AROUND THE 'ROLEZINHOS'
WHICH TOOK PLACE EARLY THIS YEAR, THERE WAS A DEBATE AS TO WHETHER BRAZIL IS AN 'APARTHEID' SOCIETY.
I THINK THAT’S THE WRONG WORD, AS THERE IS NO STATE SANCTION FOR THE DIVISIONS.
ANOTHER FRIEND SUGGESTED WE MAY HAVE A “CASTE” SYSTEM, WHICH I THINK IS CLOSER
TO BEING ACCURATE. IT IS AT LEAST ACCURATE INSOFAR THAT THE FOLLOWING
STATEMENT IS ACCURATE: FOR A DAUGHTER OR SON OF THE ‘MIDDLE CLASS,’ THE IDEA OF SHOWING UP AT SUNDAY FAMILY LUNCH AND
INTRODUCING A MEMBER OF THE WORKING CLASS AS BOYFRIEND OR GIRLFRIEND IS
BASICALLY UNHEARD OF. INDEED, I’VE MET PEOPLE FROM BOTH CLASSES WHO ADMIT
THEY’VE NEVER HAD A REAL, SUBSTANTIVE CONVERSATION WITH A MEMBER OF THE OTHER
CLASS.
Vincent Bevins
Brazil’s
brutal inequality is so ubiquitous that those who live here simply stop noticing
it. An unexpected message from abroad serves as a reminder of the topic
that is so rarely discussed here, in society, the media, or the current
election.
I’ve been
living in Brazil for over four years now, which has been incredible in
almost every way, including the ways in which I’ve adapted to the local
culture. But there’s the bits I don’t like, too. More than anything else,
I hate the way I’ve become desensitized to shocking, brutal, and
stultifying levels of inequality. I’ve become accustomed to it, as if it were
or ever should be normal.
This, most
foreigners in Brazil learn quickly enough, is actually one of the required
characteristics of being authentically “Brazilian.” True locals understand
that extreme inequality is just a fact of life here, and it is bad taste to
bring it up or transgress established class boundaries, so much so that an
extreme preoccupation with the topic, or wanting to get to know Brazil outside
elite circles, are sometimes considered “gringo” things to do. The more I
find myself becoming “local” in this sense (and in this sense only),
the more uncomfortable I become.
(...)
Para continuar a leitura, acesse http://frombrazil.blogfolha.uol.com.br/2014/08/11/the-worst-thing-about-brazil/
Vincent Bevins – 11.08.2014
IN Blog From Brazil.
