On Fri, 14 Mar 1997, Lurker X wrote:
> I got interested in memes as part of some anti-public relations research I
> was doing. I can't remember where the first pointer was. Public relations
> personnel are the people who brought you "Part of this complete breakfast",
> and other wonderful examples of spin doctoring. Initially I thought that I
> could write a debunking essay based on logical or statistical fallacies.
> Yes, sugar coated cocoa bombs are part of the complete breakfast shown,
> but certainly not an essential part. I've realized that public relations
> is not about telling any lie ... but about telling The RIGHT LIE <TM>.
> Since I've been reading the virus list I've had inklings of the anatomy of
> the right lie since it seems to have memetic hooks. The right lie is
> resistant to debunking since it subtly alters our perception of reality,
> and then changing that perception requires <hopefully a great deal of>
> effort.
Interesting (and insidious) idea, no?
-Prof. Tim