I think we should treat much of American #Evangelical #Christianity as a #CargoCult, and call them out as such instead of assuming they are actually based on the teachings of #JesusChrist .

After all, they seem to believe that as long as they say the right magic words, they are going to be "saved". And then anything they say or do - no matter how vile - will be justified. After all, _they_ are saved, and _you_ are not.

Trappings over substance - that's pretty much the definition of a cargo cult, isn't it?

“‘build some #transport #infrastructure, and then hope that it stimulates #economic #activity’ is literally #cargocult thinking – it’s what the Micronesian islanders did.” backofmind.substack.com/p/traffic-ja...

traffic jam today, but jam tom...

@dendrobatus_azureus Hehe. Actually, unless the "*" finds a really braindead file (overwriting at least parts of the screen memory, still NOT containing some vector-highjacking autostart code but still a working BASIC stub at $801), the "load absolute" parameter here (,1) is an interesting piece of #cargocult dating back to the 80s 😏 #c64

@hadon @randahl

Further reading shows I've misused the term #CargoCult. See below.

Though the article has anthropologists identifying cargo cults only in Melanesia.
Whereas I've read anthropologists applying the term to social movements in Australia too.

https://www.righto.com/2025/01/its-time-to-abandon-cargo-cult-metaphor.html?m=1

@hadon @randahl

That'd make the #ProsperityGospel a #CargoCult.

I'm reading of more and more cargo cults which were sparked by the interaction of industrial goods-abundant cultures with pre-mass-market cultures.

It's bizarre that a socialist cult that had a strict and explicit moral code has been twisted into a ring wing consumption-justification program.

Seid ihr agil oder tut ihr nur so? Mal ehrlich...

https://no-bullshit-agile.de/nba65-cargo-cult-agility-wenn-agil-nur-gespielt-wird.html

#CargoCult #Agile #Agil

This is either "AI" #slop or someone who really, really doesn't understand electricity and audio signals. It's talking about a standard 3.5mm headphone/mic jack on consumer audio devices, and says this when talking about straight vs. right-angle plugs:

> Straight connectors provide a direct connection between the audio source
> and the output device, minimizing signal loss and interference. This results
> in a cleaner and more accurate representation of the audio, allowing you to
> fully appreciate the nuances of the sound.
>
> In contrast, right-angle connectors can sometimes cause signal degradation
> due to the sharp angle at which the connector is bent. This can lead to audio
> distortion or loss, impacting the overall quality of the sound output.

If this gentleman has discovered a population of electrons that can tell when they've made a 90-degree turn inside a conductor, I think a #Nobel physics prize is in store for him.

#AI #electricity #audio #audiophool #witchcraft #voodoo #misinformation #magic #CargoCult #headphones #mic #connector #plug

@glyph
I hear you.

My favourite (perhaps less jarring?) example is when a court declares they have found someone guilty, and that their threshold of guilt is "on balance of odds".

I look at the lawyers and the witnesses and realise that none of them has studied actuarial or probability mathematics. I wouldn't even trust them to understand a bet on the horses. For a scientist to watch them is like observing a cargo cult. Worse, I am sure, is for a scientist to find themselves on the receiving end of such a court.

I would offer the meagre consolation that you can see the feedback loops that drive them to behave so, where they think themselves to have free will.

#cybernetics #actuarial #odds #maths #math #statistics #science #scientificInquiry #systemsArchitecture #justice #law #policing #cargoCult

@munin

In Feynman's terms, it's cargo-cult programming. I used to use that term for someone copying random code off of StackExchange/etc without understanding it, but I couldn't think of a stronger variant for the "AI" approach.

I've reviewed code that was generated like this. It's worse than code that doesn't work but which was actually written by someone *trying* to understand the problem, like a novice in way over their head.

Your description of the maintenance and debugging nightmare it creates for future you is right on the money.

#CargoCult #LLM #code #VibeCoding

Builders vs Fanatics - Two types of Tech People

🔹 Builders – They know the facts, requirements, team skills and technologies to decide then for a technology.
🔹 Buzzword Fanatics – They pick a shiny new tech or buzzwords and generate the meaning. Cargo-Cult-Engineering with Peter Principle. They always think in to get a golden hammer.

#TechLeadership #Engineering #CargoCult #DevLife #SoftwareEngineering #programming

trochę kultu cargo na początek tygodnia ;)

#poland #gdppercapita #cargocult

The cargo cult on the island of Tanna in the New Hebridies says their messiah John Frum will return on February 15th, but the year remains unknown https://toilet-guru.com/overview-faith.html?s=mb #CargoCult #Apocalypse #prophecy

It is perhaps the most perfect circle that the science and tech world's use of the term #CargoCult is the result of passed-down generational ignorance and misunderstanding.

https://www.righto.com/2025/01/its-time-to-abandon-cargo-cult-metaphor.html

"Cargo cult": A thoughtful essay on the problematic use of the term "Cargo cult" in the tech community
https://www.righto.com/2025/01/its-time-to-abandon-cargo-cult-metaphor.html
#cargocult #language #culture #tech #+

Was 2024 begann wird 2025 noch stärker werden: Kritisches Denken verkommt zu einer Worthülse #CargoCult

https://defector.com/the-hawk-tuah-memecoin-rug-pull-is-the-apotheosis-of-bag-culture

Absent legacy-media prestige or any earlier, outdated marker of status, a way to distinguish yourself, to exhibit prestige, is to be an ambassador for a more prestigious brand. And as the modality of fandom shifts to something like worship, it is simple to see oneself as part of the process and potentially next in line for a big payday.

#capitalism #latecapitalism #alienation #commodityfetishism #cargocult

Archaeoethnologica: The Priest-King, the Warriors & the Witch - Book / O Sacerdote-Rei dos Guerreiros e a Bruxa - Livro

+INFO in: https://archaeoethnologica.blogspot.com/2024/10/o-sacerdote-rei-dos-guerreiros-e-bruxa.html

#Mythology #indoeuropean #indoeuropeanmythology #comparativemythology #Anthropology #cargocult #HistoryofReligions #Book

Archaeoethnologica: The Priest-King, the Warriors & the Witch - Book / O Sacerdote-Rei dos Guerreiros e a Bruxa - Livro

+INFO in: https://archaeoethnologica.blogspot.com/2024/10/o-sacerdote-rei-dos-guerreiros-e-bruxa.html

#Mythology #indoeuropean #indoeuropeanmythology #comparativemythology #Anthropology #cargocult #HistoryofReligions #Book

@SonstHarmlos Irgendwie sind diese ganzen wertlosen, immer wieder scheiternden Schwanzlängenvergleichsprojekte eine phantasielos deprimierende Kapitulation vor der Zukunft.
Natürlich wird niemand der Projektteilnehmer, deren Einkommen das sichert, sagen, dass das vollkommener Schwachsinn ist.
#CargoCult

@Unixbigot TIL #cargocult is a thing on Mastodon