The more accurate name for this page, to some of you, would probably be “themes.” The academic term meme usually refers to cultural traits passed down from generation to generation which gives society its cultural structure. This differs from the wider more rigid structural institutions like laws, government, etc… These are more like lullabies, superstitutions, colloquilisms and the other cultural detritus we unknowlingly acquire in everyday life. The term has evolved a new meaning, however, in recent times with the advent of internet culture. The internet, as only it can, has irrevocably changed the meaning of “memes” to mean popular internet themes which spread from website to website, blog to blog, and so on and so forth.

The things on this page could probably be described as “startup memes” or things prevalent in popular culture that I’d like to highlight and instigate more net-wide discussion about. The list will likely grow  as time goes on and my list of personal pet peeves grows as well. Each time I post on a meme, I hope to bring discussions of further instances of this problem.

Green Crap The World Could Do Without

The following meme will be reserved for the kind of consumerist crap that pretends to be green but in actuallity just satisfies our desires to have new toys while having a negligable green impact. These aren’t instances of product “greenwashing” persay, so much as items probably made with good intent, promoted by the environmental community and are still crap. Unsuprisingly, this meme will probably cite Treehugger frequently.

Really Cunning Bastards

This meme is where I get express my appreciation for the little Machiavelli and Sun Tzu’s out there with cunning plans for getting what they want. This meme pretend to make no moral judgements of said bastard, and in that vein it may highlight actual bastards with cunning plans for good or bad, or good people not afraid to formulate devious plans for manipulation. For example Dick Cheney and Karl Rove are actual bastards with good plans and Ghandi and Harry Truman are good people with cunning plans.

All qualify as really cunning bastards.

The War On NIMBYism

This section has to do with my own personal grievance with the constant mediamade connection of environmentalism to NIMBYism (Not-In-My-Backyard). A more drawn out explanation can be found here, but suffice it to say, we need more seperation in America’s mind between environmentalism and NIMBYism. Environmentalism is a rational movement based on protecting those necessary functions of the earth’s ecology to maintain good health for all life. NIMBYism is an irrational movement to keep people out of their percieved realm for aesthetic reasons despite rational arguments to the contrary. NMBYism can include a kind of reverse NIMBYism, where people demand the protection or beautification of an area with little to no ecological reasons for doing so.

Let The New York Times Die

This has been a semi-consistent theme already here at IOEOTO as we witness the long arc of the slow death of print news. In that vein, the New York Times fight against oblivion is probably the most emblematic of those death throes, and so has earned the dubious distinction of meme title.

Picking On Steve Milloy…

Steve Milloy is the author of Green Hell and Green Hell blog who is under the illusion that environmentalists are here to impose a enviro-fascist state on the nation. Normally I wouldn’t bother, but he’s drawn some attention from the conservative Heritage Foundation and other conservative circles, so I feel it my duty to take some wind out of his sails.

The Gays Are Coming To Get Us, Ooh Eeeh, Ah Ha, Ho Ho…

This is where I get to air out my little hiccups and giggles over the conservative right’s latent fear of homosexuality. I’ve never been a big advocate for gay rights (not that I don’t think it has its merits, we just have to divide up our time according to our favorite issues and gay rights never ended up at the top), but watching the collective conservative squirm about the issue is just gold old fashioned fun.