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Memetic Homogenisation
Dec. 24th, 2008 10:51 amLots of the surprise whenever someone like The Pope (or George Bush, or any number of other people) say illiberal things seems to be based on the thought that we now live in a much more liberal age, where we have outgrown such thoughts.
This seems to rest on three thoughts:
1) That we're moving inexorably towards liberalism. There does seem to be a trend in that direction, but it seems awfully unlikely to me that it's going to take in the entire population. The idea that the the world is inevitably moving towards any one ideology seems to stem from wish-fulfillment and misuse of statistics("Some day the world will wake up and overthrow the tyranny of the bourgeousie - it's inevitable")
2) That because the reader has realised that liberalism is the One True Way other people should have realised by now too. This seems to be a common theme with people - once someone has had an epiphany it seems to be much harder for them to have empathy with people who feel how they used to. I occasionally wonder if there's a mechanism in people to make them look down on any opinion they used to have. ("Well, I _used_ to like Band X, back when I was 16...")
3) That the world is homogenous. There seems to be a feeling that once a single place has taken a glorious step into space-year 2009 everywhere else should instantly follow with it. ("Our local McDonalds has WiFi, I can't believe the ones in Gambia don't too.")
Part of the "problem" is that with the internet it's much easier to come into contact with people with vastly different opinions to your own - and there are billions of people out there with opinions that are offensive to each and every one of us. Possibly I've just become jaded to this idea - I'm certainly less likely to leap into arguments with strangers without having some idea if they're the kind of person who are worth arguing with. I'm certainly no longer surprised when people have vastly different ideas to me.
This seems to rest on three thoughts:
1) That we're moving inexorably towards liberalism. There does seem to be a trend in that direction, but it seems awfully unlikely to me that it's going to take in the entire population. The idea that the the world is inevitably moving towards any one ideology seems to stem from wish-fulfillment and misuse of statistics("Some day the world will wake up and overthrow the tyranny of the bourgeousie - it's inevitable")
2) That because the reader has realised that liberalism is the One True Way other people should have realised by now too. This seems to be a common theme with people - once someone has had an epiphany it seems to be much harder for them to have empathy with people who feel how they used to. I occasionally wonder if there's a mechanism in people to make them look down on any opinion they used to have. ("Well, I _used_ to like Band X, back when I was 16...")
3) That the world is homogenous. There seems to be a feeling that once a single place has taken a glorious step into space-year 2009 everywhere else should instantly follow with it. ("Our local McDonalds has WiFi, I can't believe the ones in Gambia don't too.")
Part of the "problem" is that with the internet it's much easier to come into contact with people with vastly different opinions to your own - and there are billions of people out there with opinions that are offensive to each and every one of us. Possibly I've just become jaded to this idea - I'm certainly less likely to leap into arguments with strangers without having some idea if they're the kind of person who are worth arguing with. I'm certainly no longer surprised when people have vastly different ideas to me.
