The front page edit "A blow for the youth" that was published in GT on 11 / 09 / 2009 was more of a terrorist attack on Goan society. Even the devil can quote the scriptures. This edit reflecta the extent of mental and spiritual deterioration that is setting in. It was something we had dreaded would one day manifest itself in Goan society. Are we claiming that our prophecy has come true? Definitely not. This is only a cause for alert as we have to maintain our sobriety among the growing ranks of boot-leggers, pimps and prostitutes emerging within our opinion makers. Going purely by the contents of the edit and leaving aside the ulterior motives, if any, this edit must be a cause for concern for every sober Goan as it reflects the extent of degeneration of the intellectual and emotional state of so called enlightened citizens in society. Our intelligensia has been rendered bankrupt. We have lost the ability to think beyond the boundaries of commerce and industry. When the mind collapses, it will not take much time for the body condition to also deteriorate rapidly. The arguments put forth to justify and rationalise the operation of casinos in the State only bring to mind a striking similarity to arguments presented by drug and alcohol promoters and abusers talking about the need for legalising social uses of certain chemical substances. We have fortunately had the God given opportunity to witness addiction and its mind games from close quarters. Those familiar with the disease of addiction will perhaps agree that addictive thought patterns remain the same while the substance or medium of abuse may differ. There is enough research done to prove that gambling is a vice and more than often develops into chronic addiction. History presents us with what the ill-effects of such vices has done to civilisations. It is said that "Experience is the best teacher." Yet do we need any further proof? Mahatma Gandhi had said, " only those women who have drunkards as their husbands know what havoc the drink devil works in homes that once were orderly and peace-giving." We are not at all surprised that Goan opinion makers and shapers who enjoyed total tolerance to alcohol abuse have now turned tolerant to gambling. If the argument about jobs holds true for casinos then why not for the 3000 strong sex-workers and thousands of others from Baina who were deprived of earning their livelihood some years ago? Did the author of this edit take up that issue of Baina so passionately as the so called righteous goans cheered, just as he now proclaims his support to so claimed 2500 strong youth employed in gambling dens which is nothing but sugar coated as 'casinos' in order to give it some shine and sophistication in comparison to the poor man's crude game called 'matka'. There are thousands of hungry stomachs earning from supplying logistics and weapons of destruction to terrorists and criminals, supplying adultrated food, producing fake currency, selling banned substances and so on, so is all this normal and fine? Those who warn about the ill effects of certain activities get dubbed by this edit as hypocrites, moralists and sanyasis? What are we trying to state? That we should not pass down to our youth the values and experiences, the fact that playing with fire has the likelihood of causing grievous burns? And suppose the casinos had not set shop in Goa and drug trade was impossible would these very youth not have found more decent employment in other avenues? Fortunately Goa is so tiny and let not this edit try to tell us the people who had gathered at Azad maidan are employees of casinos. Let it not tell us that no politicians and ministers were behind this rally. Let it also not tell us that even government servants, goons and anti-social elements from the constituency adjoining Panjim have not participated in this rally. Let it not tell us that we cannot distinguish between employees of casinos and trainees from training institutes. Let it not tell us that we cannot distinguish a Goan from a migrant. Let it not tell us that by and large it is mostly Goan youth that are employed in casinos. Let it also not tell us that the entire industry does not revolve around crime and ultimately destroys its victims and their families both socially and mentally. Let this edit not tell us that the ill-effects of this game is limited to the precincts of the casinos, on-shore or off-shore, and does not spill over into families and society. Let it not tell us that our youth exposed to such hostile environments are not being rendered vulnerable to be hired for criminal behaviour. Let it not tell us that stories of people who have suffered by gambling in casinos are not held back from publishing. The edit challenges persons who are clean to throw the first stone but in the process of taking a moral high ground has forgotten that this edit itself has taken to throwing stones at others. This edit was more than just an opinion. It resorted to mockery, name calling, labelling, and more then everything has miserably failed to show how gambling is a socially, intellectually and spiritually productive entertainment/game for Goan society. It is a sad day for us as Goans because finally we have been reduced to a state where the learned citizens cannot distinguish between shades of black and white. Let not those starving Goans compelled to earn their bread and butter from publication houses set up by industrialists for brain washing and distorting 'Truth' , think that all others are a bunch of morons. We hope this edit was not written after some one had the misfortune of slipping on a banana skin and landing in Peter's bar next door. It at least appears so.
-soter
