What's like cargo cults?

I'm guessing many LT-ers people know what Cargo Cults are. If not here's Wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult).

Its an interesting phenomenon, for sure. But it's acquired a life of its own in certain circles. The term is particular popular in technology contexts, and is used dismissively and humorously.

At some level, this use rubs me the wrong way—Ah, the funny darkies! is the subtext. I wouldn't call it racist, but its frequent use by people who know nothing about anthropology, culture and so forth is grating.

A friend of mine is doing a talk and wants to find a substitute term for basically the same idea—engaging in an elaborate mimetic performance that fundamentally misses the point and is doomed to failure.

Can anyone think of one?

Buying lottery tickets.

3rd world countries insisting on own airline industry.

owning the same name brand things as the rich and/or Famous (clothes, cars, golf clubs etc.)

None of these are real great, I know I know better examples of what you want, they just aren't coming to me right now.

I don't know much about the cargo cult phenomenon, but might I suggest that the U.S.'s Properity Thelogy or Word of Faith proponents (like Joel Osteen) seem to have some eerie similarities: "we're not rich, but God wants us to be, so if we just pray and act rich, it will come to us" and all that.

The LibraryThing Early Reviewers program seems like the perfect example of a cargo cult. Members of the ER program do everything possible to appease the great Algorithm, in the hope of receiving the desired Cargo!

#1 - I think the less-offensive synonym you want is "magical thinking".

In regard to message #3, I've never listened to Osteen, but the Prayer of Jabez has always made me squirm, somehow. Somehow, I don't think "prosperity gospel" is what Jesus had in mind!

Mr. Spalding, the point of the cargo cult anecdote is not "Ha! Those people with a different skin color missed the point!"
The point is simply "Ha! Those people missed the point!"

As for an alternative - I realize this is probably late - but there is a great analogy in The Illuminatus Trilogy about this. It is one mystic describing where another group of mystics went wrong:

They saw the hand pointing to the moon, but instead of looking where it was pointing, they sat down and worshipped the hand.

I know that's not the point. See message #1. I'm not calling it racist, but overuse can be grating. Among techies in particular, it's often about the only thing people know about New Guinea.

misdirected techno ritualification

I believe the story line of the movie The Gods Must be Crazy was based on the cargo cult phenomonea.

I believe that the cargo cult scene is the South Pacific. The Gods Must be Crazy was set among Bushmen, Africans.

Robert

I don't think there's a convenient term for this aside from Cargo Cult Mentality. That's why everyone uses that term.

Completely Missing the Point?
Iconophilia?
Fetishism?
Idolatry?

Materialism
Keeping up with the Joneses
Entitlement
Big Brother

Been to PNG.