I really wish that people (especially Polly's, who pride themselves on being very brainy) could rachet up their sophistication just one notch. Many of these authors are justly proud of having picked up the shiny word 'meme' and they employ it with relish. No harm in that, but a number of authors make the mistake of considering only those concepts that s/he believes to be FALSE with 'memes'. This is a boring and erroneous view of the 'meme'.

If such authors would do some more research before writing, they'd understand that meme doesn't mean '(popular) falsehood'. It means ANY belief, idea, or thought that can replicate from one human brain host to another, via any culutural vector. Thus, the idea that Y2K-is-the end-of-the-world is a meme (composed of numerous smaller co-adapted memes) and so is the idea that y2K is a BITR (also composed of numerous smaller co-adapted memes).

The concept of 'meme' (as in memetics research) is independent of truth value.

To use meme as a synonym for 'popular falsehood' is to reduce an interesting concept to near vacuity just for the sake of a momentary vocabulary buzz. The once-honorable word 'myth' (meaning a kind of coded truth) has already suffered the fate of mean-devolution to 'popular falsehood', so let's try to hold the line on 'meme', OK ??

Meanwhile, check six.

-- Count Vronsky (vronsky@anna.lit), November 24, 1999

off!

-- Count Vronsky (vronsky@anna.lit), November 24, 1999.

These are a few of my favorite memes - popularly believed ideas independent of truth value

Y2K is a hoax.

Y2K is all hype.

Y2K can be solved in the time remaining.

WE have it licked, but it is those OTHER countries that are behind. link

Large companies will be okay. li nk

Y2K will be like a 3 day winter storm.

Banks are compliant.

Your money is safe in the bank. [Corollary meme - your money is IN the bank.]

Y2K has been solved. Now all we have to fear is people who try to prepare for Y2K.

Social Security is 100% compliant.

Companies want to stay in business... therefore they WILL solve "it".

Companies and gov't agencies have spent a lot of money on Y2K... therefore the problem is solved.

Bill Gates has the solution.

--------

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), November 24, 1999.

oops, bold off

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), November 24, 1999.

Well, I had a WET MEME the other night....

In my meme, Cherri and I were trying to look for embedded chips. We had so many to find, but so little time to do it. We started looking in the oddest places, including a muddy field. The rest, shall we say, is personal.

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.cum), November 24, 1999.

KOS

Your truly never cease to amaze me!! ROTFLMAO

-- non'meme'induced (karlacalif@aol.com), November 24, 1999.

KoS--you and Cherri? I believe that is The Impossible Meme. In your memes, KoS, in your memes.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), November 24, 1999.

Personally, I like my meme over-easy. Fried just right, not too much salt. Nothing worse that burnt meme.

-- samIam (dr@seu.ss), November 24, 1999.

One of the best explanations of memes I have ever read is in this book:

"Surviving the Feminization of America" by Rich Zubaty 1994

my site: www.y2ksafeminnesota.com (new stuff soon)

-- MinnesotaSmith (y2ksafeminnesota@hotmail.com), November 24, 1999.

I like my "mjme" with a hat. But it's all the same to me.

-- Chris (#$%^&@pond.com), November 24, 1999.

Thanks for straighting that out Count. All this time I tought MEME was the name of a mademoselle, prossibly related to Louis La More, or maybe PEPE La Pue... Let's see MEME La More hmmmm,,, MEME La Pue... [shrug]

-- Michael (mikeymac@uswest.net), November 24, 1999.

KOS,

You don't mean Cherri Blair, do you? Was it you who got her up the duff?

-- Aleister Crowley (lovely@hairy.quim), November 25, 1999.