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2007-02-16 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

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Posted by anonymous5089 2007-02-16 13:05|| || Front Page|| [7 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 from wikipedia

The classic period of cargo cult activity, however, was in the years during and after World War II. The vast amounts of war matériel that were airdropped into these islands during the Pacific campaign against the Empire of Japan necessarily meant drastic changes to the lifestyle of the islanders, many of whom had never seen Westerners or Japanese before. Manufactured clothing, medicine, canned food, tents, weapons and other useful goods arrived in vast quantities to equip soldiers and also the islanders who were their guides and hosts. With the end of the war the airbases were abandoned, and "cargo" was no longer being dropped.

In attempts to get cargo to fall by parachute or land in planes or ships again, islanders imitated the same practices they had seen the soldiers, sailors and airmen use. They carved headphones from wood, and wore them while sitting in fabricated control towers. They waved the landing signals while standing on the runways. They lit signal fires and torches to light up runways and lighthouses. The cultists thought that the foreigners had some special connection to their own ancestors, who were the only beings powerful enough to produce such riches.

In a form of sympathetic magic, many built life-size mockups of airplanes out of straw, and created new military style landing strips, hoping to attract more airplanes. Ultimately, though these practices did not bring about the return of the god-like airplanes that brought such marvelous cargo during the war, they did serve to eradicate the religious practices that had existed prior to the war.

Over the last seventy-five years most cargo cults have petered out. Yet, the John Frum cult is still active on the island of Tanna, Vanuatu. And from time to time, the term "cargo cult" is invoked as an English language idiom, to mean any group of people who imitate the superficial exterior of a process or system without having any understanding of the underlying substance.

The term is perhaps best known because of a speech by physicist Richard Feynman at a Caltech commencement called cargo cult science, which became a chapter in the book Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!. In the speech, Feynman pointed out that cargo cultists create all the appearance of an airport right down to headsets with bamboo "antennas", yet the airplanes don't come. Feynman argued that some scientists often produce studies with all the trappings of real science, but which are nonetheless pseudoscience and unworthy of either respect or support.

Posted by john 2007-02-16 13:55|| 2007-02-16 13:55|| Front Page Top

#2 Other fine books by Professor Feynmann:

Q.E.D. (Quantum Electro-Dynamics)
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out

Posted by mojo">mojo 2007-02-16 14:03|| 2007-02-16 14:03|| Front Page Top

#3 Smithsonian Magazine had an interesting article about them last february. It appears they suffer from "Not John Frum Enough".

The John Frum movement is following the classic pattern of new religions, says anthropologist Huffman. Schisms split clumps of faithful from the main body, as apostates proclaim a new vision leading to sacrilegious variants on the creeds core beliefs.

Which explains Prophet Fred, whose village, Ipikil, is nestled on Sulphur Bay. Daniel says that Prophet Fred split with Chief Isaac in 1999 and led half of the believer villages into his new version of the John Frum cult. He had a vision while working on a Korean fishing boat in the ocean, Daniel says. Gods light came down on him, and God told him to come home and preach a new way. People believed that Fred could talk to God after he predicted, six years ago, that Lake Siwi would break its natural dam and flood into the ocean. The people living around the lake [on the beach beneath the volcano] moved to other places, says Daniel. Six months later, it happened.

Then, almost two years ago, Prophet Freds rivalry with Chief Isaac exploded. More than 400 young men from the competing camps clashed with axes, bows and arrows and slingshots, burning down a thatched church and several houses. Twenty-five men were seriously injured. They wanted to kill us, and we wanted to kill them, a Chief Isaac loyalist says.

http://www.smithsonianmagazine.com/issues/2006/february/john.php

Posted by tu3031 2007-02-16 14:03|| 2007-02-16 14:03|| Front Page Top

#4 That Smithsonian piece is a fascinating article...

Posted by john 2007-02-16 14:28|| 2007-02-16 14:28|| Front Page Top

#5 Dang!!!! I missed the celebration. It was February 15th. Need to put it on the calendar, with respect to the International date line, of course, so we should mark our calendars for February 14th or what? Imr soo confuzr...

Posted by Alaska Paul">Alaska Paul 2007-02-16 15:46|| 2007-02-16 15:46|| Front Page Top

#6 No need to worry.. next year will bring much cargo

Posted by John Frum 2007-02-16 16:09|| 2007-02-16 16:09|| Front Page Top

#7 And from time to time, the term "cargo cult" is invoked as an English language idiom, to mean any group of people who imitate the superficial exterior of a process or system without having any understanding of the underlying substance.

Which pretty much describes the Donks' understanding of capitalism and why they can't understand that when you reduce taxation allowing the market to retain more capital it generates business which in turn generates more tax revenue. For them there is no connection between the free market system and generating revenue. Their concept is pretty much on the philosophy of legendary bank robber Willy Sutton, "Go where the money is... and go there often."

Posted by Procopius2k 2007-02-16 16:59|| 2007-02-16 16:59|| Front Page Top

#8 "Who is John Frum?"

Posted by Ayn Rand 2007-02-16 17:42|| 2007-02-16 17:42|| Front Page Top

#9 I watched "Clutch Cargo" as a kid, but never realized I was in a cult

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2007-02-16 18:15|| 2007-02-16 18:15|| Front Page Top

#10 And from time to time, the term "cargo cult" is invoked as an English language idiom, to mean any group of people who imitate the superficial exterior of a process or system without having any understanding of the underlying substance.

Their leaders often say things like "We need to be SEI Level 5 by the end of the year." Curious bunch.

Posted by eLarson 2007-02-16 18:20|| http://larsonian.blogspot.com]">[http://larsonian.blogspot.com] 2007-02-16 18:20|| Front Page Top

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