Common American Memes
Written By: Leon Felkins
On 1/20/96
Revised 3/10/97
Sorry this list is still being compiled!
Here is a list of memes that appear to be fairly popular in the USA and possibly other "civilized" societies. No comment will be made (in this list) as to which of these may be good for society and which may be bad. This list is in no particular order.
- An individual's vote somehow makes a difference somewhere.
- Government is, for the most part, composed of benevolent people and does benevolent acts.
- The government, somehow, has its own source of funds. If the government helps me it isn't really costing me or anyone else.
- The Japanese and Germans were evil people at one time but now they are good.
- Today's young people are somehow smarter than all previous generations especially the one their parents belong to.
- On the other hand, ancient, especially primitive, people were very wise and we would be advised to follow their scriblings
- Some sexual acts are moral, some are immoral and some are disgusting. Which ones belong to which category varies from time to time.
- Having babies is somehow good for the world. Note that the desire to have sex is genetic: the desire to have babies, on the other hand, is strictly memetic -- and wrong!
- You are unpatriotic if you are unwilling to die for a politician that is trying to further his/her career.
- Prejudice is wrong with respect to race or gender but is OK with respect to stupidity or social status.
- If your teeshirt says that you are a compassionate person, then you are a compassionate person.
- Many government programs are wasteful and should be cut -- except those in my community which just happen to be critical to the country's welfare.
- Eggs are bad for you (Now, before you get your hackles up, tell me the name of the scientific study that you actually saw that claimed that eggs are bad for human consumption -- otherwise it's just a meme!)
- My city water is not fit to drink so I pay good money (or my precious food stamps) for expensive bottled water. (Do you know for a fact that your city water is bad?)
- I know recycling is good but I am just not sure why. Anyway, it makes me feel good.
- Global warming, with its disastrous consequences, is certainly underway -- in spite of the fact that the measured temperature of the earth has actually been declining the last 20 years or so.
- For a particular commodity, particularly in food and drink, only one brand (or version within a brand) is acceptable. All other brands are vastly inferior. This kind of thinking shows the success of the "Brand Name Identification" effort by manufacturers. Most people are very careful to never take a blind test over several brands for if they did, they might ber embarrassed!
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