Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id EAA14822 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Sun, 13 Jan 2002 04:50:40 GMT Message-Id: <5.1.0.14.0.20020112231411.02c39890@pop.cogeco.ca> X-Sender: hkhenson@pop.cogeco.ca (Unverified) X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.1 Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2002 23:47:43 -0500 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk From: Keith Henson <hkhenson@cogeco.ca> Subject: RE: Knowledge, Memes and Sensory Perception In-Reply-To: <JJEIIFOCALCJKOFDFAHBEEPDEBAA.richard@brodietech.com> References: <NEBBKOADILIOKGDJLPMAKEEHCJAA.debivort@umd5.umd.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
At 05:35 PM 12/01/02 -0800, "Richard Brodie" <richard@brodietech.com>
wrote:
>Bush (wisely) didn't want to declare war on the entire Islam world, just the
>regimes that were harboring terrorism. Many of these groups have developed
>puppet governments that claim to be shocked, shocked by the terrorist acts
>while secretly being part of the good ol' gang. I am not convinced, as
>Howard Bloom fears, that we are heading for an inevitable war with the
>entire Islam religion. But I sure hope our leaders are preparing for the
>possibility.
>
>No, I'm not anti-Islam, or anti-Christian for that matter. But I have a
>great wariness towards virulent cultural organisms (mind viruses) that have
>world domination as an integral goal. Even America.
I think in a post analysis the real competition will be seen as between
"western" culture and everything else. "Western" in this sense includes
Japan and the advanced countries of south Asia as well as the more
traditional countries. Japan, for example, contributes significant
cultural elements to the rest of "Western" culture. "Popular" is another
name for it. Religion is not a major element.
It's hard to describe all the major elements, but music, fashion, movies
and TV shows are parts of it. High tech gadgets are part of it, and to a
lesser extent, the free market environment it takes to make them. (No way
you can do a 5 year plan to produce things nobody has invented yet!)
Near as I can tell nobody in power cares if western/popular culture pushes
into Islamic culture and displaces it or not. Because it is not static,
the older leaders of the western countries usually express disdain for
their own popular culture. Can't blame them, piercings give me
fantods. (Meme of the day, nipple rings and chain mail is a bad combination.)
Keith Henson
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