[extropy-chat] Human Machinations

[The Avantguardian]

--- Keith Henson <hkhenson at rogers.com> wrote:
> Wrong level.  A population of people possessed of
> xenophobic memes is on 
> the causal path to war, but isn't the root cause. 
> People can *always* find 
> some stupid ideological reason to fight, but they
> don't do so all the 
> time.  What causes xenophobic memes to become more
> common at some times 
> than at others?

I think it boils down to political maneuvering and the
will to power. Or put another way, the primate
instinct to become and remain the alpha male and
thereby have your pick of mates. Lets say you are the
chief of the bear tribe and the tribe is unhappy with
your leadership. There are lots of up and coming alpha
males that are eyeing you trying to figure out a way
to challenge you for supremacy. What do you do? You
remind them how much they dislike the cougar tribe.
You may even show them tracks suggesting that the
cougar tribe has been trespassing in bear territory.
You start beating the war drums. Next thing you know,
all your internal competition/opposition has stopped
criticizing you and are rushing off to deal with the
cougar menace. 

You have consolidated your power by taking hostility
directed at you and redirecting it to a common
external enemy. It worked for Hideyoshi. His poorly
executed invasions of Korea, didn't win much territory
for Japan, but did send his rival warlords away from
Japan to allow him to unify the country.   
 
> Related question.  Why did support for the IRA
> eventually die out?

I will leave this to Dirk or Damien. They were there
after all.


Stuart LaForge
alt email: stuart"AT"ucla.edu

"Thereupon, the Soul of Mother Earth bewailed, Should I accept the support of a feeble man and listen to his words? In fact I desired the aid of a strong and mighty king. When shall such a person arise and bring strong-handed succor to me?" -Yasna 29, verse 9 

"Now I am light, now I am flying, now I see myself beneath myself, now a God dances through me." - St. Nietzsche

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