Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id QAA13983 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 8 Aug 2000 16:35:13 +0100 Message-ID: <000b01c00152$1f678d40$d101bed4@default> From: "Kenneth Van Oost" <Kenneth.Van.Oost@village.uunet.be> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> References: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D3101745967@inchna.stir.ac.uk> Subject: Re: Memes and sexuality Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 18:02:01 +0200 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Vincent, I suppose we let the tread about sexuality rest...!?
> In the USA, incidents like these happen almost daily- socially significant
> ones that is, not specifically child murder (although that is high in the
> US). From OJ to Rodney King, from Waco to the Oklahoma bomb, from
Jonbenet
> Ramsey to Elian Gonzalez etc. etc. What we see there is mix of increasing
> fundamentalism of all kinds (growth of movements like the Christian
> coalition, mormons, amish, nation of islam, militias, executions etc.),
> increasingly empty conservatism in the mainstream (Bore or Gush, excuse
me,
> Gore or Bush),
<< and increasing cynicism amongst everyone else (lower and
> lower voter turnouts in presidential elections for example). When people
> ask what's going on in America, we could say, don't blame them, they're
just
> memetically challenged.
There is an interesting book, it just came out at least here, of Noam
Chomsky
about issues you mentioned.
The book is called (Dutch title) The True Face Of Uncle Sam.
And in the light of the discussion going on about hymenoepimecis, the re-
semblance between what Chomsky is writing and that little animal struck
me.
Let me explain.
Chomsky analyse official documents and looks at the results of their
content.
What Chomsky cites belongs to the world of thought of the moderate
American policy makers.
That those documents are not a secret, but things that everyone could find
if they had the will to look for it, is alarming.
So can we read that Europe had to be built up again at the cost of Africa.
This continent had to be " exploited " , not because the money was needed
for the old continent, but also because a poor Africa should be a ' moral
support ' for the flat bombarded Europeans.
That in America noone thinks to make those papars public is also
meaningfull.
Capitalism has apparently reached a phase wherein repression and lies are
superfluous. The state don 't have to bother at all to cover up its
subversive
deeds anymore_the people is simply not interested !!
(Marnix Verplancke/ Filosofie Magazine )
Like you said Vincent, people are trying in many ways to run lesser risks.
One of those ways is to make sure that a man like Dutroux does not run
loose, what the victims are concerned_we don 't care.
We are becoming more (ego)istic then selfish. And yes, I do make a dis-
tinction there!!
But, a few observations did strike me like lighting here, though!!
Africa is been exploited so that we Europeans could have a clear start in
life?
Well, welcome to the wonderful world of memetic engineering !! What a
meme_applying a set of techniques to outline the bias for treating people 's
mind! What would that have meant for our parents !?
We can easily sketch up a profile of how our parents got their ' input' !!
The notion alone that there was plenty of help, enough money,...heaven
send, would have trigged an enormous positive respons !
Really, with a plan like that, we were pushed at the right buttons. I
imagine the impact of such sort of things !!
We have been given the chance of creating effivictive memes, to make
changes, to " correct " the course of history and to generate a culture
again.
We are all ' INFECTED '( we the Europeans that is ) by memes which were
aimed at the issue, not at our personalities. Those memes discarded the
intelligence, the emotional and the psychological dispositions of our
parents !
They changed the Self image at top speed and I should be glad for that, I
suppose...but now that I know that, and I see the shape where Africa is in
today...well...
Knowing this mush, I can 't get the post of Mark M. Mills out of my mind
(the larvae hatch and a few weeks later injects something into the
spider...)
Derek Gatherer, don 't thinks there was a meme there, because there was
nothing cultural...right he was.
I ain 't gonna get fancy_but the above, about Africa etc...does that not
boils down to the same principle used...!?
Did the USA not ' injected ' us with memes which were not ' right ' at the
time and in result did we not spin a cultural web that is not really ours !?
I mean, was that not against what then was memetical known...or in a wider
view...against the European genetic make up !?
If the USA did not had treated us with preference what would be the
Europe of today !?
I wonder...!!
Many regards,
Kenneth
( I am, because we are)
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