Re: virus: The One or the Many? (was: META)
Marie Foster (mfos@ieway.com)
Thu, 16 Oct 1997 16:47:07 -0700
Wade T.Smith wrote:
>
> >In my first post I was trying
> >to decide if it would be better to study some kind of behavior that
> >*matters* as opposed to studying something so inconsequential.
> >
> >I HATE JUNK SCIENCE. I see too many people try to study complex things
> >without controls or elimination of variables. It just seemed to me that
> >how this fad developed and persists in our culture might be
> >interesting.
>
> Ouch.
>
> 1. Streaking _matters_? Or are you saying that studying the
> inconsequential is OK?
>
> 2. A fad is not a meme.
>
> 3. People have been streaking, in one form or another, for thousands of
> years.
>
> ********************************
> Wade T. Smith
> wade_smith@harvard.edu
> morbius@channel1.com
> morbius@cyberwarped.com
> ********************************
No, streaking does not matter. Part of the reason why I wondered if I
was nuts to think it might be a worthy subject.
The meme is not a fad. Agreed. I do not propose to study a fad, but
the idea from one discrete point in time and how it changed.
By saying that people have been doing this for some time are you saying
that the only new ideas are worthy of study? Hmmm... something to chew
on.
(At least you took this in the manner I intended. Thank you.)
Marie