In my other post on the memetic cocoon, I developed some ideas on how to supercharge memes by embedding them with multiple layers of meaning. I think this idea was novel enough for its own post. So here it is.
A Straussian Meme is a meme that communicates different ideas to different kinds of people, according to their ability and willingness of the target to hear the message. A Straussian meme has a specific structure:
There are higher and lower readings.
Those who understand the higher readings also understand the lower readings but see these as "noble lies" rather than "the truth".
Taken as a whole, the higher-lower structure is self-reinforcing because of what each level says about (or is encouraged to say to) the others.
This is a clever strategy because is is an efficient way of messaging the different strata in a movement all at once, while also reinforcing its structure.
A Resentful Dad-Santa
Here's an example of multi-level messaging:
A child is overjoyed to receive exactly what they wanted for Christmas.
Father knowingly glances at Mom and says: "Santa must love you very much to get you that special toy!"
Here, Dad is engaging in multi-level messaging.
What the Child hears is: "Santa loves me!"
What the Mother hears is: "As parents, we love you 'through' Santa! The idea of Santa is a way to make your world magical."
But perhaps Dad purchased the gift on his own initiative and wants to hurt Mom. Then the higher message to Mom would be: "I am a better gift giver than you."
The second possibility is more interesting, because it exhibits self-reinforcing structure: Mom can't plainly retort Dad's barb there and then, because it would destroy the noble lie that Santa is the gift-giver - a lie that both Mom and Dad are invested in preserving.
On the other hand, the barb would go entirely undetected by the child because uncovering it hinges on possessing 'forbidden knowledge' about Santa.
The Three Levels of "Richie Rich"
I often think about the 1994 film "Richie Rich". It's where I got my first ideas about the upper class. Because of that movie, all through my childhood I thought of the upper class as strange people with cartoonish luxury "tastes" and posh accents.
As an adult, it has occurred to me that cultivating the "Richie Rich" understanding of the upper class might be instrumentally useful for society - maybe even deliberate. The lower message here is: "These are funny people who have big houses, like weird art, and listen to stuffy classical music". In other words: Pay no attention! Social status is not something worth pursuing, because Vivaldi and abstract art are simply not your taste!
I would guess that if I were to re-watch Richie Rich as an adult, I might see another 'layer' to the film's messaging, winking at the adult viewer: The 'theatrical' aspects of upper class life (as it is presented) are just simplified signifiers for the kids. But there must be superior qualities in the Rich bloodline: intelligence, hard work, and the ability to inspire and lead others - otherwise, where did the wealth come from? This is clearly messaged from the very first few minutes of the movie - Richie Rich's Dad owns a vast business enterprise.
This idea is what I would call a middle class meritocratic understanding of social status and wealth. It's closer to the truth. But it's not quite there: It is a middle to upper-middle class mistake to think that skill in one's profession (in other words, economic productivity) is the personal quality that moves one all the way to the top of the social ladder.
The highest (hidden) message about social status is everywhere, once you know to look for it: The command and mastery of others is considered a natural consequence of superiority which is simply understood - even as a birthright. The power is the feature. If there is any skill which is employed to "do" something, it is in maintaining and upholding this class distinction by, say, employing the very method described in this post! You get a bit of this in how the "professor" character is presented - while clearly possessing the greatest technical skill (merit), he is below the Riches, to the point of taking instruction from their child.
So how is this three-level understanding of Richie Rich self-reinforcing?
The highest level has a vested interest in emphasizing either meritocracy or the buffoon-image of the rich, because it keeps the middle class and lower class either busy or looking in the wrong direction, respectively.
The middle class doesn't bother to correct the lower class understanding of wealth because they believe that would involve insulting them for no constructive purpose: "It's not about fancy classical music, it's about merit!"
The lower class cannot accept either the meritocratic middle or masterly top's conception of social class because they must then think of themselves as either unskilled (middle) or without value except to be commanded (high).
This is a quick sketch illustrating how the multi-level structure of Straussian Memes can work. I believe it is imminently possible to bundle up three messages into a single meme / image through clever double(triple, quadruple)-entendres. And I think we are likely to see more of this in the near future, even created by AIs. But that is the subject of my other post.
In my other post on the memetic cocoon, I developed some ideas on how to supercharge memes by embedding them with multiple layers of meaning. I think this idea was novel enough for its own post. So here it is.
A Straussian Meme is a meme that communicates different ideas to different kinds of people, according to their ability and willingness of the target to hear the message. A Straussian meme has a specific structure:
This is a clever strategy because is is an efficient way of messaging the different strata in a movement all at once, while also reinforcing its structure.
A Resentful Dad-Santa
Here's an example of multi-level messaging: A child is overjoyed to receive exactly what they wanted for Christmas.
Father knowingly glances at Mom and says: "Santa must love you very much to get you that special toy!"
Here, Dad is engaging in multi-level messaging. What the Child hears is: "Santa loves me!" What the Mother hears is: "As parents, we love you 'through' Santa! The idea of Santa is a way to make your world magical."
But perhaps Dad purchased the gift on his own initiative and wants to hurt Mom. Then the higher message to Mom would be: "I am a better gift giver than you."
The second possibility is more interesting, because it exhibits self-reinforcing structure: Mom can't plainly retort Dad's barb there and then, because it would destroy the noble lie that Santa is the gift-giver - a lie that both Mom and Dad are invested in preserving. On the other hand, the barb would go entirely undetected by the child because uncovering it hinges on possessing 'forbidden knowledge' about Santa.
The Three Levels of "Richie Rich"
I often think about the 1994 film "Richie Rich". It's where I got my first ideas about the upper class. Because of that movie, all through my childhood I thought of the upper class as strange people with cartoonish luxury "tastes" and posh accents.
As an adult, it has occurred to me that cultivating the "Richie Rich" understanding of the upper class might be instrumentally useful for society - maybe even deliberate. The lower message here is: "These are funny people who have big houses, like weird art, and listen to stuffy classical music". In other words: Pay no attention! Social status is not something worth pursuing, because Vivaldi and abstract art are simply not your taste!
I would guess that if I were to re-watch Richie Rich as an adult, I might see another 'layer' to the film's messaging, winking at the adult viewer: The 'theatrical' aspects of upper class life (as it is presented) are just simplified signifiers for the kids. But there must be superior qualities in the Rich bloodline: intelligence, hard work, and the ability to inspire and lead others - otherwise, where did the wealth come from? This is clearly messaged from the very first few minutes of the movie - Richie Rich's Dad owns a vast business enterprise.
This idea is what I would call a middle class meritocratic understanding of social status and wealth. It's closer to the truth. But it's not quite there: It is a middle to upper-middle class mistake to think that skill in one's profession (in other words, economic productivity) is the personal quality that moves one all the way to the top of the social ladder.
The highest (hidden) message about social status is everywhere, once you know to look for it: The command and mastery of others is considered a natural consequence of superiority which is simply understood - even as a birthright. The power is the feature. If there is any skill which is employed to "do" something, it is in maintaining and upholding this class distinction by, say, employing the very method described in this post! You get a bit of this in how the "professor" character is presented - while clearly possessing the greatest technical skill (merit), he is below the Riches, to the point of taking instruction from their child.
So how is this three-level understanding of Richie Rich self-reinforcing?
This is a quick sketch illustrating how the multi-level structure of Straussian Memes can work. I believe it is imminently possible to bundle up three messages into a single meme / image through clever double(triple, quadruple)-entendres. And I think we are likely to see more of this in the near future, even created by AIs. But that is the subject of my other post.