Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id SAA25611 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 2 Oct 2001 18:33:57 +0100 From: "salice" <salice@gmx.net> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2001 19:28:24 +0000 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Subject: RE: What/Who selects memes? In-reply-to: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D3102A6D058@inchna.stir.ac.uk> Message-Id: <E15oTNM-00048U-00@dryctnath.mmu.ac.uk> Sender: fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> occasions when large numbers of people seem to find something aesthetically
> pleasing, whether that be the millions seeing 'Titanic' or buying 'Pink
> Floyd' albums (neither of which I can personally understand...:-)).
Taste is different among people. That you 'had' to watch Titanic is a
question of culture, wide-spread acceptance of something.
Lot's of people find evolutionary theory depressing for instance, but
they are exposed to it, because it's culturally accepted and
widespread.
> There is, for example, a particular way of framing images colloquially
> called the 'golden shot', that is used continually in film. In involves the
> placing of the main subject, say a human face, not at the centre of the
> frame, horizontally, but to one side. This is continually used in film, and
> is particularly noticeable in widescreen films. Perhaps this relates to our
Techniques in films and arts changes. If some technique is
wide-spread and corresponds to the way our senses and our brain
works it just shows that memes have to rely on our dna which
includes the "building-information" for our senses.
> and suggested that by knowing a person's geographical origin, class, gender
> and educational background, one could make very educated guesses at people's
> tastes in music, art etc.
Especially in our culture this is not quite true. And also in other
cultures, maybe tastes can't be lived out freely in dogmatic systems
but tastes still differ.
> As to your 'brains select memes' line, the "memes as virus" school of
> thought would argue it's the other way around, at least some of the time.
I think this is also partly true. Especially when culture is
observed. Someone might sacrifice himself for culture but the other
way around a certain culture influences the life of a person quite
a lot. Just look at the obvious Hitler/Nazism/Jews example.
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