From: Freespeak (f-prime@activist.com)
Date: Thu Mar 05 1998 - 17:24:21 MST
The importance of this thread comes from the possibility
that many people seem to operate *as if* they are subject
to some kind of "peme program" implanted in their brains.
The peme program seems to consist of the "peme rules"
(included as an Appendix to this post) -- or a similar
set of rules (could also vary from person to person) --
together with a set of "surface pemes" and a set of "deep
pemes" (definitions below).
I speculate that the power, survival, and expansion of
coercive political systems depend on "subjects" acting
more or less in blind obedience to their peme programs.
To the extent that individuals free themselves from their
peme programs, coercive political systems lose their
power over these individuals.
I don't know the origin of peme programs. Maybe they
stem from some kind of "spontaneous cultural or genetic
conspiracy." Historically, the disobedient disbelievers
had their heads chopped off or were burnt at the stake.
The survivors were the ones who behaved in accordance
with peme programs.
Frederick Mann
At 07:13 AM 3/5/98 -0500, "James Daugherty"
<daugh@home.msen.com> wrote:
>
>Not!: Memes are to the human brain as genes are
>to the human body.
>
>Actually: Memes are to culture or social organisms
>as genes are to the human body!
>
>
At 01:15 PM 3/5/98 EST, CurtAdams <CurtAdams@aol.com> wrote:
>
>No, memes are to the human brain as genes are to the body.
>
>Memes are to culture as genes are to human populations.
>
>
At 07:19 AM 3/5/98 -0500, "Lloyd Miller, Research Director"
<lloyd@a-albionic.com> wrote:
>
> Memes are to culture or "social organism" as genes are
>to biological organisms.
>
>
At 10:30 AM 3/5/98 -0600, Thom Quinn <swo@execpc.com> wrote:
>
>Ok, could we get a working definition if PEMES and KEMES.
>
Pemes are political memes. They consist of ideas, concepts,
phrases, and terms, the use of which increases the power of
the "masters" who operate coercive political systems; while
their use reduces the power of the "subjects" of coercive
political systems.
There are surface pemes and deep pemes. Surface pemes are
relatively easy to identify and invalidate. An example of
a surface peme is "mandate from the people." This is used
by politicians and bureaucrats to "justify" their coercive
actions. It increases their power. "Subjects" who accept
the "mandate from the people" peme, effectively reduce their
own power because they "authorize" politicians and bureaucrats
to take coercive actions against "subjects."
Deep pemes are much more difficult to identify as such and
to invalidate. Deep pemes are generally accepted as valid
by practically all people, including freedom lovers. If you
try to question, attack, or invalidate a deep peme, most
people will think you're crazy.
-----------------------------------------------------------
At 12:01 PM 1/23/98 +0000, Damien Broderick
<damien@ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au> wrote:
>
>>I must have missed this earlier, what is a keme?
>
>A keme is a stupid typo of mine. I meant to write `kene',
>which is a borrowing from Gregory Benford's Galactic Center
>sequence of sf novels. In SAILING BRIGHT ETERNITY, we are
>told:
>
>`Memes evolved in turn far faster than genes. Brains are
>easier to infest than DNA.
>
>`The organized constellation of information in computers
>were *kenes* - from *ken*, to know.
>
>`[...] Kenes evolved faster than memes. Soon, they learned
>to leave even the substrate of silicon. Ordered, replicating
>data propagated beyond its *in silico* origins. Rather than
>matter, it sought out fields - electric, magnetic, even
>gravitational.' And so on ...
>
------------------------------------------------------------
>
At 10:10 AM 3/5/98 -0700, Mark Lindsay <ppi@amug.org> wrote:
>
>When I read [your peme article], I was reminded of a
>science fiction novel 'The Mind Parasites,' by Colin
>Wilson. He used the metaphor of parasites taking over
>people's minds and controlling them. Perhaps a science
>fiction novel could also help express what you've written
>about pemes.
>
Is anyone out there interested in writing an SF novel
on pemes. I would be happy to collaborate and ensure
publication, if we can produce a worthwhile product.
>
At 11:50 AM 3/5/98 -0800, Yak Wax <yakwax@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>Frederick Mann wrote:
>
>> 2. Pemes shall infect, pervade, and absolutely
>> rule all human brains.
>
>Not this one.
>
>> 9. Under no circumstances shall any human be
>> allowed to question, attack, or expose any deep
>> pemes.
>
>Been there, done that.
>
>> 11. Any humans who attempt to clear any deep
>> pemes from their brains shall experience a
>> strong and compelling inner voice telling them,
>> "I've got to stop this or I'll go crazy!"
>
>Been there too - I enjoyed being crazy.
>
>I have not been infected by any "pemes" deep or
>otherwise. I'm quite sure it's a genetic thing,
>I've just never been able to adapt to centralist
>thinking (which actually helps when dealing with
>people who are infested with these ideas.)
>
>If you think that's impossible, go ahead and
>prove me wrong.
>
I don't think this thread should be about proving
anyone "right" or "wrong." It should rather be
about determining the validity or otherwise of
my peme theory. If valid, then the next step
would be to identify all the pemes and to discover
how people can clear them from their brains.
Maybe you could make a list of all the pemes
you've either cleared from your brain, or were
never infected by in the first place.
Frederick Mann
APPENDIX - PEME RULES
=====================
1. Peme survival and propagation is the ultimate
imperative.
2. Pemes shall infect, pervade, and absolutely
rule all human brains.
3. There shall be surface pemes and deep pemes.
4. Pemes shall divide humans into opposing and
conflicting political and economic factions --
such as "conservative"/"liberal," "capitalist"/
"socialist," and "statist"/"anarchist" -- who
shall endlessly argue, fight, and even kill...
in the name of pemes.
5. All humans shall be subjected to "compulsory
education" (a surface peme) to ensure that their
brains are thoroughly implanted with both surface
and deep pemes.
6. Surface pemes shall induce mild soporific,
stupefying, and debilitating effects in human
brains.
7. Deep pemes shall induce severe soporific,
stupefying, and debilitating effects in human
brains.
8. Some humans shall attack and even expose
certain surface pemes -- such as "national
security," "public interest," "gun control,"
etc. -- while others shall justify and defend
these surface pemes.
9. Under no circumstances shall any human be
allowed to question, attack, or expose any deep
pemes.
10. Any humans who have cleared a few surface
pemes from their brains shall deceive themselves
into believing that they've cleared all pemes
from their brains and that they're "politically
enlightened."
11. Any humans who attempt to clear any deep
pemes from their brains shall experience a
strong and compelling inner voice telling them,
"I've got to stop this or I'll go crazy!"
12. Any human who attempts to question, attack,
or expose any deep peme shall be ignored,
ridiculed, or vilified by other humans.
13. Pemes shall further divide humans into
a political "master" class and a "citizen
subject" class. The former shall rule the
latter.
14. "Citizen subjects" shall pay "their taxes"
(a surface peme) to their political "masters"
-- to maximize the survival potential of the
primary peme purveyors.
15. Surface pemes (to a small extent) and
deep pemes (to an extreme extent) shall
increase the power of the political "master"
class.
16. Surface pemes (to a small extent) and
deep pemes (to an extreme extent) shall
reduce the power of the "citizen subject"
class.
17. Pemes shall also divide humans into a
pro-freedom faction and an anti-freedom
faction.
18. Whenever anti-freedom humans (primary
peme purveyors) communicate, they shall
make a special effort to use both surface
and deep pemes in their language -- in
order to maximize peme survival and
propagation.
19. Whenever pro-freedom humans (secondary
peme purveyors) communicate -- although
they may question, attack, and expose a
few surface pemes -- they shall make a
special effort to use deep pemes in their
language -- in order to maximize peme
survival and propagation.
20. At the deepest level, pemes shall
operate through a special class of humans
called "lawyers" as the most powerful peme
purveyors of all.
21. At a broader level, pemes shall
operate through "preachers," "politicians,"
"bureaucrats," "teachers," etc. as primary
peme purveyors.
22. A special class of humans called
"police" shall -- using violence if
necessary -- protect some humans and
attack or punish others, as directed
by pemes (such as "justice," "law and
order," etc.) in the brains of "lawyers"
(sometimes called "judges"), "politicians,"
"bureaucrats," etc.
23. At a planetary level, pemes shall
divide humans into sometimes opposing
and conflicting "countries" and "nations."
24. Under the direction of "politicians,"
a special kind of human called "soldiers"
shall attack and kill, not only humans in
opposing or conflicting "countries" and
"nations," but sometimes also humans from
their own "country" or "nation."
25. When activated by thought or communication,
pemes shall induce in humans emotions and
attitudes which shall include fear, blind
obedience, idolatrous worship, resistance,
resentment, rebelliousness, anger, hate,
revenge, the urge to kill, etc.
26. In general, pemes shall direct humans
to engage in all kinds of plots, conspiracies,
betrayals, vicious infighting, dramatic legal
battles, scandals, rebellions, revolutions,
wars, etc. in order to create spectacles that
keep human brains occupied, entertained, or
traumatized, and to divert their attention
from discovering pemes (particularly deep
pemes).
27. No human shall be allowed to understand
these peme rules -- in order to maximize
peme survival and propagation.
28. All humans shall ignore, ridicule, or
vilify anyone who attempts to communicate
these peme rules -- in order to maximize
peme survival and propagation.
Frederick Mann
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The [one] who knows what freedom is will find a way to be free."
-- Robert LeFevre
"We are free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it."
-- William Faulkner
"The most potent weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed."
-- Steve Biko
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