Brazil has never been so divided as it is now. There has never been so much anger on the streets and virtually on social media before (at least since I am here in this world). This time the anger is not against a cause, our continued corrupt politics or a new law. The hate is against each other, people against people, friends against friends, and relatives against relatives. Facebook has become the war scenario to dump insults and dishonour, indiscriminately, anything that seems to be not in line with black or white, depending on the side you stand in.
I have a very clear opinion about the current “leadership” in Brazil, but I am not here to express political beliefs or critics, but to share how the behaviour of our people has changed. In 2014, this was the theme of my thesis, analysing a series of protests taking over the country led by the deception with our “fathers”, with how our country has been managed, explored, deceived, raped. Not lately, but always. The disillusion result is historically proven, it led nations to bloody wars, and it drove Brazil to a dramatic change. Expected.
But what is shocking comes later, along with the change: a specie of blind fanaticism. I will never be able to understand how a black person can support a racist, how women can endorse a misogynistic or financially disadvantaged people can approve someone who clearly diminishes the poor. Actually, how any decent person could agree with that. However these behaviours not only have been happening as they are making people to turn their back to each other, not only to strangers, but to people who they used to share a life with.
Sitting on opposite sides of the couch, with mobiles in hand, the war kicks off. Most of the time, based on shallow information, on pushing poor knowledge forward, with closed ears and eyes but an ignorant mouth that is willing to go as far as it is needed to have the last word. There is no analytical eye, no space for nourishing, and the worst of all: no respect. I am a big supporter of discussions, of sharing opinions and working on facts to grow into different conclusions. But this is not what is happening in Brazil. Unfortunately.
The hit in 2020 proves that. While the world was piling up bodies due to COVID-19, our people were discussing if this was real, fake news, Chinese coup or a story from the left-wing. When first deaths were registered, Brazilian ignored, and kept pushing poor information forward, dumping insults against anyone who would dare to point a mismanagement from our “leadership”. No, the lost lives were not on the agenda, but left out on purpose. Because if they were in, there would not be any counterargument capable of surviving.
What did happen to our empathy? What did happen to our love for each other, to our respect for life, to our understanding and willingness to help our people? Why we are raising fingers to find who to blame instead of giving hands to help who is in need? Brazilians were well-known for caring, warmth and sympathy. The way we are dealing with this crisis is unrecognisable.
This post has no intention to offend or attack, but to call for a more sensitive and human behaviour being one people, belonging to one nation.
