Memes.
Many who read that word will think of the amusing pictures that are spreading across the internet at an increasing rate... but explicitly speaking, what is a meme? Are they new to society?
No.
The explicit definition of a meme is "
an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture". Think about that a little critically, and you realize that culture is just a collection of memes, the spread of which is governed by commonalities in the lifestyles of the members of that culture. Everything down to gestures and even words (which begin as slang or jargon and eventually become incorporated into formal language) are, at some level, memes.
So why am I posting about this now? Why should this matter to you?
This was all just made relevant to me as a result of the latest events that unfolded in North Korea- namely,
Kim Jong Il's
death.
Based on the
complete cultural control that the North Korean government has over its citizens, I'm not really surprised that the regime has managed to maintain its power so well. They've memetically destroyed the concept of freedom within their population... and that, is the purest form of destruction.
To control what a person obtains is the simplest type of control.
To control what a person does is a tighter kind of control.
To control what a person knows is even more impressive
(oppressive).
To control what a person does or does not believe... that is pure control.
I will extrapolate these concepts to the United States. I know, comparing the U.S. to Korea is more than a little extreme, but the theme of memetic manipulation exists in any government; in order for a political system to work, those participating must have a similar idea of its function, or, at the very least, agree upon it enough to work with it.
Which brings me to my next ideological target: the two-party system, and the
(hilarious) idea that every problem that arises in the country can be attributed to one of two political groups.
It wasn't until
two weeks after Occupy Wall Street started that any major news network BEGAN reporting on it.
Streets were being blocked. Cars were stopped. THOUSANDS of people on one of the busiest streets in one of the busiest cities in the wealthiest nation in the world... were ignored by the media for two weeks. What disgusts me is that people trust these networks to give them an accurate depiction of the world, despite this.
Memetic manipluation. These people will tell you what's going on.
What else do these people tell you? Republican vs. Democrat. Political problem? Automatically assigned to one or the other.
And why not? They're the most accessible and well-funded media outlets in the country.
Even now, despite all of the political dissent that has been surging throughout the country, people are far too quick to label. Talk about an issue, and it's either the Democrat's fault, or the Republican's fault. Either the liberals are right, or the conservatives know what to do. It can't be both, nor can it draw attention to another.
Control of the media: control of the mind.
Though that's changing now as well, isn't it?
Those who are connected to the information flow outside of the news networks realize how irrevocable the Occupy movement is across the country. Strangely enough, not a single presidential candidate (as far as I have heard) has even publicly recognized the existence of this movement. Many people consider it the left-wing analogue to the Tea Party (surprise! It's either right or left- politics has a single dimension, after all).
The concept of ideologies that cannot be incorporated into Democratic or Republican ideals has been memetically destroyed. Not only are third-party candidates automatically ostracized from major corporate donations (by virtue of daring to venture away from Red vs. Blue), but
the very idea that a third-party candidate has no chance to be elected is self-perpetuating. This has come to the point where those who speak out in favor of the third party are encouraged (inevitably by self-proclaimed free-thinkers as well as party spokespeople) to absorb their ideas into either one party or the other.
Divide all through hate, red state, blue state.
Time do discuss the actual issues. Do you believe that the current government has ANY intention of balancing the federal government's budget? The congressional super-committee charged with coming up with a plan to fix the budget
failed at doing so.
I feel that, at such a point where a person (or body of people) cannot fix a problem that NEEDS TO BE FIXED, they should consider fishing for ideas outside of their own minds. Different ideas.
Has anyone heard of ideas floating around aside from
cutting social programs vs.
taxing the rich? I'm
certain they exist, but why aren't these discussed? To be consistent with my current rant, it's because they aren't what the Democrats or Republicans have been preaching. Go figure.
For those of you who are sick of the two-party system, stop being quiet about it. This is how to fix it.
Don't blame the Democrats or Republicans for anything. Blame those who act (vote) against what you believe, but this mental compartmentalization of ALL political issues divides the country. It needs to stop.
"It is the rule in war, if ten times the enemy's strength, surround them; if five times, attack them; if double, be able to divide them; if equal,engage them; if fewer, be able to evade them; if weaker, be able to avoid them." -Sun Tzu
Dividing the enemy is one of the most effective ways to defeat them. This works in physical war, and ideological war. I am fighting an ideological battle, and this is my dissemination strategy: Information.
Stop being quiet.
Stop being complacent.
Stop being apathetic.
Stop waiting for something to affect you directly before you speak out. An idea that isn't shared in any way may as well never have existed.
What you think matters as much as you want it to matter. If you are angry, but silent about it, then your anger does not matter. Prove that it matters.
You don't have to do much. Go on twitter for 10 minutes a day and let people know what you think. Start a blog. Share on Facebook. Yes, these matter.
If you're happy with how things are going, then make sure you are well aware of how things are going; else, you're fooling yourself.
This is the information age. If you have information, share it. Your opinion is information. Share it.
Being scared of those who disagree with you DEFINES the success of all who oppose you.
I encourage all to disagree with me and disobey all commands to keep quiet.
This is democracy. The people in Washington DC clearly have forgotten whom they are supposed to serve. They will forever be ignorant if the masses stay silent. Speaking out is now easier than ever.
If your opinion isn't shared, it doesn't matter.
Does it matter to you?
