To die as we know

About a week ago, my native city of Bucharest was shocked by a powerful explosion in an apartment block in one of the poorer neighborhoods that resulted with three dead and fifteen in critical conditions. According to the news, residents had been complaining about a strong gas odor all through the night and even,as I understand it, called the respective authorities. Nobody listened, and, well,

Terrifying, heartbreaking stuff that's left the entire city feeling a little panicked. So naturally, what did that mean but everyone suddenly smelling gas everywhere? It's natural. In the face of something terrible, we become a little over-cautious, but what's happening now in Bucharest borders on insanity.

When I heard @ladyrebecca's building had shut off the gas supply for a week (seriously difficult stuff, especially given Romania's dubious understanding of indoor heating), I thought fair enough someone panicked. And of course, who do you call but the very gas company that is largely considered responsible for the above tragedy?

Terrific stuff - even though heads should be rolling en masse, they're suddenly seeing more business than ever. What an interesting coincidence. Still, I was willing to give the benefit of a doubt.

When I discovered my own building was without gas, I was suddenly much less understanding. By the time I heard my friend's building (all three within 500m of each other) was also in the same condition, I'd given up on coincidences.

Especially considering that these two responsible companies are charging a bunch of money off of every building they now "inspect". Funny, if these people had done what they were initially supposed to do, there would now be loads more empty heads in the critical ward.

It's a never-ending source of fascination for me, the way people will rush back to the same damn powers that be that have no trouble sacrificing them for convenience, that allow people to die to see so-and-so's pocket a litle heavier. We carry inside us this disturbing daddy-complex, expecting the psychopathic murderers that are usually in charge to want "what's best for us".

Of course, there was some fragmented talk at the time of the explosion about people in high power losing their job, people who would've been in some way tied to the faulty regulations and permissions that saw this tragedy happen. People like Raed Arafat, Romania's Secretary of State (and the treacherous, malevolent bastard that ran the entire Covid fiasco in our country), or Cristian Piedone (currently in charge of Consumer Protection, with ties currently to all the power players and companies "ensuring" the base necessities for Bucharest life).

While Piedone briefly served jail time, Arafat never once wavered from power, over the horrific tragedy of Colectiv, whose ten year anniversary is coming up next week. There, also, people died over falsely given authorizations and certifications.

I was talking to my friend, sharing with her my suspicion that this tragic explosion does not sound like a coincidence to me, and may have been, in my opinion, manufactured. After all, terror fucking sells.

My friend insisted she would rather not believe someone would be capable of such heinous acts in the name of profit. And if it were simply a matter of 'would', neither would I. Except, contrary to popular misconception, refusing to say the monster's name does not actually lead to it ceasing to exist. Not only do monsters go on living, but they also often thrive while good, ordinary people refuse to look at them.

Alas, there's only one way to approach monsters, as my beloved Lemmy so aptly put it,

Watch out for the monsters in the alleys of the night
They're always hungry look 'em in the eye
They're looking at your daughters, they've seen the flying saucers
You have to tell them victory or die

I come back to this lyric often. Look them in the eye. Always. As often as you can. Don't behave as a frightened child, because they pick off the frightened children and the lonely elderly first.

Is it an exaggeration to expect they'd kill you and I for the sake of profit? Why? Because otherwise they seem so invested in our general welfare? I've warned often against this misassumption that the powers that be want what's best for you. While your mummy and your partner might, strangers who have lied, manipulated, and weaseled their way into power and wealth very probably do not, and you're doing yourself and your children a grave disservice assuming otherwise.

Was the tragedy in my home country an accident or a plant? I guess we'll never know. Sometimes, one just has the presence of spirit to take advantage of trending tragedies. It may well be the case here. But given that these people have given us no reasons to trust them, I would strongly encourage a more suspicious, inquisitive attitude.

After all, if your company was responsible for a recent tragedy, and you were, despite all, a bunch of good guys wanting to make sure everyone is fine and dandy, wouldn't it make sense for the government to cover all these super-safety check-ups?

The title is ripped from one of my favorite songs. I remember hearing it live a month or so after the terrible Colectiv tragedy, where several young people were carbonized in a massive nightclub fire, which could have been easily avoided were it not for the endemic corruption and greed in my country. The lyric "let us die as we know best" brings tears to my eyes to this day. What a fucking waste of life, to line the pockets of greedy corporations and politician scum.