Is this a meme?

1 Like

I donā€™t understand what a ā€œmemeā€ is.

I agree with Mark Twainā€™s definition of patriotism.

2 Likes

As far as I can tell, a meme is the juxtaposition of words and pictures that get a point across very succinctly. Powerlineā€™s ā€œThe Week in Picturesā€ is a good example of them!

2 Likes

Thanks, Liz! Now Iā€™ve got it.

2 Likes

In our online post-literate world, ā€˜memesā€™ (in the sense that Liz has defined them, not in Richard Dawkinsā€™ use of the term) are a great weapon.

Iā€™m starting a ā€˜Meme Farmā€™ on another site (PatriotAction.US), but Iā€™ll put a few here, in case anyone wants to post them elsewhere.
Putin - Why would I attack America

Chinese Third Graders


Iā€™ve got many many more. Every online forum where the Left hangs out ought to have a few posted on it. Daily.

2 Likes

What is the difference between Lizā€™s and Dawkinsā€™s meaning of the word ā€œmemeā€?

2 Likes

This?

Meme theory (or memetic theoryā€”with an ā€œeā€) explains the development of culture through the imitation of things: ideas, behaviors, and styles that are encoded as memes so they can be easily imitated. A meme is the cultural counterpart to a biological gene.

You knowā€¦that Wiki thing.

1 Like

images

1 Like

Didnā€™t mean what?

2 Likes

A picture with words on it. (Not his definition of a meme).

2 Likes

I recall when Dawkins came out with this idea (and the word) ā€“ ā€˜memeā€™. He meant it as a sort of cultural equivalent of a gene ā€“ something that persisted by replication [meme | Etymology, origin and meaning of meme by etymonline].

I didnā€™t like the idea at the time because it seemed to me the analogy was false. Genes replicate themselves because they give the organism which bears them a competitive advantage over its rivals which do not.

And you could argue that there is a cultural analogy: the society which invents gunpowder will displace the society which did not, as Che Guevara noted with respect to the native inhabitants of the Americas.

But it seemed to me that Dawkinsā€™ ā€˜memesā€™ just spread, like a catchy tune. Why should one ā€˜memeā€™ catch on, and another die?

By the way, while reading about ā€˜memesā€™, I came upon the Wiki bio of Peter Thiel, founder of PayPal. Itā€™s very interesting:

2 Likes