Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id CAA00732 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 26 Feb 2002 02:20:35 GMT Message-ID: <007001c1be6b$965c6420$1a24f4d8@teddace> From: "Dace" <edace@earthlink.net> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> References: <F15jSae3naPmxrmbKKf0001c489@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: Words and memes Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2002 18:16:20 -0800 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4133.2400 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4133.2400 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
From: Scott Chase
> >Keith,
> >
> >I readily concede that the cattle killing involved a delusion, as did the
> >Jews at Masada. But the inaccuracy of a belief doesn't necessarily
> >make it "mutant." Myth is universal among pre-scientific cultures and is
> >extremely important at binding communities. The idea that the Xhosa
> >would regain in paradise all that they had destroyed on earth helped
> >them to resist their absorption into an alien culture. It enabled them
to
> >control their demise, to retain their human dignity to the end, just like
> >Masada. This is a healthy meme. If everyone resisted enslavement to
> >the death, there would be no imperialism, no systematic injustice and
> >inequality. We would indeed be inhabiting paradise.
> >
> >
> Isn't Masada still a big component of the Israeli-Jewish cultural milieu?
> _The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict_ (by Mitchell Bard,
> 1999, Alpha Books, Indianapolis) refers to a "Masada complex" and says
> that Israeli soldiers swear an oath ("Masada shall not fall again") at the
> Masada site. Hopefully I'm not reliving the mosque/mosquito thing here.
Yet another example of the degeneration of culture to cult.
Ted
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