Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id AAA27338 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk); Sun, 16 Sep 2001 00:43:59 +0100 X-Originating-IP: [209.240.220.143] From: "Scott Chase" <ecphoric@hotmail.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: US Tragedy Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2001 19:38:56 -0400 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Message-ID: <F132kVPkmoerOvHHxaZ00011d58@hotmail.com> X-OriginalArrivalTime: 15 Sep 2001 23:38:57.0188 (UTC) FILETIME=[967F6E40:01C13E3F] Sender: fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>From: "Kenneth Van Oost" <Kenneth.Van.Oost@village.uunet.be>
>Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
>Subject: Re: US Tragedy
>Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2001 21:39:17 +0200
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Lawrence DeBivort <debivort@umd5.umd.edu>
> > Drove past the Pentagon this morning early still smoking badly. How much
> > more real to see it in person than on the little screen. And by
>coincidence
> > this afternoon I'll be driving past Manhatten and will see the new
>skyline
> > there, two teeth missing like a prize fighter that has taken a beating.
> > News media and politicicos still not asking 'why' this happened, so the
> > lessons are unlikely to be learned and the situation ripe for further
> > incidents of terrorism. Alas. I am going to try and prod 'why' questions
>and
> > discussion.
>
>Hi Lawrence,
>
>I don 't want to rip up more wounds, but I think the next will be of
>interest of how people, like me reflects on what happened.
>I did follow up CNN the last couple of days, and it seems to me that
>it turns this tragedy into a show.
>Breaking News, at about six o 'clock this evening, local time, was the
>announcement that the NY police department did not need more
>volunteers. Therefor they interrupted an interview with an ex- general
>on how to invade Afghanistan.
>
>I wonder, this seems strange to me. I understand that each tiny bit
>of information is of some importance to someone somewhere but
>this seems odd.
>This reminds me of one other interview which I saw this week with
>an American woman living in Brussels, who calls this kind of beha-
>vior " childish, playful and naive. "
>She sees this troughout the American society.
>This grasped my attention.
>
>Could the fact that Americans show such a behavior not be linked
>to the fact that "Americans do not have a history " !?
>Let me explain, in a sense, here in Europe we all lived such events,
>WO I and WO II by which Germany get the blame and the trauma,
>Belgium had the Dutroux- affair, England the death of Lady Diana.
>These are only the recent examples, but our history is full of such
>events.
>
>America had only three, recently, Pearl Harbor, JFK and WTC.
>In a way, in historic time, America is still in its infancy and the people
>acts accordingly.
>If America can' t get it, noone will and if somebody has what America
>wants they will take it....
>This is IMO, yes indeed childish behavior and than there are two
>possibilities, it makes you popular or it does not, most of the time, not !
>And children behaving like that on the schoolyard don 't have many
>friends. They think they do, (NATO !?), but bullies always get what
>they deserve.
>
>That is of course no way to see things, I understand, but in the context
>of this list of some importance.
>In my mind there is no doubt that people get memetical determiniated
>by the way they live, I posted this view this week, so couldn 't it not
>be that American folks in contrast with Europeans are still, on some
>memetical scale, in their infancy !?
>
>It seems to me, watching CNN all the time, that Americans can 't
>grasp the fact that they did something, somewhere to somebody wrong.
>And this seems to fit in the general picture of the child- analogy.
>A bully turns always things upside down. He is not the blame, it is
>always the others who don 't understand the way by which he behaves.
>
>What do you think !?
>Hope I did not offend you, or others, in any way;
>
>
I think I'll bite my lip on this one and not bite the hook.
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