Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id AAA19434 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 15 Jan 2002 00:45:25 GMT Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 16:40:57 -0800 Message-Id: <200201150040.g0F0evw20217@mail2.bigmailbox.com> Content-Type: text/plain Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary X-Mailer: MIME-tools 4.104 (Entity 4.116) X-Originating-Ip: [216.76.250.15] From: "Joe Dees" <joedees@addall.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: RE: Knowledge, Memes and Sensory Perception Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk('binary' encoding is not supported, stored as-is)
>Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 19:22:58 -0500
> memetics@mmu.ac.uk "Francesca S. Alcorn" <unicorn@greenepa.net> RE: Knowledge, Memes and Sensory PerceptionReply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>
>>
>>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.)
>
>
>I think you are so right here. I have come to think that one of the
>defining characteristics of Western Culture is the way in which it
>overwhelms most (all?) of the indigenous cultures with which it has
>come into contact. I first heard of memes shortly before I left for
>Africa where I lived for three years. Living in a country where the
>old culture (memes) were coming into contact with Western culture, it
>was interesting to watch which memes were robust enough to survive
>the onslaught of Western culture and which were not. And which
>Western cultural memes (and technologies) were embraced and which
>were not. This process occurs in any situation where two cultures
>collide - be it in an African country, or in a marriage where two
>family cultures collide. I heard echoes of the village elder's
>complaining about the loss of their culture in some of Bin Laden's
>statements (but without his virulence or hatred.)
>
>I have not read all of the books which many of you on the list refer
>to. I must admit I am mostly interested at looking at the qualities
>of a meme which make it more robust and more likely to survive in the
>types of situations which I described. Can anyone point me in the
>direction of some good literature on this subject? I have been
>fascinated by memes ever since I first read an excerpt of Dawkins in
>"The Mind's I", and didn't realize that such following has sprung up
>around the concept until I found this list. I am a therapist and a
>mother of two small children, so I haven't had the time to stay
>current that I would have liked to. What do you all recommend to
>bring me up to speed.
>
>CULTURAL SOFTWARE: A Theory of Ideology by J. M. Balkin is an interesting source.
>
>===============================================================
>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)
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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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