This is the conclusion of pretentious
mediocre legacy media in the aftermath of major landslide that killed around
200-the fatalities keep rising as many are missing, injured hundreds and
left thousands bereaved and cataclysmically changed their life. To make such appalling
statements in the midst of human tragedy adds to ridicule gravity of crisis and
meant to mock people by entitled insular primitives posing as media. To be fair
the intention was to ridicule MadhavGadgil report -as they have persistently done
for last many years, it was preemptive attempt as the report gains credence
among people facing the fury of nature. A well-fed neoliberal lobby is working
to feed the greed, as also tighten their sinister influence over self-serving insidious
narration. This christian controlled media is quite influential in Kerala as it
runs many milch outlets and has a significant control over narration -which ofcourse
is weakening with rise of social media. They have major role in degradation of Kerala
into cesspool of pathetic, and its incapacity to capitalize literacy into
education, meanwhile also effectively using ‘minority’ status to play liberal-secular
savior with easy mix of wanton consumerism that pitiable people are addicted to.
Also recall that Church was very much against MadhavGadgil report and were
central to orchestrated protests. It is but natural that primal connection with
media will be displayed.
Subjectfying reality is the first
assault on fact, in the aftermath of tragedy, the chaos, desperation, the reality is fluid, when raw emotions
is seeking reasons and assuredness. This is the right occasion to murky the
scene before the narration gets consolidated, rest is easy since herd lacks
critical thinking. They very conveniently use nutcases in social media to
create suitable narration. With wide spectrum of nutcases, bizarre and ridiculous
thriving in social media you can easily select and connect few to patch up
narration you prefer and create news for herd to consume. It is a compelling
con work (visit to read https://www.manoramaonline.com/environment/environment-news/2024/07/31/madhav-gadgil-predictions-wayanad-tragedy.html).
Under ‘Environment news’ -meaning not that important a subsection of main news,
even after major disaster they have admirably kept the silos intact, so the deaths are
environmental deaths(!), that would keep sacred silos like economy, politics,
neoliberal capitalisms, development etc. pristine pure. The article is under clickbait quote of Madhav
Gadgil, so the readers may think Gadgil was right and would go for the details, it’s
a trap, the article is a hit job to ridicule Gadgil using shoulder of nutcases
in social media (it’s recurrent pattern these days to create bizarre ‘news’ to
keep herd occupied in muck). Dismissing Gadgil it says “global temperature rise
leading to climate change is the reason for landslide and it has nothing to do
with destruction of Western ghats”, an amazing argument that is being
validated as news by influential regrettable legacy media. The argument runs
parallel to fossil fuel guzzling horrible people from US to Arabia -entitled
with disease of exceptionalism, who dismiss climate change and position these as subjective argument, debatable, and were indeed quite successful
in feeding influential media outlets across the world till recently, even undermining compelling scientific studies and overwhelming consensus by scientists across the world. The increasing vehemence
of indigenous and vociferous voices of youth, as also increasing climate disasters, shifted the ‘debate’, and has nothing to do with media ethics. So now the
cunning is shifting the narration: what can we do “these are international
problems” -the blame is shifted somewhere else to support exploitation of the
region by the powerful through compliant corrupt system. The argument is extended meticulously in scientific tone (which I translate
from original Malayalam, while I wonder whether these are random nutcase from social media, isn't there a deeper force working?) “as the temperature of Arabian sea increases, rate of cloud
formation increases, and these move to Kerala and are prevented by Western ghats and
hence lead to deluge and cloudbursts. Earth cannot absorb such surge of
rainwater hence it is released as flood hence landslide”. There is a condescending
tone, ‘this is not a new understanding, it is something we have learned in
school”, so we don’t fancy experts, it is akin to brahmand level ‘native
intelligence’ that some diseased dimwits flout to showcase
special entitlements. They also ridicule that those who are ‘pasting posters claiming destruction of western ghats as the reason for disasters must be referred to psychiatrists’,
such is the self-assuredness of their claim that is provided platform by legacy
media, and in the same breath they pontificate that the “reason for such high
fatalities is large number of uprooted trees crushing people!”. These are the people who want
others to be referred to psychiatrists! The audacity despite lack of intellect or
basic intelligence is characteristic feature of entitled, they also expertise
in playact humility. You will find such nutcases around you all the time and to
keep oneself immune to these in an overwhelmingly mediocrity thriving society
is an onerous task made difficult when legacy media elevates them. They satiate
their attention seeking desires at serious expense to society. And then to top
it all instead of sincerely focusing on comprehensive understanding on Gadgil
report including issue of demarcation of sensitive zones, forest fragmentation, converting to tea estates/resorts,
constructing activities (infact apart from wanton construction there are unauthorized
construction and illegal encroachments of fragile ecosystem, the region of
impact didn’t have much of quarrying hence nutcases are being activated and
platformed. Mining, rock quarrying and sand mining continues with policy makers diluting the law and even allowing illegal industry to thrive), conservation of endemic species, biodiversity conservation so on, so that people understand
importance of Western Ghats and fragile ecosystem and why we have a collective responsibility,
the media list these minor points (in the context of issue discussed thus an attempt to undermine, construct ridiculous in the template of school children homework) as recommended by Gadgil report (this while elaborating in
detail on climate change and how we cannot be held responsible): don’t allow GM crops
in Western ghats, stop use of plastic bags, don’t allow public property into
private, stop new encroachment (emphasis here is earlier forest-converted-land
can continue wantonly), river water pollution must be stopped, shift from
chemical to organic fertilizers, people with more than two cattle must be
helped to have biogas plants, promote solar energy, ban use of explosives to
catch fish, don’t allow new mining license (implication is old can continue in sensitive zones)…so
on. This is how they have diluted the report in the favour of those wantonly exploiting
western ghats. It is DIY, easy to understand, without wasting
your time template. Become a good citizen, and leave bigger matter to us. So what can we do except praying and upgrade fate, hence construct more
churches, temples and mosques etc. Keep the herd distracted and isolated from
reality with fun and frolic as news and entertainment, and when tragedy strikes
bring out riveting stories of suffering with intrusive videos and pictures, and
emphasis divine role of fate. Afterall what can we do when climate change is beyond
us? We are trained to salivate at blessedness when crude amazingly mediocre attention
seeking sundry buy latest fossil fuel guzzler luxury vehicle and is a news.
**When I was a kid one of the quiz
related questions was about largest selling newspaper in India, it actually
shocked everybody that this Malayalam newspaper from little state in south
India topped the list. And then teacher would ask ‘anyone from Kerala in the
class?”, and for a kid it was moment of pride, now increasingly clear misplaced, regrettable and sickening. It’s good that the readership and stranglehold of these
sinister legacy media is dropping and mostly confined to elder generation. Like
Kasturi&Sons they too can start investing in local kirana store rather than
playing high moral saviors. Except herd seeking career politicians and attention seeking parasites nobody takes
them seriously. Indeed, this degraded society has many media outlets oozing out of
putrid pits as diversity pus that infects readers into self-assured literate
incorrigible primitives.