: debivort@poirot.umd.edu To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: Useless memes In-Reply-To: <B6E47FBD3879D31192AD009027AC929C3688D0@NWTH-EXCHANGE> Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.4.21.0005121019480.3170-100000@poirot.umd.edu> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
On Fri, 12 May 2000, Bruce Jones wrote:
>IMHO sayings such as "Which came first ... ", "Best laid plans ..", "Don't
>throw out the baby with the bath water.", etc. catch on because they convey
>complex meanings with the fewest number of words.
Bruce, I think you have pointed to an important characteristic of a
successful meme.
I guess my favorite would have to be "Out Now!" This caught on rapidly as
the slogan on the anti-VietNam war movement, and helped people focus and
act on the key issue.
I can see where such simplification might lead to a loss of detailing that
is actually important to choosing a course of action, and where a meme
might cause the loss of usefulness. In the case of "Out Now!" the loss of
detail was acceptable because it didn't really matter (from the anti-war
movement's point of view) _how_ the US got out, just that it did and
rapidly.
Lawrence de Bivort
The Memetics Group
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