What's Up Column: Meme and my shadow

As promised, this time, it’s all about meme.
Go ahead and re-read that sentence again, I said “meme” (rhymes with theme). I will not be indulging in ego-inflation. I will however be indulging in some good ole waxing philosophically.
The term meme is defined as describing something concrete and/or abstract that is culturally shared. This can be something simple like popular music or fashion, or insubstantial things like catch phrases, recipes and even ideas.
I’ll put it into a simple perspective. Think about your childhood, and all the games you played. Likely, you were not the only kids in the world running around playing cops and robbers. I’m willing to bet, kids across the world play their own cultural version of law enforcers versus riff-raff.
Here’s another.
At the same time as I was plucking dandelions from the lawn, flicking the yellow tops off with my thumb, and chanting: “My momma had a baby and it’s head popped off”, other kids across North America were playing this (particularly gruesome) game.
It would be an interesting, yet nigh impossible task to follow the trail of weed killing youngsters to the original progenitor of that game.
Tighten your thinking caps.
If it is conceivably possible that various children at various points of the globe came up with the game, seemingly independent of each other, than the same could be said of almost any concept.
Who taught you to make scrambled eggs? Who taught them, and so on, and so on?
This isn’t to necessarily say that there are “atomic” thoughts flowing between all of us. (I don’t think I should go there. My column shouldn’t be renamed to “Doesn’t Make Any Flippin’ Sense!”) It is however an interesting way to talk about how thoughts and ideas are copied from person to person.
Another simple example we can all relate to be urban legends.
From the hook-handed man preying upon the amorous young couple, to a tall dynamite fishing tale, urban legends completely exemplify memes.
How is it possible that people can genuinely, honestly believe that these stories are true?
One of my high school teachers told us a story, that she assured us all was 100% true. A few years later, I found out that she detailed word for word a popular urban legend.
(Here’s a heads up – if you ever hear a story that sounds to crazy to be true, head over to the great website snopes.com. They have a complete urban legend database.)
Just as we evolve, spreading our genetic code through the generations, cultures evolve and spread concepts mimetically.
(In regards to the above, my apologies if you happen to be a creationist.)
Information, concepts and ideas are now so ridiculously prevalent. The decimation of culture in the modern age would make an ancient philosopher’s toga spin!
Look at our media vehicles: television, radio and especially the Internet.
The way we share knowledge has evolved dramatically in just a few short years.
Sometimes there are memes you wish you could avoid (cough) Anna Nicole Smith (cough), but living in the modern world makes it almost unavoidable.
However, therein lies the real fun. We already have something that comes pretty close to a collective unconscious. You gotta admit, that’s some pretty interesting stuff.
Keep in mind, it’s all-optional – you don’t have to get on the meme ride.
(Unless you’re a hard determinist –again – I won’t be going there.)But when you have that catchy tune in your head, give yourself a warm fuzzy feeling, cause if you think about it, someone else in the world is likely bopping their heads along too.