Typhoon signal

The weatherman, true to his name, controls the weather. He conjures natural disasters, like tornados and typhoons, and then tells them where to go. Right?

That’s what some Americans believe right now, helped in large part by their wonderful politicians. In the wake of category-5 Hurricane Milton, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, primary devotee of Jewish space lasers, has accused meteorologists of creating the weather calamities, and anyone who dares disagree is “ridiculous” and a liar. Former Trump adviser Michael Flynn is sharing videos with the same message.

These politicians, plus TikTok and other social media influencers with questionable scientific backgrounds, have been pushing bizarre theories down the throat of consumers who, surprisingly, have gone down the path of non-resistance. This new “fact” has gotten so deep into their belief system that these regular Joes are now assaulting American meteorologists on social media for, supposedly, unleashing the strong typhoons that have hit Florida. Death threats, conspiracy theories and violent rhetoric have rained upon the weather specialists.

How did we end up in this scenario? The age of information hasn’t helped the flow of information and created more knowledgeable citizenry --instead, it has churned out disinformation and created people that are even more difficult to teach than blank slates because some other fool notion has gotten ahead and rooted deep into their system.

Earlier in this computer age, we were promised, with the proliferation of computers and better technology, the dividends of a more educated populace. Instead, these super gadgets and creative tools have spawned super idiots. And super bad people.

Get this. A news story reporting on this weather sorcerer phenomenon in America was published with this paragraph included: “Although humans can worsen hurricanes by burning fossil fuels, creating a hotter ocean and atmosphere that gives hurricanes more energy, they cannot create, control or steer individual storms.” (The Guardian, 11 October 2024, “It’s mind blowing: US meteorologists face death threats as hurricane conspiracies surge.”)

Really? You need to tell us this?

Imagine that. The newspaper had to lay down an established fact and make sure to include it as part of the news story just to make sure its readers are equipped with the right information. Didn’t want them leaving without being fed some basic education on what modern mankind can and cannot do, you know.

I normally attribute this lack of basic knowledge in regular folk to an unfortunate failure in the provision of education. Someone didn’t come to Science class that day. Or more probably, the politicians gobbled up the budget for science teachers. And we end up with gullible citizenry that swallow whole conspiracies for breakfast.

But is there another explanation? How are the influencers so persuasive? So…influential? Much like religious leaders who can command their flock to show up at the Central Bank to claim their cash gift (in Manila!) or at their Davao compound to grapple with police officers and interfere with their impending arrest, influencers and socmed personalities similarly invade the brains of their followers.

They easily inject ideas that are then internalized and acted upon. Much like Trump who was able to persuade his followers to take up arms and “fight like hell”, these influencers not merely persuade, but actually dictate, the course of action taken by their poor captive audience.

Isn’t that scary? Scientists need to dive deep into the wiring of the human brain, and figure out how common sense and critical thinking seem to be disappearing. Is it due to the shortened attention span inherent in kids who grew up with gadgets? Or perhaps, it’s the natural evolution of millennials who were fed with cancer-causing antibiotic-pumped protein? A newly-developed brain pathway created by too much exposure to glowing screens, where idea infusion is accelerated? Dopamine mixed with oxytocin and endorphins when our crush celebrity endorsers hawk a new product?

If a celebrity sashays into your feed and tells you she’s looking this good because she’s casually toting the luxury bag that costs the equivalent of your small condo that you have to sell right now --that, or mortgage your kidney, and you sprint to the shop to get one this very minute-- isn’t that alarming behavior for scientists to ponder on?

Because it might be the same behavior seen in mammals who believed that Thor was the god who controlled lightning strikes, except Thor is now a meteorologist wearing spectacles and a white coat stuck in some lab. And Thor must be killed.

What is the world coming to? This is so stressful. I must put on those healing crystals that align my chakra and chant to the gods to dispel the looming clouds of idiocy.