From: Scott Chase (ecphoric@hotmail.com)
Date: Sat 19 Apr 2003 - 00:25:03 GMT
>From: Keith Henson <hkhenson@rogers.com>
>Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>Subject: Re: The influence of memes on genetic evolution
>Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003 15:24:44 -0400
>
>At 09:06 PM 18/04/03 +0200, you wrote:
>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Grant Callaghan" <grantc4@hotmail.com>
>> > The world has been whipped up into hysteria over terrorist attacks and
>> > "weapons of mass destruction." Governments want to ban the publication
>>of
>> > sensitive scientific research results, and a group of major life
>>sciences
>> > editors and authors has concurred. Some even suggest an international
>>body
>> > to police research and publication. Dr. Mae-Wan Ho looks at the current
>>SARS
>> > epidemic and argues why all of those measures to control bioterrorism
>>are
>> > misplaced, and what's really needed.
>>
>>Grant,
>>
>>Thanks for your contribution, but saying the words of a man I work with,
>>
>>" Why do we bother about SARS, if traffic kills, in the US, 50.000 people
>>a year !? "
>>
>>The 100 people killed by the disease are just drops in the ocean_ natural
>>selection, in all its complexity at work, the survival of the fittest....
>>This may sound hard and unreal, but before bioterrorism becomes a " real "
>>threat it has do some " real " damage.
>
>I am amazed to hear such a statement on this list. The concern is not
>about the people who have died from SARS, but the potential death toll and
>disruption from the whole world getting it. The last major pandemic killed
>20-40 million, reportedly 8 million in Spain where it had an exceptional
>death rate.
>
There were similar attitudes to HIV/AIDS prevalent in the 80's when it was
firat becoming an issue. The greater problem with HIV/AIDS was that it was
originally considered a "gay disease", so as long as "that" stigmatized
segment of the population got it many people didn't think it was a big deal.
When it started being a factor for heterosexuals and became a threat to the
blood supply people starting realizing there was a larger problem and the
heel dragging stopped. "And the Band Played On" seemed to capture the early
to mid 80's zeitgeist in the US.
>
>Keith Henson
>
>>Even so, 50.000 deaths or more, we still keep up the pace, don 't we !?
>>
>>We don 't care, we' re still speeding_ and we do hope, that we won 't
>>be killed or kill in the process........
>>
>>Kenneth
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>===============================================================
>>This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
>>Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
>>For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
>>see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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===============================================================
This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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