Thanks. I've obviously not thought about mimetics very much, I've just been more interested in figuring out how Thiel, specifically, wields them as a tool of influence (for now, in the limited sphere of SV intellectuals/rightwing politicians)

-- which I thought was comparable to how a swath of people orientate themselves with respect to (such entities as TV tropes and) memes.

Anyways. Memes are much more alive than mimetics; tapeworms are an adequate metaphor in that sense