>Someone asked why the meme that there are 200 words for snow in the
>Inuit language keeps replicating itself. The answer is that someone
>used it once in a widely-broadcast communication and lots of other
>people saw it, liked it, and latched on to it so they could use it
>in their communications.
ahem. clears throat after long silence.
In defense of the memetic theory, I have to point out a couple of things.
<defense expert_status="nil">
Memetic theory bases the transference of cultural units (thoughts, dress
patterns, etc) on a handy metaphor -- suggesting that the reproduction of
these ideas behaves in a fashion similar to genetics.
The behavior that you have described does not deviate much; indeed, it
seems that you've translated the metaphor back... :-)
</defense>
--John
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John Williams ICQ Address: 1213689 prefect@tricon.net
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"See my loafers? Former gophers!"
Various Artists: Raising the Tide of Mediocrity for Two Years
http://www.3wave.com/~prefect/