The Human Zoo
Desmond Morris
• Social Evolution -fast ; Biological - slow
Farm - Males hunt ; Females - plant
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coop- exploratory - intelligent
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food reliable surplus
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support larger tribe and non-food workers
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URBAN REVOLUTION
• SUPERTRIBE -no longer know everyone
To support larger tribe need to trade or conquer
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humanity more diverse - more stress• MONKEYS - small group leader - split to smaller
• biological - need coop balanced by competition
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• social double standard leader split tribe into 2 groups ..the appeased and the sad slaves (outsiders)
LAW
society creates crime so need laws against it
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create (an excluded) criminal tribe. So putting them together in a jail is not a good solution
UNITED TRIBE - impression created by social and religeous customs
REVOLUTION - CHANGE / NO CHANGE
eg Christian Church just took over pagan festivals
LANGUAGE - has anticommunication function also by splitting tribes it gives a social identitiy
RELIGION - As super tribe evolves..many small gods evolve into one super god. But then there is a need to assert a tribal identity so splits into factions
declines due to free thinking resisting dogmas
WAR
- unites tribe (co of out camp threat)
-reinforces leader
-THEM and US
-horror becomes the battle glorious
election can unite
PROPERTY
1st tribe is like a commune
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impersonal tribe needs locks
GOVERNMENTS - use right wing methods to implement left wing policies
FRAGMENTATION of society
eg countries only unite in war
there will be no united world until major change
TV seems to create a global village - but TV is only one way, internet ?
CITY living - is it too much ? should we live in the country ?
we would miss the excitement of city the best huning grounds
we usually only get as far as the suburbs
BUT city is not really so exciting because of the force of conformism stifles innovation
(SG. maybe the countryside are better hunting grounds, because it is easier to sociallty interact...cities can be the loneliest of places)
zoo cages = lonelyness of city life
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STAUS - compared to baboon
status tension is OK if group is small
LEADER
Trappings - posture above (throne), hut bigger, don't do things that normal people do
Threaten Rival - stare, raise voice - threat to keep up appearances
Physically Overpower - subordinates
Cleverer - must be seen to make strong rapid decisions
Rule - suppress sqabbles -LAW
Reward Supporters - but can only have friendship between same levels
Protect Weak - reduces anxiety , so more efficient
Lead- ie decide when feed (push sciences or arts)
sometimes adopt non threatening posture to subordinates
Lead Defence --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(leisure pursuits are often like hunting
social pseudo tribe or class
e.g. if cannabis was legalised young people would look for another illegal thing to do; so that adults couldn't join in )
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SUBGROUPS - cos not everyone can be the leader of a supertribe
• social pseudo tribe
• regional
• specialisation - eg work or hobby
• class or new-age (NB meritocrative system is replacing class..causes stress)
-dominance mimicry eg fake diamonds
-redirection of aggression, sargent creates hatred in men who take it out on the enemy
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SUPER SEX
1 Procreational - paradox if nuns say it's so natural why don't they do it
2 Pair formation
3 Pair maintenance
4 Physiological (need)
5 Exploratory
6 Self Rewarding
7 Occupational eg obsessive masturbation
8 Tranqilising
9 Commercial
10 Status
when we became supertribes we lost biolofical safetynet
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IN GROUPS OUT
One ST gets ahead and can't resist dominating others
in a battle only the pride and status of the leader are at stake
soldiers die because they co-operate
if no war with outside then often civil war breaks out
logic....
1 look at that green haired man hitting the child
2 GHM is vicious
3 All GHM are vicious
4 GHM will attack anyone
5 There'a a GHM I'd better hit him before he hits me...the GHM defendsI
6 See I told you GHM are vicious
7 hit all GHM
Human Species
logic of oppression
- foreign civilisation is very developed
- destroy it
- see these people are uncivilised
- see they are mentally inferior
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IMPRINTING
-traumas will strongly effect - immediate and difficult to unlearn
-imprinting is the opposite
-mal-imprinting - sexual problems for tame animals
-abnormal relationships eg pet dogs look like babies
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STIMULATION
1 machines save time- so you invent tasks for stimulation
2 overindulgeing
3 pranks
4 overresponding
5 magnify stimuli eg high heels make the legs seem longer
dreams - reorganise after over stimulation
yoga- drugs - introduce artificial dream state.. helps deal with over stimulation
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The Childlike Adult
schools and universities - like tribal initiation ceremonies
next generation face the problems of life or death or civilisation