Friday
(0)A commenter called Johan from Sweden got me thinking about memes and their uses.
Next time you hear of a new tax or a new abridgement of civil liberties such as surveillance or free speech or conscriptive 'education' or an increase in regulation of what you do even on private property or any of the host of democratically sanctified violence backed imposition on civil society, the meme to start trumpeting should be clear:
Not in my name!
The socialist left and statist right are both big on majoritarianism whilst paying lip service to the right of minorities... well I have news for you, we are all a minority of one in the final analysis. Just because someone votes for the state to help itself to your money, remember to protest loud and long and give lie to the myth that democracy empowers anyone except the political factions able to manipulate the system.
Not in my name!
It may not stop them but every little bit that de-legitimizes the politicization of civil society under the blanket of democracy is a step in the right direction.
Gadzooks! I agree with the man. There's hope for me yet!
Posted by mad dog barker at April 17, 2003 11:19 PM
A good question to ask collectivists, I find, is under what conditions they think a majority should be able to overrule a minority, and under what conditions a minority should be able to defy a majority.
Surprisingly often, they've never been asked either question, they're unable to answer either question, and their inability to answer them even gets them thinking a bit.
Posted by mark at April 17, 2003 11:46 PM
Genius! Whether or not you like its recent application, it's surely perceived as being a 'nice' meme - and nice memes are the fastest spreading ones, at least according to Susan Blackmore. However, I think that this is more a case of hitch-hiking than hijacking. Liberty deserves the nicest of memes. The real hijackers are the socialists who employ the 'sharing' and the 'helping others out' memes to justify their programme of coercive confiscation.
Posted by Crosbie at April 17, 2003 11:48 PM
One of your first articles on this blog was all about speaking to the lefties in their own language, so yeah, that makes sense.
[Editor's addendum: the article Arthur Dent is referring to is called Giving libertarianism a 'left hook']
Posted by Arthur Dent at April 18, 2003 12:00 AM
"Not in my name" might be a 'nice' meme, but it's a fundamentally ineffectual one.
"Not in my name" is not about opposing things but about refusing to even spectate. As such, it represents a complete disengagement from any process in which individuals have to take responsibility.
It's an easy way out and one that should always be opposed.
Posted by Paul Pritchard at April 18, 2003 09:10 AM
On reflection Paul may be right.
If the intellectual left start creating memes that are more effective we might be disadvantaged in the coming "meme war".
We obviously need to press our elected representatives to divert funds from less effective conventional meme development and to hasten the introduction of the latest "stealth memes".
Write your congressman today!
(they're probably feeling lonely anyway... :0)
Posted by mad dog barker at April 18, 2003 12:49 PM
First I'd like to say I'm honored to be mentioned on this excellent webpage. Thank you.
Second. Imagine this: The state decides to increase regulations in anything that has to deal with private property. I'd still use that meme, but just as much as it comes from 'the left', the very fact that someone from 'the right' uses it changes the meaning of it. I'd start with "not in my name" and follow that up with "quick, where's my gun!?"
I might sound like a bloodthirsty idiot longing for someone to kill with my gun talk. Don't worry, I don't have a gun. Yet. ;-)
Posted by Johan at April 18, 2003 08:49 PM
