From: Kate Distin (memes@distin.co.uk)
Date: Mon 28 Nov 2005 - 14:28:09 GMT
Is this to do with our perception of how much we are in control of these
things? So we get in a car and even pick up a 'phone while we're
driving but we feel fairly in control so don't panic; whereas a flu
epidemic is something out of our hands.
Also of course there's the thing where we pay particular attention to
situations which have especially horrific consequences,no matter how
unlikely. So we panic more about letting our children out of our sight
for two minutes in a store than about letting them drive twenty miles
with a friend's parent of whose driving skills we are completely
ignorant. We imagine an avian flu epidemic potentially wiping out
thousands . . . which outweighs in our minds its unlikelihood . . . so
the meme successfully grabs and holds our attention.
Kate
> Whets interesting about memes like these is that we give them more
> headspace, despite low probability of occurrence, than memes dealing with
> far more dangerous things like cars etc.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk [mailto:fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk]On Behalf
> Of Chris Taylor
> Sent: 28 November 2005 11:27
> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> Subject: Re: Giving a presentation on memetics
>
>
> The bad thing with the bird flu issue is the number of people
> that have gone for _seasonal_ flu jabs thinking that affords
> some protection against bird flu (which it does not).
>
> Flu is flu is flu (apparently). The dominance of one meme over
> another; the flu meme has accrued to itself some of the
> properties of the bird flu meme by some kind of
> subsumption/recombination; reminds me of the John Carpenter
> version of 'The Thing'.
>
> And again (just like all the antibiotics prescribed for common
> cold etc.) GPs are finding it simpler to just prescribe rather
> than discuss (given limited time, and the independent benefits
> of the flu jab). This would be fine if the seasonal flu jabs
> were unlimited but now many at risk types won't get one and
> it'll be plain old dull flu that kills them in what is shaping
> up to be a cold winter.
>
> Cheers, Chris.
>
>
> Scott Chase wrote:
>
>>>From: "Alan Patrick" <a.patrick@btinternet.com>
>>>Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>>>To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
>>>Subject: RE: Giving a presentation on memetics
>>>Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 08:03:03 -0000
>>>
>>>Memes as similar to epidemics...quite timely....the Asian flu meme has
>>>spread faster than the flu itself...
>>>
>>
>>Yeah. I was pretty yyoung when the swine flu craze took hold in the
>>70's. Wonder what simlarties there are with that one (the cultural
>>epidemic that is). It wasn't too long ago we were worried about the
>>prospects of ebola and hanta spreading widely. That _Outbreak_ movie
>>didn't help much.
>>
>>Epidemics and pandemics are a real concern, even with bird flu, but
>>there are other things to worry about too...like hurricanes. The
>>Atlantic tropical system naming has reached Delta this season so far.
>>When we reach the greek alphabet you gotta wonder what the heck is going
>>on with this stuff. One of those 2005 storms hit the Iberian peninsula
>>so you Europeans aren't safe either.
>>
>>
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