Memes 1

From: Phil Osborn (philosborn2001@yahoo.com)
Date: Sun Aug 04 2002 - 16:41:24 MDT


I posted
<http://disc.server.com/discussion.cgi?id=165346&article=13914
recently.

As there were a few intelligent responses and I am not
really an expert in the field of memetics, I thought
that perhaps other list members here might want to
critique or contribute.

Note that this board - KPFK Support Group - may be
engaging in censorship. It is a support/discussion
board for KPFK/Pacifica, which is dominated by the
"progressive" left, which has about as much connection
to "progress" as the "pro-life" nuts have to promoting
life. Those caveats considered, there is still
potential value to be gained.

At points in the past, KPFK has run extropian or
libertarian related material or programming, programs
by atheists, Science Fiction programs etc. The
Pacifica Articles of Incorporation as well as their
official Mission Statement do not specify any
particular political orientation, but rather call for
making the air waves available to voices seldom heard
or excluded from the air as well as exploring the
causes of conflicts.

Unfortunately, the records of the Pacifica Corp. also
show that amendments to their articles forbidding
using resources to promote particular political
agendas were defeated at least twice by vote of the
governing board, and thus periodically the
station/network spins off into some radical variant of
Marxist/feminist/3rd World/black
power/you-name-the-hate-group agenda and many good
people are purged.

Then the forces of good and light stage a counter-coup
and there is a period of great soul-searching in which
the various purged groups weigh in with their
grievances and a new cycle starts. This is where they
are now, with all sorts of local organizing meetings
at grass roots level, etc. There is great opportunity
for many diverse interests to gain some influence and
possibly even a program or at least some air time.

One of the great lacks of the "progressives," which
has blocked them from seeking real solutions to the
problems which they often correctly identify has been
an understanding of economics. Another has been
hostility to science and technology. (For some, rank
insanity also seems to play a role. ;) )

So, those of you who might want to contribute to
possibly gaining some positive influence when change
is actually possible, even maybe getting some
programming time for extropian-related ideas, or just
tweaking the noses of some luddite leftists may want
to follow the above link. As I said, there were some
intelligent responses to my intro to memetic thinking,
and not eveyone there is crazy or stupid by a long
shot. Have fun...

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