Cultural Transmission

Cultural Transmission is a word that slipped out of my mouth while speaking with Dr. David Norman of Birmingham University. I didn't noticed that I said it until he pointed it out. I'm not writing this only to brag, but I think I revealed a bit about how I actually view culture. It's not necessarily pathogenic, but it can be opportunistic.

Think about that bacteria...Staph something or other. It's on all of our skin. It provides a lot of protection against harmful bacteria therefore according to my high school level of biology, we can call the relationship between that bacteria and humans mutualistic. However, under certain circumstances this staph can act as a factor in illness as it's benefits can also provide benefits to actual pathogens.

Is culture the same way? Does it inject itself like a virus? Or, does it grow and spread like bacterium? In which way does it spread? When is the transmission of culture a disease, and when is it beneficial?

Interesting questions. I think I have Dr. Piboon Puriveth to thank for this line of thinking.

I actually just want to rant about my anger management issues caused from my recent stop in smoking. That's right...I started smoking when I was 22, I think it was...and now I'm 32...so It's been about ten years, give or take a year. And, not only smoking, but smoking fairly heavily...about a pack and a half to two packs a day on average. Somedays I got a little far into the third pack, but usually I cut it off at a single pack. Okay, so making logical arguments is also something that I"m finding difficult.

I will try to link this rant into some interesting political stuff. First, I wonder how many political decisions are made by unbalanced minds. Muammar Gaddafi flies to mind. Is his declaration of war on his own people due to he too quitting smoking? I doubt it, but seriously...it's like my anger is just under the surface, all the time.

I flipped out at a good friend today because she does caffeine enemas. It's completely dumb because the only research that showed any reason to do it was done 80 years ago, and all the recent stuff cites risk of infection, risk of various imbalances, etc. Anyway, I am too muddled to recall clearly right now.

Advice for Dictators

Attention dictators:

First of all, don't try to shut down social media. It not only will not work, but it will make you look stupid and out of touch with reality.

Secondly, don't release criminals to create instability. No one is going to come back into your "loving" arms through this approach. They are just going to be angry about the crimes committed by these people and that will not aid you in your efforts to control every aspect of people's lives. If they believe your policies to be dumb, they will have trouble respecting you.

Thirdly, realize that the sun does not rise just because you did. Those two are not causal. Realize that if you act like you brought the sun up, people will think you are arrogant. You should try to at least appear to be humble...sort of like the tech savy, well dressed, slightly dishelved guy who never leaves the garage. That will earn you sympathy and will create the appearance that you spend all day working rather lounging around in your 19th century smoking jacket. Always appear in public carrying a few file folders. Always been seen with your fingers sliding along an ipad with a blackberry in your pocket.

Finally, try to allow people to do as they please under the blanket of your paternal care. This will create the impression that you create a safe place for people to live while you simply control the economy, the military and most other government functions. If you have to curtail a right or two, do so with a woeful look and a tear in the eye. Say things like, it can't be helped because "my children" have dissapointed me. People will think you are a bit nuts, but a kindly nuts.

Always be seen in sweaters and be seen with lots of kittens. But not cats. Cats will make you look too weird. Also, no major visible eccentrities like high heal shoes (assuming you are male...of course you're male) bouffant hair styles, flowerly frocks, or silly hats. Go for the earlier mentioned slightly nerdy, but in touch modern guy who has been working all day on some new research project.

Drive a regular car, but have a nice house that is fairly visible and seems to have little security. Inside of your house should have lots of security features. But, the outside of your house should make you look like a regular guy. If you've not been able to meet a female, hire a live in actor. Offer a good salary. Her real husband can always move in and pretend to be the gardener or something. That way no one will be surprised if they actually see her sleeping with him. Everyone knows from watching T.V that all women sleep with their gardeners.

Have a couple of big dogs outside. Take them for walks from time to time. If you have trouble with crowds, do a little Pierre Trudeau run with a big smile on your face. Like you are some sort of superstar. Hire a group of teenage girls to chase you around everywhere if you have to.

Back on the tech stuff. Convenietly be seen looking at interesting magazines, casually checking out MTV, or leave an iphone with lots of info that you know will leak out. Include lots of wholesome but somewhat cool pop music. Taylor Swift might be a bit far, but you get the idea. Also, make sure the books or other materials are news related, or something that makes you look like Joe Blow instead of Joe Blowyourheaddov.

When people shout at you when you are on your balcony, wave and smile. Take some pictures. If you occassionally here a bad line. Just look deeply hurt, and walk back inside. The next day, go to a religious place and be seen loudly asking a religious figure for help to save your horrible soul. Tell the world about your conversion. Go on a book tour. If worst comes to worst, go into rehab. Blame your years of abuse on your latent drug addiction. Appoint a temporary government, and then come back in when everyone forgets that you haven't actually gone nuts.

Whatever you do, don't look to arrogant and don't curtail rights. This will just backfire. Allow people to talk about you, and argue back point by point.

Back Again

Time to start updating this again. I'm back at the International Institute at Ramkhamhaeng University, and am also working as a high school social studies teacher in an English program in Thailand.

On this site, I'll post papers as I read them, share experiences from my hands on experience as a "street level bureaucrat" and talk about other things (related or otherwise) from time to time.

Sending more troops to Afghanistan unlikely to work.

Never mind that a British general back in October said that the Afghanistan war is not winnable (Brig. General Mark Careleton-Smith) and that the Taliban could be part of the country's long term solution (source here).   And never mind that the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper recently spoke to CNN and also stated that we aren't going to win the war simply by being there.  Never mind that the U.S alone currently has 142,000 soldiers in Iraq and is still not able to pacify that country.

History alone should be enough to tell us that Afghanistan just can't be turned into a democratic clone of a western state.  The Soviet Union tried for a decade, and as difficult as it was for them, it is even more difficult for the western countries now partly due to the experience that the Afghan fighters gathered (with U.S help) during the resistance to the Soviets.

As Samuel P. Huntington observed in his book The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World order, Afghanistan was seen by the West as a victory for the free world, but for the Islamic world, it was a victory for Islam.  

The Islamic world successfully stood up to the Atheist Soviet Union and drove their forces out of Afghanistan.  Now, they are experienced at this and aren't ready to allow western Christian nations to "liberate" Afghanistan.

I'm sorry if I sound disloyal.  I'm not.  I support the idea of what Canadian forces are trying to do in Afghanistan, and much of what we are doing is actually really good for the local people.  But, that is beside the point.   Many  of the local people are seeing what we are doing as a threat to their Independence.  

In my view, we should be getting all of the parties at the table and try to get a peace agreement in place.  At the same time, we should begin pulling out.  Hopefully the rivalling groups can unite under a single leadership, and that is a question of concern, but the war is not going to be won.  

No amount of U.S soldiers will ever be enough and the more soldiers on the ground will just turn more and more of the locals off of the NATO forces and create more bitterness.

Barack Obama wants to increase the U.S presence in Afghanistan, while removing U.S presence from Iraq.  I think it's the wrong thing to do in the long run, though to pull out of the country safely, we'd probably need to increase the numbers in order to allow that to happen.

Obama is, whether we like it or not, forced to make some concessions to the military industrial complex.  I'm sure he knows what's happening in Afghanistan, but he can only fight so many battles at one time.