...Memes What are memes? I remember hearing a TED talk with Richard Dawkins (he coined the word) where he explained that meme is simply a rogue cultural variant. My curiosity was peaked and had to find out more. Memes surround us like the air we breathe. We don’t realize it but memes are present when we wake up pour the first cup of coffee of the day and turn on the news, drive to work, take the train, memes continuously embed themselves into our subconscious every day. Memes are simply “pieces” of culture. These pieces or units range from political To shoes to the frivolous and every place in between. Memes are absorbed through our cultural consciousness where they evolve, mutate, compete or simply die or lie dormant. Search Terms: Richard Dawkins Lumsden and Wilson Cultural Transmission Recessive Memes Meta Representations Culturegen Distin 'unit of information residing in the brain' that is dependent on representational context’ = Dawkins definition of a meme Representation of a representation is a meta representation. Memes unlike genes cannot reproduce themselves, our culture is the physical manifestation(phenotype) of the meme. Memes can be compared to heuristic algorithms within a computer program that influence the culture in which it is created. This leads to future iterations of memes. I think of memes this way. Years ago I went to an in-service training entitled “effective communication strategies in management”. We did this...
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...New Media Literacy Meme Discussion Question: “The biggest reason why we share a meme”, explains Armand Valdes in a Mashable video on virality, “is because it connects to us emotionally.” Do you agree/disagree with this statement? If we consider memes to be on par with other cultural texts (film, music, art, etc), how might we describe the cultural value of a meme? Do memes reflect culture at large? How? Feel free to use examples (of memes and other viral media) to support your response. Personal Opinion: I agree with Armand Valdes, that memes connect us emotionally. From this week's material I learned that Facebook and Twitter are the last few social sites that receive memes which have originally made it to Reddit and Buzzfeed first. Having used Facebook periodically, I've noticed that memes are used for various things, it emotionally expresses anger, struggles, moods, stereotypes, relationships, happiness, enjoyment, and influences humour. Most of the time, we understand the reference of the meme because we all feel the same way and can relate to it instantly. That's what makes it amusing. Sometimes memes don't even have words and yet deliver the same message. For example, animal's face expression grabs the best appearances. For instance, when someone makes a silly status, I upload the awkward seal meme. This meme represents an awkward reaction and shows exactly how I feel about the post. Cultural values of memes come directly from intertextuality and templatability...
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...flights of imagination much more seriously and challenged the firmness of that line. It is just like how imagination plays a very real role in our decision making. Take for example, our last two US presidential elections, in which one big chunk of the electorate managed to view Barack Obama as a radical socialist, while another saw him as a moderate saint. Both views were heavily based on myth, but they had a real-life effect on how people voted. By understanding Wendell Berry’s text, “God, Science, and Imagination,” and juxtaposing it to Susan Blackmore’s analysis of the “replicator power” of “memes,” it is evident that imagination and meme fear have gained over us. Seeing the two author’s ideas merge can enlighten readers to realize that the “ideals” that Berry presents in his argument of “fundamentalism” versus “knowledge” are only memes of what we want to think instead of the memes that we actually follow through with. This ideal of life has changed from what they used to be, to things that have gone from early-morning home-cooked meals to breakfast substitutions. In the article, “God, Science, and Imagination,” Berry speaks about the idea of fundamentalism and how one thinks. Fundamentalism is the idea of strict support towards a particular belief or idea- which can...
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...Dawkins is widely known for his beliefs that religion is a dangerous virus of the mind. Readers, who are unfamiliar with the essay „Virus of the Mind‟, like myself, feel that the notion being put forward appears sarcastic and somewhat harsh. Initially when I read the essay I had already decided in my mind that I would not agree to Dawkins‟ beliefs as the idea that religion is a virus sounds bizarre. People have the tendency to think negatively when the word virus is brought up. Whilst I agree with Dawkins‟ statement that religion is a „Virus of the Mind‟ and it spreads the same way that viruses do, I believe he is also trying to spread atheism in the same way. Thus, Dawkins is being a hypocrite to his cause. Richard Dawkins starts of with the idea that „a human child is shaped by evolution to soak up the culture of her people‟ (Warburton, 2010, pp. 92). According to Dawkins, young children are highly gullible and will believe almost everything that is being told to them. He gives examples of how children worldwide are taught to believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, which are non-existent. As and when the child grows up they realise these characters are actually not true. Children are more likely to survive if they learn and believe what is taught to them by their parents, but a potential problem that arises is that children are very willing to believe something that is not true. Therefore, just as a patient is susceptible to a virus infection, a child can ...
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...Richard Dawkins- need to know terminology. The Gene- a basic unit of natural selection. We are a mass of these genes and unconsciously they decide which are strong and which are weak. They affect our behaviour through our consciousness and our brains. Selfishness- the principle of acting in one’s own interest. Dawkins uses this term when writing about the selfish gene as he is suggesting just like most creatures who will to survive, each gene is trying to prolong its own survival and existence. It can do this through different ways. The Extended Phenotype- an idea to mean the effects that a gene has on the outside world that may influence its chances of being replicate. Great example- For instance a Beaver dam might be considered a phenotype of beaver genes, the same way beaver’s incisors might be considered to be a phenotype of beaver genes. This would mean that both the dam and the teeth are phenotypes expressions of their genes. Mutations- these are simply changes. In a sense Dawkins is suggesting that genes can mutate and there evolve within a body. This can then affect behaviour in a person. These changes can occur in a life and genes can replicate themselves. Replicators- genes that are trying on an unconscious level to make more of themselves to enable their survival. This can be done by procreation but also within a person. Consciousness- Our sense of self and the idea that we are one not simply millions of genes fighting for survival. Dawkins believes that this...
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...Plato Review Plato’s distinction between body and soul in the foundation unit so that you can make comparisons with the thinking of Hick and of Dawkins. John Hick Philosophy of Religion (1973); Death and Eternal Life (1976) • The soul is a name for the moral, spiritual self formed by the interaction of genes and environment. The human is a psychophysical person with a divine purpose. • The person shall be resurrected through a divine act of recreation or reconstitution in resurrection, rather than reincarnation as Plato would have it, through God’s creative love. • The new body is not the old one brought back to life but a spiritual body inhabiting a spiritual world just as the physical body inhabited a physical world. • Hick conducts a thought experiment with a hypothetical person called John Smith. Smith disappears from the USA and reappears in Calcutta, India. He is physically identical with the same memories, emotions, fingerprints, and so on. People would agree he was Smith. If he died and reappeared in this world, again identical, people would agree he was Smith. If he died and reappeared in another world with other resurrected people, he would be Smith. This is called the replica theory. • God is not restricted by death and holds man beyond natural mortality. • Martin Luther wrote: Anyone with whom God speaks, whether in wrath or mercy, the same is certainly immortal.’ Richard Dawkins The Selfish Gene (1976); River out of Eden (1986);The Blind Watchmaker...
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...Memes #1. The true mark of maturity is when somebody hurts you, and you try to understand their situation instead of trying to hurt them back. #2. "Whatever you do in life, will be insignificant. But it's very important that you do it, because nobody else will." ©Tyler; Remember Me #3. Life is not arriving at the correct answer but about finding the right solution #4. Sometimes in our life, we all have pain, we all have sorrow. But, if we are wise, we always know that there is tomorrow. #5. Don't be anything you don't want to be, always be yourself. #6. When you truly want success, you'll never give up on it. No matter how bad the situation may get. #7. If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever. - W. the Pooh #8. If you fail, find other way to achive your goal. Make a way but don't change the goal. #9. Never depend on single income, make an investment to create a second source. #10. If we dont change we wouldnt grow, if we wouldnt grow we arent really living #11. My belief is stronger than your doubt. -D. Wade #12. The journey of a thousand miles begins with every single step. -L. Tzu #13. When you live in reality, idealism is surreal. When you live in fantasy, there's no realization 'til you reach the end of your dreams. #14. Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, be what you want to be. Because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things...
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...In "Strange Creatures," Susan Blackmore proposes the idea of "memes," which she tends to describe as imitation of others, and seemingly brands us as memes. However, through Malcolm Gladwell's "Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted," we are able to interpret as to how exactly memes inspire people and what consequences they bring about. The phenomena of Strong-Ties and Weak-Ties give an apt understanding of memes and their consequences. Blackmore seeming goes against the idea that us humans can generate our own ideas. As she implies "Instead of thinking of our ideas as our own creations, and as working for us, we have to think of them as autonomous selfish memes, working only to get themselves copied"(Blackmore,37). That obviously...
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...ties and weak ties influence how a meme is transferred? Every day different people and groups are transferring memes onto others and so forth. As a matter of fact, these memes are transferred in the world through many different ways and through different relationships such as strong-tie and weak-tie relationships. Even though memes are passed on and on again through these ties, it is done through a different process in these ties between people. This is shown by connecting Malcolm Gladwell’s, author of Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted, reading and Susan Blackmore’s, author of Strange Creatures, reading. Weak-ties influences how a meme is transferred by sending information to a more collective group rather than individually. “Our acquaintances-not our friends- are our greatest source of new ideas and information” (Gladwell 137). The word “acquaintances” in this quotation implies that it is better for someone to ask an acquaintance for help or information in order to get what they want. This quotation is an example of how information is easily passed on through people who barely know each other. A weak tie relationship such as acquaintances shows how memes are transferred. If looked even closer, if many people, online, give out information others would join in on the process and thus the cycle of ideas being passed onto others. Susan Blackmore the author of Strange Creatures wrote an essay describing these words called memes. Throughout Blackmore’s reading she...
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...Dawkin’s Delusion (1) Deluded about God? (2) Has Science Disproved God? -the advancement of science and discovery does not equate to atheism rising or substantiating what atheism stands for -nature can be interpreted in a theistic and atheistic way; both are genuine intellectual possibilities for science -there are limits to science; -“some ultimate questions lie beyond science” Sir Martin Rees, president of Royal society, which brings together Britain’s leading scientists -the great questions of life cannot be answered with any degree of certainty; any given set of observations can be explained by a number of theories -science cannot be mixed by interpretation -“science explains everything” outlook is dismissed and naïve -scientific theories cannot “explain the world” but only “explain the phenomena” observed in the world. -is there purpose within nature? How did everything begin? What are we all here for? What is the point of living? Where are we going after this? Non-overlapping magisteria of science & religion Partially overlapping magisteria of science & religion a realisation that science and religion offer possibilities of cross fertilisation on account of interpenetration of their subjects and methods Francis Collins; evolutionary biologist who heads up the famous Human Genome Project: “a richly satisfying harmony between the scientific and spiritual worldviews” “principles of faith is complementary to the principles of science” Owen Gingerich (leading...
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...irrelevant in describing managerial motives (particularly towards M&As), as it is the human behaviour that we must study. Their thesis is that managers are not acting so as to maximise shareholder wealth (agrees with agency theory) and their primary motivation behind M&As is to gain power. The data and methodology used by the paper: This diagnostic paper provides a literature review of previous research and then looks forward by applying behavioural ideas of ‘memetics’ to explain the motivation behind managers’ actions. The results of the paper and meaning of the results, in your own words: Findings reveal that efficiency based theories do not adequately explain corporate M&A behaviour and suggest with the explanatory use of memes (assuming we all know what they are), suggests that it’s not financial returns or reasoning that often drives managers to make decisions, but power. Increased power, increases a managers ability of transferring ideas or stories to...
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...Product & Country Choice We decided to open a resort in India specifically in Munnar which is located in Kerala “a state in the south-west region of India on the Malabar coast” , the number of tourists into Kerala had been increasing because of its beautiful landscapes which enjoyed by many people specially people from Middle East who don’t have these kinds of landscapes in their countries. We choose to called the resort “Kalyana’ as a result of making a business in India and it is an Indian word which means “comfort, blessed and beautiful” Reason for choosing this service is that city of Munnar is located in a beautiful mountain area where thousands of tourists come there every year to spend their holidays. There are not much resorts in that area and only one five star resort which is not enough to meet the guests need and don’t have all facilities to satisfy them and from my partner Halima’s personal experience. She saw that resorts over there have small dirty rooms and contain old stuff which is not comfortable for guests and cause them to look for other resorts in the down city to stay. So our resort will offer a various kind of services to serve our guests with fully functional facilities that they could not find in any other resorts. Political & Legal When a company starts its business internationally it should take into consideration the political and the legal situation of the country it will operate in, such as government political of that country, labor...
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...Topic 1 Before starting your conference read “How to read and use a case study” posted in Content. View the video “Impact of Culture on Business: Spotlight on China.” Then read “Shifting Sands of Saudi Society,” DRS, pp. 46-50 and “Charles Martin in Uganda,” DRS pp. 79-82. Based on the video and the Saudi Arabia and Uganda cases, discuss: * How does an understanding of local culture give managers an advantage in working in business competition? * Which operational, managerial, or organizational processes are most affected by cultural differences (social structures and control systems, language and aesthetics, religion and other belief systems, education systems, etc.)? * How might the cultural differences you identified affect the cost of doing business? * What industries tend to be particularly subject to cultural differences? Why? Be specific. Support your views with references to the required course materials. Provide concrete examples of both cultural elements and specific countries. Topic 2 1. Read DRS, “Anglo American PLC in South Africa: What Do You Do When Costs Reach Epidemic Proportions,” pp.207-211. 2. View the Michael Porter and World Economic Forum videos. 3. Select two multinational corporations where the MNCs are different industries (e.g., manufacturing/Ford and pharmaceutical/Merck). The choice of MNCs is yours. It is first-come, first-served. “Reserve” your two MNCs quickly. Post a response in Conferences to Topic 2. In the “Subject”...
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...When the Police Become the Criminals In our times, the police have become the criminals. Some police are using their power to do bad things, and society has come to fear police. The law enforcement system needs change. The courts have failed the police, and the police have turn to other means of justice. We must stop the corruption in the police force. I have respect for the police, and the job they do. Policemen are a selected few who do a dangerous job. Police have done many great things to help improve communities, help people during their off duty hours and stand strong in face of many fears. The police trying to enforce the law are on the streets in all types of weather. Instead of being at home with their families on holidays they are working to keep peace. Everyday, they step out in a world where violence is considered appropriate. Our laws have allowed individuals to slip through the cracks of our justice system. Criminals who have raped and killed have walked on technicalities. The results have left the officers with a sense of failure by the system. Some police officers have taken matters in their own hands. Across America, police have been involved in scandals and drugs. They are abusing the power that they have been given. The communities have begun not to trust the police because of their conduct toward the citizens. People have been beaten and harassed by the guys in blue. People in the communities have seen the police push individuals around and take things from...
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...WORLD HISTORY II Mrs. Silvio E-mail: jennasilvio@spsk12.net Blog: http://blogs.spsk12.net/2909/ COURSE OBJECTIVE: TO EXPLORE THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF PEOPLE, PLACES, AND PATTERNS OF LIFE. HOMEWORK: HOMEWORK IS ASSIGNED EVERY CLASS. IF HOMEWORK IS NOT ASSIGNED THEN THE STUDENT SHOULD BE PREPARING FOR A TEST OR A QUIZ. CLASSROOM POLICY: 1. BEHAVIOR IS EXPECTED TO BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE CLASSROOM. 2. STUDENTS ARE TO BE IN THEIR SEATS WHEN THE BELL SOUNDS OR THEY WILL BE MARKED TARDY. 3. NO DISRESPECT TO THE TEACHER, ADULTS, OR OTHER STUDENTS WILL BE TOLERATED. STUDENTS WILL NOT INTERRUPT THE TEACHER’S INSTRUCTION OR INTERFERE WITH STUDENT LEARNING (i.e., disruptive talking and activities are prohibited and will result in disciplinary action by the teacher) 4. STUDENTS CAN SUBMIT HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS LATE. IT MUST BE TURNED IN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT CLASS ( -50 POINTS). STUDENTS MUST BE PREPARED TO SUBMIT ALL ASSIGNED WORK AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS. 5. NO FOOD OR BEVERAGES (other than water in a closed container) WILL BE PERMITTED IN THE ROOM. 6. NO ASSIGNMENT SHOULD EVER BE PLAGIARIZED. EVERYTHING SHOULD BE IN YOUR OWN WORDS!! FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN A ZERO FOR THE ASSIGNMENT. GRADING: GRADES ARE WEIGHTED AS FOLLOWS: TEST AVERAGE 40% QUIZ AVERAGE 30% CLASSWORK 20% HOMEWORK AVERAGE 10% MAKE UP WORK: STUDENTS ABSENT FROM SCHOOL WILL HAVE FIVE DAYS FROM THE TIME THEY RETURN TO COMPLETE ALL MAKE...
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