>with altered meanings. Interesting, that, come to think of it: activities
>are passed on, meaning is lost.
Yes! For instance, since it is tomorrow, the Thanksgiving meme. It is a=
perfect example of that which is stated above. When one thinks of=
Thanksgiving, one thinks of joyous pilgrims in neat monochromatic clothing=
feasting with their newfound friends, the Indians, or Native Americans to=
be politically correct. In truth, the pilgrims were sanctimonious Puritans=
trying to flee from the persecution of the Anglicans... Their clothes had=
not been washed in months, if ever. There was no huge feast... Let's see=
you try to gather a feast from the wilderness in New England in late=
November. It was little more than the Puritans learning from the Indians=
how to get food from the land before they killed them to make room for=
their villages. A second point: What exactly were they thankful for? The=
most common part of the Thanksgiving celebration, except for the food=
itself, is giving thanks. How thankful would you be for sailing on a ship=
for months running from persecution, watching your friends die of scurvy,=
then trying to settle in a cold forest in the winter while the natives try=
to kill you for clearing them out of the area? Don't get me wrong;=
Thanksgiving is a great holiday. I am just trying to prove how the meme has=
mutated over the past few centuries.
--<italic>Joe Strickland
</italic>tronraner@gmx.de