I wonder if the meme theme is universal - whether any social construct, not just ideas and beliefs, is subject to the constraints of natural selection and all the struggles that it entails. I mean, consider names. It seems that, for names, numbers, and the ability to spread themselves, are of the essence in the battle to stay alive. They seem to give the name momentum and also the ability to recover from any disease analogues.
Let us illustrate this point. Consider two names: Homer and Peter. The former is the name of the genius who wrote the two great Greek epics, two of the treasures of ancient Western literature. For centuries, for this reason, the name was one held in reverence. But it never became popular, it never caught on. It was, as it were, bad at propagating itself. So, when Homer Simpson came along, the name was finished. No one, but no one, is ever going to name their kid Homer again. The first disease that came upon it was enough to kill the species.
Now consider Peter. The name's hugely common. Everyone knows at least one Peter, perhaps several. It has managed to aggressively proliferate, at least the Judeo-Christo-Islamic world. Therefore, Peter Griffin, every bit a match for Homer Simpson, has been unable to so much as give the name the sniffles. 'Peter' sails on serenely, on the meme pool. Similarly, for all that he killed his own and his enemies by the millions, Stalin was unable to kill Joseph. Poor Adolf, on the other hand, is extinct.
Are there any other constructs that fit this memey behaviour !?! Ones that aren't generally considered memes, I mean.
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