Cargo cult is defined as a religious movement that exhibit belief in the imminence of a new age of blessing, to be initiated by the arrival of a special “cargo” of goods from supernatural sources—based on the observation by local residents of the delivery of supplies to colonial officials.
If the cargo is expected by ship or plane, symbolic wharves or landing strips and warehouses are sometimes built in preparation, and traditional material resources are abandoned—gardening ceases, and pigs and food stocks are destroyed.
It’s pretty clear to me that in the ridiculous “design gold rush” of late, people from all walks of life with no real understanding of how design is really done expect salvific effects from the hollow repetition of design rituals they maybe have heard about once or twice (usually in an article about Steve Jobs).
I’m concerned about this situation, I’ve seen this kind of attitude before and it never ends well for the category under the spotlight. Failure to deliver miracles is always severely punished in cargo cults.
When is our punishment coming?
Great article! We are linking to this particularly great article on our site. Ileana Darill Gombach