Re: virus: meme-meme

Brett Lane Robertson (unameit@tctc.com)
Fri, 24 Oct 1997 14:19:29 -0500


>Do that understanding influence our control of emotions? How are memes
>related to emotions? (do memes control emotions? Do emotions control
>memes?) Even given that our memes influence out emotions, I'm not sure
>that any higher order realization of "meme's control us" would influence
>our emotions -- although it might influence our reaction to our own
>emotions.
>
>The Question: does the meme-meme give us control over memes?
>
>(an interesting recursive question!)
>
>I say yes -- awareness is always the key to control.
>
>ERiC

List (sorry, sent this portion once before without a reply attached),

Reply:

There seems to be some protection provided by having an external shell--a
quality I ascribe to memes. There *seems* to be a need for "control" of
mind viruses which mimic the meme-meme (but which do not have a true memetic
shell, I contend). The resolution of this difference might be met as the
meme consumes the information contained in the virus (for a virus focuses on
content instead of contextual stability, I further contend; and therefore,
the meme which consumes the viral information--in effect--provides that
virus with a context within which, due to the memetic shell, the information
is no longer dangerous to the host).

So, what I'm saying in response to Eric's post is: Emotions are a viral
"hook" which allow for infestation. Memes contain this virus within a
complex so that the information needed for an anti-virus is also passed
along to the new host; that is, while the meme hasn't yet developed which
encapsulates this virus into a stable form, the viral danger has been
neutralized through a memetic reaction which will eventually form a new
meme. And finally, "control" is probably not the operative word in
reference to viruses--"protection" is probably a more proper term...or
"neutralization", or even "utilization".

Brett

Returning,
rBERTS%n
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