Re: virus: By George,

Wade T.Smith (wade_smith@harvard.edu)
Fri, 6 Feb 98 16:04:53 -0500


> There is nothing to stop a part of speech from
>being a meme

This being the precis of your argument, I must reject it, as I must all
externalizing arguments for memes. It is not the expression of the meme
that is the meme.

That being said, yes, there are memes behind interjections (behind
language- although I'm not altogether convinced of this...), even within
my narrow (and unfinished) definition of a meme. I say this because
interjections are a behavior as well- they are used to warn, for instance.

However, 'Mygod' is such a common burst, well within unconscious reaction
times, that I would class it a habit. It's origins may have memetic
analysis potential, yes. But, by the Random Quanta, guys, this population
of memes you attempt to find is fast becoming Mickey's broom and water
pail....! What will you chop up next?

(All interjections need to be followed by exclamation marks in correct
usage.)

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Wade T. Smith
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_____________ morbius@channel1.com
_____________ morbius@cyberwarped.com
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