{http://tropicalstormrisk.com/}

That is tropical storm Yasi and Australia can’t catch a break and Australia like the Arctic is where we can see climate change the greenhouse effect in real time. It’s already ruff for the Earthlings in Australia and will stay ruff and Bozh the lawless society in the U.S. my honest opinion a sea change and is that a play on words yes it sure is is needed. What’s that word oh that’s right an epiphany by the so called leaders as with out that the story of the human race doesn’t end well.

An epiphany is an understanding or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization.

The perception of reality seems to have got us to this point so with a soul everything should be made as simple as possible but not simpler again with a soul. Many of us know full well what’s coming and yet to turn on the TV here in the States is like an alternate reality unless that can change well I guess we will all have gold and lot’s of little plastic things. Tomorrow c-span and the point oh fiver’s and that could be pushing it will be interesting to watch for 15 minutes and I wonder how many people are starting to find out in real terms these people don’t have the slightest idea what the hell they are doing?

Memes are signposts, markers on the road to Oz. When we meet the Wizard, we must challenge him wisely, or lose mind, heart, courage—and never get back home. Gary

To become renewed, transfigured in another pattern.

bravo, thank you: a standing applause for your astute analysis.

“Trying to argue against these memes is like trying to argue with Archie Bunker. So much detritus to work through! So many cobwebs to clear! So much history to back-fill! The lack of so much common sense to decry and lament!”

indeed – so much to answer, the rebuttal to nonsense becomes at best tiresome, and then, depressing .. happily, as a balance, there is so much to enjoy in your style and thoughtful lucidity.

thank you for your essay

“Semiotics, also called semiotic studies or semiology, is the study of cultural sign processes (semiosis), analogy, metaphor, signification and communication, signs and symbols. Semiotics is closely related to the field of linguistics, which in its part, studies the structure and meaning of language more specifically. Semiotics is usually divided into three branches, which include:

Semantics: Relation between signs and the things to which they refer; their denotata, or meaning
Syntactics: Relations among signs in formal structures
Pragmatics: Relation between signs and the effects they have on the people who use them”

Which bring me back to the thing of Memes and Memetics. Most of the ideas of Memes and Memetic focus on things in such a macro reductionist fashion that there is no real development of anything out of this study, other than the snarky, hipster-ish, divisive, semi-ironic style of mocking in lieu of just admitting a dis-like or un-comfortable feelings for fear of not living up to the image that has been created of self, or by other for the self to live up to.

You seem to keep throwing stones in your rant about the different ‘meme’ quotes, hoping the something will stick, yet there is no discussion on the Originalism, or the intent of the statement when it was first made; as opposed to what it has become in cultural consciousness. The original intent vs the cultural understanding is where the true differences start to be understood, or where the meme is contained.

There is also an unspoken subject that is in a bit of subtext here. The culture war of Social Conservatism against those that are of the co-operative, or communitarian understanding/belief. To get into this would again require going into originalism of some of the statements selected, plus an understanding of things that underpin the SoCon movement; like The Prosperity Doctrine, and The End of Times as well as the propagandist techniques associated with the right to life (Abortion) campaigns and the ties to Welfare and Immigration Reform. While there are many, from a Marxist perspective, that would argue that all these issue are merely the influence of Capitalism, but in order to fight one thing and ignore the other in a global struggle for Human Rights, Respect, and Equality for every person regardless of the place they are from, or the work they do means taking the struggle to the oppressors not just looking at things and selecting the easy, sexy, press friendly struggles.
Remember, Anti-Capitalism isn’t necessarily Revolution.

Have a look at how SoCons are promoting their new Paradigm to win the Culture War: http://www.newsrealblog.com/2011/01/02/winning-the-culture-war/

While the talking heads spin how “Rhetoric” is leading to violence or worse in the political trail, no-one is doing anything at the grass-roots level unless it gets them some face time on the toob. There needs to be a serious level of people that give a crap beyond the digital comments, and feedback of crap in order to help those that are in the same boat. What ever happened to the community spirit of the Black Panthers Community Kitchens, or hot breakfast programs. Not to just help specific selected demographics, but to just help. If people gradually get taught, again, that they do not need the governments handouts, and that the communities they live in can be a wealth of love and support given some motivation then there is a mass movement there. It is about learning to not need the hierarchical power structure’s, imo.