2013 Theme - Cargo Cult - thoughts?

[Roberto Dobbisano]

it's obviously a secret mutant power.

[timschapker]

After reading about Cargo Cults, the first movie that popped into my mind was Life of Brian, not Gods Must Be Crazy. And As a New Yorker, I'm reminded of Central New York's Second and Third Great Awakening, the rise of chautauquas and traveling circuses, the Cardiff Giant, seances, and the rise of multiple new religions, including Mormons. Humans are always seeking belief systems that make their lives easier and more prosperous. When it comes to religions, there's a seeker born every minute.

The modern Christian doctrine of Prosperity Theology is certainly a Cargo Cult, although followers are focused on monetarily advanced prophets, rather than technologically advanced prophets.

I'm enjoying the thoughtful discussion about racism, colonialism and cultural centricity, excetionalism, and eurocentrism sparked by this theme. Hopefully some of you will explore these themes in your art and presence in BRC. Will there be culturally insensitive people and art on the playa this year? Absolutely. Just as there were lots of white people in 2012 with "native american" trappings, headdresses and feather mohawks at a $20 million festival held in the heart of impoverished native communities.

[Simon of the Playa]

I'm enjoying the thoughtful discussion about racism, colonialism and cultural centricity, excetionalism, and eurocentrism sparked by this theme. Hopefully some of you will explore these themes in your art and presence in BRC. Will there be culturally insensitive people and art on the playa this year? Absolutely. Just as there were lots of white people in 2012 with "native american" trappings, headdresses and feather mohawks at a $20 million festival held in the heart of impoverished native communities.

damn, you're good.

[BAS]

CHRISTIANITY IS A GODDAMN CARGO CULT YOU STUPID, STUPID HUMANS....




so why don't you just sit down, shut the fuck up and Drink your Brawndo, it's got electrolytes, and it's what plants crave.

Pretty much what the islander pointed out to the interviewer in the Smithsonian article (from the link on page 3), when the interviewer asked him why they were still waiting, sixty years later, for John Frum to return. The islander replied by pointing out Christians had been waiting 2,000 years for Christ to return. I think it was the same article that noted "frum" meant "broom" in the local language, and that the cult had started as a movement to sweep away the European's destruction of the local culture.

What movie is that with Brawndo? Looks like it could be worth watching.

[FIGJAM]

Idiocracy


Very scary!

[Foxfur]

You know, this discussion of colonialism got me to thinking of the devastation of traditional cultures.
I think it's high time all of these dogooders immediately end their "humanitarian" efforts and allow the peoples to go back to their roots:
High infant mortality
Malaria, beri beri, and goiter
Subjugation and marginalization of women
Lack of say in the disposition of natural resources
Diseased water and lack of access to clean water
Intertribal warfare
Female genital mutilation

Access to education, enough food to assure proper nutrition, and women's and children's wellbeing are NOT human rights. They are shams imposed by the evil white man.
Every dollar spent on relief is a dollar that is taken away from our decadent lifestyles. We must stop imposing our values on indigenous cultures.
We should not see their lives as equal to ours.
Mother Teresa, colonialist cunt.
OXFAM, UNHCR, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, The Red Cross / Red Crescent. Bunch of evil fuckers.
We should immediately abandon our selfish efforts in Haiti, Africa, and the rest of the countries we've invaded.
We need to spend that money amongst the righteous and deserving first world nations who truly need and deserve our dinars and yen.

[ygmir]

this oughta be good..................

[theCryptofishist]

I dnno, I'm sorta tired of straw men...

[theCryptofishist]

Another thing that sort of struck me is how cargo cults struck me as a hidden theme of the election... Cut taxes for prosperity. or Obama won because he was providing cargo...

[ygmir]

I like wicker men.

[knowmad]

Bwini, Why you so Dumb?

[Simon of the Playa]

"Simon, Rush These"

[Heyu]

I wonder if repurposing the mundane is part of "cargo" artifacts.

[Simon of the Playa]

why spend money on new stuff, i say...

[Ugly Dougly]

Hmmm... I don't know how I missed this conversation.

Oh yeah, I was busy having a life!

Hey, Phantom, you are assuming that a negative value is being placed on indigenes because of this term? The popular use of the term "cargo cults" instead embraces them for their similarity to us.

Why do we study "primitive" people? Because through them we see our own society more clearly! Anthropology 101!!

Okay, I am going back to my life. See ya.

I hope everyone debating the theme has read what the main site has to say about it.

It seems to be saying something about the tendency of all humans to look Beyond for salvation, when there is an alternative.

Yeah, and that's probably true, but saying that we're all part of a giant cargo cult doesn't eliminate the negative implications towards Pacific Islanders that the terminology may carry with it. "Cargo cult" is a colonial term that reduces Indigenous social movements to insanity-fueled quests for Western commodities. And that's essentially the story that is published on the Burning Man site, too.

My question (and I've not found the answer yet) is how the people who participated in these relgious and social movements feel about the term. Is it something that they accept, or is eliminating this kind of terminology essential to them in their decolonization efforts? My assumption would be the latter, but I really don't know, which is why I'm undecided on the issue...although I'm probably leaning towards agreeing with those that think it's a bad choice of theme.

[H.G.Crosby]

why spend money on new stuff, i say...

how Thrifty!

[Ugly Dougly]

Some of us envy elements of the tribal lifestyle as much they envy ours. And they are as little aware of the price we pay for ours, as they pay for theirs.

You know, this discussion of colonialism got me to thinking of the devastation of traditional cultures.
I think it's high time all of these dogooders immediately end their "humanitarian" efforts and allow the peoples to go back to their roots:
High infant mortality
Malaria, beri beri, and goiter
Subjugation and marginalization of women
Lack of say in the disposition of natural resources
Diseased water and lack of access to clean water
Intertribal warfare
Female genital mutilation
(And those are gross generalizations, BTW.)

Access to education, enough food to assure proper nutrition, and women's and children's wellbeing are NOT human rights. They are shams imposed by the evil white man.
Every dollar spent on relief is a dollar that is taken away from our decadent lifestyles. We must stop imposing our values on indigenous cultures.
We should not see their lives as equal to ours.
Mother Teresa, colonialist cunt.
OXFAM, UNHCR, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, The Red Cross / Red Crescent. Bunch of evil fuckers.
We should immediately abandon our selfish efforts in Haiti, Africa, and the rest of the countries we've invaded.
We need to spend that money amongst the righteous and deserving first world nations who truly need and deserve our dinars and yen.

[knowmad]

psst. Dougly, I think he was writing that in SarcastiSans the new Font for the ithink_OS...

[BAS]

Idiocracy


Very scary!

Ah. Its a documentary then.


Thanks!

[CapnJoe]

Is that Larry in there?

[theCryptofishist]

Is that Larry in there?

*snort!*

[Simon of the Playa]

[media]

No But Them Golden Plates Is.

[homo ardentum]

Did someone mention racism? Rubbish, I say! Great theme...
Here's another perception on racism...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bAK8nWxZEY

[maladroit]

Foxfur: Mother Teresa herself was/is pretty much a cargo cult on her own. Paying lip service and donating money to Mother Teresa was a way for people to appear caring and charitable, therefore it was necessary that she be elevated to superhuman adoration. But, if you were lucky enough to wind up in one of her hospitals, you'd quite possibly end up dying alone in uncaring and unsanitary conditions, without even painkillers to ease you into the next life. Mother Teresa was obsessed with suffering as a means of salvation, so pain medication was not present in her facilities. It wasn't for lack of money....

[Ratty]

This thread has become my 'guilty pleasure'. I'm not going to add any fuel to the fire.

Simon, If I wasn't so old I would offer to have your baby.

Foxfur, I may sneak into your room and try anyway.

[Eddaytona]

With all the discussion of Pacific Island traditional cargo cultisim http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-pl ... 21366.html don't overlook what is going on today in America:
Prosperity theology:
Prosperity theology, sometimes referred to as the prosperity gospel or the health and wealth gospel, is a religious doctrine that financial blessing is the will of God, and that faith, positive speech, and donations to ministries will always increase one's material wealth. Based on non-traditional interpretations of the Bible, often with emphasis on the Book of Malachi, the doctrine views the Bible as a contract between God and humans: if humans have faith in God, he will deliver his promises of security and prosperity. Confessing these promises to be true is perceived as an act of faith, which God will honor.

[graidawg]

You know, this discussion of colonialism got me to thinking of the devastation of traditional cultures.
I think it's high time all of these dogooders immediately end their "humanitarian" efforts and allow the peoples to go back to their roots:
High infant mortality (37th in the world)
Malaria, beri beri, and goiter (well maybe not those disease in particular)
Subjugation and marginalization of women (...........)
Lack of say in the disposition of natural resources (..........)
Diseased water and lack of access to clean water (fracking)
Intertribal warfare (gangs all over the country)
Female genital mutilation

Access to education, enough food to assure proper nutrition, and women's and children's wellbeing are NOT human rights. They are shams imposed by the evil white man.

Are you talking about America?

[theCryptofishist]

Prosperity theology doesn't, on the face of it, seem all that different than Calvinism, where god's approval is signaled by wealth...

[Foxfur]

This thread has become my 'guilty pleasure'. I'm not going to add any fuel to the fire.

Simon, If I wasn't so old I would offer to have your baby.

Foxfur, I may sneak into your room and try anyway.

Last door on the right...


On a serious note, I can't wait to make some of those Gilliganesque crates for camp furniture.

[ygmir]

This thread has become my 'guilty pleasure'. I'm not going to add any fuel to the fire.

Simon, If I wasn't so old I would offer to have your baby.

Foxfur, I may sneak into your room and try anyway.

Last door on the right...


On a serious note, I can't wait to make some of those Gilliganesque crates for camp furniture.

taking notes at computer**