Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id TAA18672 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 14 Jan 2002 19:19:23 GMT X-Originating-IP: [199.183.184.39] From: "Grant Callaghan" <grantc4@hotmail.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: RE: playing at suicide Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 11:14:54 -0800 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Message-ID: <LAW2-F118FkuutSgcOr00000049@hotmail.com> X-OriginalArrivalTime: 14 Jan 2002 19:14:54.0679 (UTC) FILETIME=[BF9C2670:01C19D2F] Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Vincent,
A fashion craze or a fad is a tool for impressing your friends and showing
that you belong. It can also be used for other things, but my point is that
it is used. Why do people feel like they have to have one? If they don't,
it lessens their status (at least in their own eyes) and means they're "out"
rather than "in." In this case, perception is reality. National magazines
keep track of what's in and what's out as well as who's in and who's out.
This creates heavy pressure on some people to conform. The meme is a tool
for the magazine as well as the people who read it.
Grant
>From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk>
>Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
>Subject: RE: playing at suicide
>Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 11:16:22 -0000
>
>Hi Grant,
>
>I think your use of the term meme as a tool is too narrow, you're ognoring
>all those arbitary behaviours and trends that many would argue are memes
>that seem to defy any obvious sense of utility (pick your fashion craze)
>outside of some kind of cop out "social" utility which is a bit like the
>archaeologists' cop out of "ritual" for anything they can't make easy sense
>of. Dawkins, and others subseuqently (see Blackmore's 'The Meme Machine'
>for instance) look to memes to explain the more incomprehensible aspects of
>culture.
>
>Vincent
>
> <In the beginning, no. But the child soon learns whether it gets
>him what he
> > wants or not. Then the tears can be turned on or off like a spigot or a
> > light switch to manipulate parents and siblings. That's when it becomes
>a
> >
> > meme. Some children refuse to cry when hit. That, too, is a meme.
>They
> > discovered that in their particular circumstances they get better
>results
> > from that behavior. My brother was one of those who refused to cry. He
> > just sat around glowering and nursing his anger. His meme was to not
>give
> >
> > you the satisfaction of knowing he was hurt. He was only three or four
>at
> >
> > the time when I realized what he was doing.>
> >
>--
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>
>===============================================================
>This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
>Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
>For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
>see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
>
Grant
The means you use shape the ends you get.
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This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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