One thing the Republicans are very good at: Getting a stupid meme out fast

[BurtWorm]

Such as "Al Gore invented the Internet" and "Sandy Berger stuffed his socks." The latter is classically, profoundly, mind-bogglingly stupid. It shouldn't be dignifed with an acknowledgment of its idiotic existence, except that the Republibots are spreading the virus as efficiently as ever, like the sixth graders in spirit they are.

I have to hand that to them--not the fact of their arrested development, but the fact of their evil fucking genius with stupid meme spreading. Leno will certainly contribute to keeping it alive. Letterman will probably not be able to resist. I hope the Daily Show does its part to puncture the meme itself.

But I wish Democrats or lefties had the talent or organization to make, if not stupid memes, irresistible ones about Republicans that got under the skin of the electorate. But it would take a willingness to waste Republican targets, make a total wreck of their lives with utter lies, as the Republicans are so ready to do with Democrats. I mean if anyone deserved to have his life utterly ruined, even with lies, its this crop of asshole Republicans.

[BlueEyedSon]

1. Well, they do OWN the media....

that HELPS.

[BurtWorm]

6. They certainly own the media that see a profit in dumbing down

the discourse. I mean Rupert Murdoch is just doing his job. But why is CNN doing Murdoch's job?

[redqueen]

23. Are you Cheneying KIDDING ?!

:wtf:

(pssst... corporate-controlled media... they know which side of the aisle butters their bread)

[dennis4868]

2. Dems cant do that....

because they dont have the media doing their work for them....the media will never question any repub statement about a dem, and they run with it like it is fact....they would never do that for a Dem.

[BurtWorm]

18. The news media like their information D-U-M-B.

That way they don't have to waste their profits doing research or investigations. They can just hire the same talking heads to do the same riffs over and over and over and over. It's cheap and easy.

[grytpype]

3. Can we stop using the word "meme?"

[BurtWorm]

8. What word would you suggest as an alternative?

:evilfrown:

[grytpype]

19. how about "talking point" when you mean "talking point."

[BurtWorm]

25. It wouldn't have fit in the subject line.

;)

[NightOwwl]

9. What does "meme" mean?

n/t

[Cat Atomic]

12. It means "same" in french... that's all I know. :P

[ClassWarrior]

13. It's an idea that takes on a life of its own in a culture.

Could be a phrase, a concept, a photo, etc...

[BurtWorm]

17. A meme, as it has come to be used, is an idea that spreads like a virus

There's a more technical definition to the effect that a meme is the building block of culture, as the gene is of life. Google "meme + Dawkins."

[starroute]

21. A meme was originally a basic unit of meaning

In linguistics, a morpheme is a grammatical unit, like -ing or -ed or pre- or post- . A phoneme is a unit of sound, like {b} or {i}. And a meme was intended to be understood as a unit of meaning, a kind of cognitive building block.

Unfortunately, semantics is not even close to being a rigorous discipline, and you can't label and categorize the memes of a language the way you can morphemes or phonemes. So the word "meme" quickly slipped into being one of those vague pomo sort of expressions that means nothing in particular but sounds all high-brow and snooty.

However, more recently "meme" has taken on a whole new set of connotations on the level of folk wisdom. Part of the folklore is that memes are transmitted as indivisible units, so people accept and repeat them uncritically without trying to pry them apart and decide whether they make any sense or are just hooey. (See almost any Tom Tomorrow cartoon for an example of meme-think in this sense.)

Another implication is that memes are viral in nature, so that once they're released into the wild they'll go out and proliferate on their own and take over our minds and bend us to their will and . . . well, basically act like something out of a bad sci-fi movie.

And, of course, the ultimate implication is that Republicans are masters of a evil meme-machine, which is down there somewhere in Cheney's bunker, cranking out those weapons of mass distraction which ordinary Americans are helpless to resist.

It makes a nice little fairy tale, but all it really is is good old-fashioned propaganda -- a few semi-plausible lies wrapped up in fear-mongering and insinuation.

[ClassWarrior]

10. I'll stop using "meme" when...

...everyone here stops using "outed" in reference to Agent Plame. (Her cover was blown, fwiw...)

[Norquist Nemesis]

11. Why?

That's what it is by definition. I'm becoming more fond of the "Drudge effect" or even better, "The Sludge Effect"

[NewYorkerfromMass]

4. Bush stuffed his flight suit

...with socks

[jean]

15. haha - and there are no pics of Berger's stuffed socks - touche!

[fdr_hst_fan]

5. True! It's unfortunate,

but all the good Republicans I ever knew or heard of are all DEAD! This crew today couldn't smell where the GOOD ones pissed EIGHTY YEARS AGO!

:crazy: :nopity: :puke:

[ClassWarrior]

7. We can try...

That's why I post MEME MEMOs here (with the help of other astute DUers like Calimary). So we can all get on the same page quicky. The key is to include these memes in letters to the media, calls to elected officials, and conversations with friends.

The MEME MEMO: Taking back the language for the forces of good.

[ClassWarrior]

16. We also need to discipline ourselves...

...to NOT pass around RW talking points.

[redqueen]

24. LOL! Good luck with that!

Too many Democrats want to believe the media's just lazy.

:eyes:

So naive... or so paid off... either way... so wrong.

[leftofthedial]

14. the left has no Karl Roveor Grover Norquist

sitting at the head of a liberal version of the VRWC daily talking points fax-email list

Lee Atwater's evil progeny

[AmandaRuth]

20. one thing that gets me is the huge army of emailers they must have

and how quickly they can be called into action. for pete sake, whoppi makes a joke about bush one night and the next day she is fired, and that is only one example. who mobilizes these people? and how can we fight back on a organized basis? i know i respond to action alerts i see here, but how to get out to the general population to pay attention

[redqueen]

22. Or "Joe Wilson's a liar"

Yeah... but it's nothing to do with talent or organization... it's the media.

:eyes:

[Generator]

26. Bush only has one testicle

Cheney has three.

Which explains why of course, that he had to help Bush with the 9/11 commission testimony.

[Catherine Vincent]

27. LOL! A one nut Nut!