Plus ça change, mais c'est la meme chose

Now those of a literary bent (or possibly the Bertie Bassett Fan Club, French Chapter) will notice the the error in the above title. Yes, of course! No circumflex accent on the first "e" of meme. For once, this isn't occasioned by my own ignorance but is, in fact, an incredibly subtle play on words which I will endeavour to explain.

The other day, I came across a new internet concept by the name of "meme" (see the subtle pun now?) which tested my little brain to the limit. Memes (sounds like dreams) are defined as "a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation." In other words, a meme is a cultural derivation of a gene, in that society (and people individually) evolve culturally through memes and their subtle variations, just as the 'mutation' of genes prompts physical life as a whole to alter over a period of time. Therefore, the words we see and hear, songs and any other aural input are all memes which are passed from person to person, evolving as they go.

Obviously, the same concept applies equally to the written word in all its forms and, apparently, in blog terms, this can take the form of a series of questions and answers which provoke and spread, rather like a non-threatenng virus, prompting further answers and comparisons as well as perhaps telling others something of one's self.

There is a Dutch guy called Jos who has a site called NoDirectOn and whose blogs inspired this whole outpouring. He had a one word meme i.e. single word questions and answers and it was through his influence that I found the 3 answer meme shown below. It's not like Word Association insofar as you give first thought answers . In fact, some of them I pondered long and hard. If you want, give it a try and see what your answers would be? Mine might just shed a little light on the strange mind of B. Bassett Esq but it was certainly an interesting exercise!

• 3 things that scare me:Death, looking foolish, people with ginger eyebrows
• 3 people who make me laugh:Terry Pratchett, Monty Python, Me
• 3 things I love:Early morning sunshine, words, almond croissants
• 3 things I hate:Complacence, impoliteness, selfishness
• 3 things I don’t understand:Rugby, Life, “celebrity” culture
• 3 things on my desk:Mug of tea, knitted llama, several piles of old banknotes
• 3 things I'm doing right now:Drinking tea, fretting, humming “Tell Me Why” by Neil Young
• 3 things I want to do before I die:Go to China, learn to juggle, accept myself
• 3 things I can do:Care, scuba dive, put myself down
• 3 things I can’t do:Sit on the fence, play guitar well, enjoy success
• 3 things I think you should listen to:Your heart, everyone’s opinions, Jimi Hendrix’ “Castles Made of Sand”
• 3 things you should never listen to:Your Mother, X Factor, Country & Western
• 3 shows I watched as a kid:Do Not Adjust Your Set, Your Life in their Hands, Top Cat

Another meme which has got me thinking is "5 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me"

This one really provoked some thought as my first reaction was to be silly. However, when I got to puzzling about it, I couldn't really think of anything worth putting that complied with the essential definition of a meme. What benefit would anyone derive from knowing? The main criterion, to my mind, was why would you want to know 5 things about me?

Still, let's give it a try:

1. I had meningitis when I was 16
2. I became scared of heights driving over the Dartford Bridge 3 years ago
3. As a kid I wanted to be a doctor; As a teenager, a policeman.
4. I once had a perm (!)
5. I can say "Keep off the grass" in Urdu

Well, that's memes in a nutshell and I hope it all makes sense. Whether they will be quite as important as genes is very doubtful but I was intrigued by the concept and it does help focus a few thoughts. It also makes me realise that some bloggers actually write useful things, unlike yours truly, and to Jos and those others who have helped in my research via this wonderful medium of the internet, my grateful thanks.