#meme warfare

(an essay)

What is Prophecy? Simply, prophecy is the product of a prophet. Prophecy is the (secret) message that emerges from the prophet's contact with the divine. Para-Prophetic Memes are rapidly reproducing messages that contain para-prophetic information: information from a source that is not divine. Indeed, the memes themselves are both connection and message, so whoever becomes infected with this sort of mind virus can be considered a paraprophet, and should monitored accordingly.

A Para-Prophetic Meme is not an Egregore, though they may connect the infected to an Egregore. More often, however, any meme (X) may become attached to a non-divine source (Y) entirely "coincidentally" and as the meme spreads, so does the strength of its non-divine attachment*. It should therefore be evident that memes of the para-prophetic type may have unforeseen consequences, while at the same time proving to be self-fulfilling at the least.

So, for example, the meme that rock music was of the devil may have been prophetic in the way it inspired the rise of shock rock. However, certain songs may become Para-Prophetic Memes by linking the overall memeplex to actual entities.

*In most cases the relationship is a positive linear correlation, though memes have connected to host powers in inverse relationships - where the Source is diminished as the meme spreads (see "The Q-Anon Virus and the End of True Patriotism")

This brings us to the Hyper-Normal. Hyper-Normal can best be explained as normalcy folded in on itself until it forms an origami that's even more normal. Hyper-Normal can be contrasted with Paranormal, as they are in some ways extreme opposites (if the Hyper-Normal could be extreme, which it cannot; it's simply too normal.)

We also would be mistaken to confuse the Hyper-Normal with Hyperreality. Hyper-Reality, remember, is the Simulation that's indistinguishable from Reality. As such it contains all the weird absurdity one expects to find given the complexity and randomness endemic to (post)modern life. It's an impossible exchange between Hyper-Normal and Hyper-Real. Hyper-Normalcy feels Unreal because it is so very normal, weird because there's absolutely nothing weird about it. It stands out by not standing out, and can actually be fatal in the way it is so predictably safe.

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

We arrive at the predictive element of this non-para-prophetic post.

If there is to be a zombie apocalypse, this is the way the world whimpers to its end. A "PreCartesian Explosion" of new, wild and deviant memes infest the collective psyche. Extremities of viewpoint (like taking up arms over cloth masks, or risking 10 years in prison to deface a statue) run rampant across the screens of farcical faux-factual infotainment news stations. With Memetic warheads incoming from every interested angle... What is a NORMAL person to do?

Retreat to the Hyper-Normal

The madness of the last decade, perhaps culminating in this past year, has undergone alchemical transmutation. All of the destabilization and chaos memes share an occulted link to the Hyper-Normal (demi-plane of Stagnation and death.) Eventually more and more will retreat there, as there is no where else "safe" to go. And in the reflexive reciprocation that ensues between toxic mind parasites and the viral desperation to normalize, the first zombies will emerge.

☢️ You have been warned.☢️

That is a real article someone actually printed. Like, in real life.

To expand on that jargon-post...

We can model ideas and ideologies as existing in an environment of evolution, much like creatures (not a new idea - this is the basis of meme theory AFAIK).

In so doing, we can model them as having various components that suit different purposes, like viruses.  Metaphorically.

There may be parts evolved to cause people to adopt the idea, parts to cause people to spread the idea, parts to prevent people from giving up on the idea, and so on.

If a human wants to stay aligned with the truth, they need to process and filter out harmful or dangerous idea complexes, because like viruses in nature, the only hard rules that prevent them from being too dangerous is that they don’t kill their hosts too quickly to spread.

And so humans reason about ideas, and have intuitions about bad ideas, and have various layers of defenses to protect themselves from bad ideas.

Now, if you’re making idea and don’t care that much about truth or whatever but want it to spread, what could you do to increase its chances of replication?

Demand that it not be scrutinized (so more of it gets through and it isn’t rejected)

Demand that it must be followed and copied EXACTLY (so more of it gets through)

Demand to punish anyone that gives up on it

Demand to punish anyone who doesn’t adopt it

Etc.

So, in the discussion of Bad Social Justice rhetoric, we sometimes see something come up about standpoint theory (or whatever the formal name is), the idea being that privileged people such as whites, men, white gay men, etc, cannot truly know the experiences of oppressed groups.

They must “sit down and listen”, to use the vocabulary.

Criticism of the ideology is then rejected (on the grounds that they cannot ever truly have the proper knowledge).  The full content must be accepted, acted upon, and spread.  No stopping to consider whether it’s healthy or safe or anything else.

The problem is that, like a rootkit that gets direct access to the core of a computer system, this leaves a giant, exploitable hole.

This is not the only group, ideology, or movement to do or have done this.

Is America Prepared for Meme Warfare?

A meme slid past my feed this week that’s basically a whole comment section compressed into one sentence: “If you’re real quiet about Renée Good and Alex Pretti, but were really loud about Charlie Kirk—I see you. We all see you.” You can feel what it’s trying to do. It’s not asking a question. It’s issuing a verdict — and inviting the crowd to clap. 👀 Before we get moral about it (or defensive…