re: #170 wheat-dogghazi

People in China are hopping mad at Malaysia now, claiming that Malaysians have been covering up the disappearance of the plane, or fouling up the investigation, or just plain lying about it all. There were about 150 Chinese on the plane, so you can imagine the emotional impact. But, as a bystander, I don’t understand the sheer rage involved, as if Malaysia itself was responsible for the plane disappearing.

The delay in reporting the satellite data set this rage-gasm off. People believe that there might have been a chance of rescuing survivors if the search-and-rescue teams had been looking in the right place. But I’m pretty sure there was not a chance of surviving a plunge into the ocean. Even if they survived the crash, the weather conditions and ocean currents would have doomed them within days.

The families of the victims (and I’m going to call them victims since they are nearly certainly deceased as a result of a crash into a very hostile environment - the Indian Ocean) are focusing on those who are providing information. That’s why they’re attacking the Malaysian govt, even though it wasn’t their plane. Information has been lacking at any number of steps along the way, and there’s been plenty of conflicting information too. Can’t blame all of it on the Malaysian government, or even on the airline. But people want closure, so they’ll take it out on whoever is the public face.

Right now, that’s the government of Malaysia. That’ll shift to others in coming days and weeks. Heck, there’s a US law firm circulating plans to sue Malaysian Airlines and Boeing, claiming it was a defect or mechanical problem.