Wordsley, Stourbridge, England: 2 degrees, very cold, but sunny.
It is Monday, and Carnival is going at full swing in Brazil. I have talked to Nalva and Yamin, and they are staying quiet at home. Public safety is a significant issue in Brazil at present and has worsened significantly under Lula’s administration.
This morning, I got up later than usual, did some exercise, and prepared to go out. My idea was to stay locally, visit the precinct in the middle of the village, and have a coffee at my two favourite cafes, then work from home for the rest of the day.
Even though it is Carnival in Brazil and everything is closed, and nobody wants classes, I’m using this time to prepare for the new year post-Carnival. I have a lot of plans for the year, some are undefined, and others are not. As always in life, there is a ‘winging it’ factor where improvisation, talent, hard work, and humility take effect when needed.
I have been feeling a bit stressed about my mother’s concerns regarding my return to Brazil. I had told her various times that I would like to stay in England for some time, as there is no rush to return to a country that is upside down and in a mess at the moment. Brazil, now, appears to be more of a regime, and it’s assumed to be a socialist or almost communist regime, which is creating a factor of cognitive dissonance in everything.
The government tells us that we’re in a democracy and that elections are important because the people choose their leaders, but it’s evident that this is not the case.
Key individuals such as journalists, politicians, and influencers are being hounded, persecuted and even jailed or exiled. It is only the tip of the iceberg of what is to come. It is only going to get worse before it gets better, and it will be a rough ride for a long time before we can truly see the light of hope and live in peace.
Why would I want to go back to a country in turmoil and self-destruction???
I, Richard, for the last 30 years or so, have battled, fought, and eaten a lot of shit to survive and guarantee the minimum possible for my family in Brazil, most specifically my daughters. A foreigner living in a country like Brazil is not easy; there is a lot of prejudice that you cannot imagine, and it is not like England, where, because of ‘political correctness’, foreigners sometimes receive more benefits than native English people.
In Brazil, as soon as you step off the ship or the plane, you are on your own and if you are not switched on and in survival mode, you are fucked. Brazilians often think that being a foreigner or a gringo in Brazil is easy, especially for a man, due to his heavy gringo accent, which some Brazilian women find attractive, thinking that he has a lot of money and is also a soft touch, embodying the Cinderella and Prince Charming syndrome.
Indeed, many women like that exist in every country, but meeting a kind woman or a person of distinction—someone educated, without an air of superiority, arrogance, or prejudice —is becoming increasingly difficult nowadays.
There are several reasons for this; the sense of superiority in the civil service and the salary pay gap play a significant role. Politicians have political immunity, which even if they are corrupt and steal, and damage the country and people’s lives, makes them untouchable and above the rest. It is difficult for them to be tried and sentenced, leading to a completely impunitive society for the rich, powerful and fortunate.
For some, the haves have, and most of the have-nots have very little.
What makes me livid is the hypocrisy of Brazil marketing itself as a mixed multiracial society with equal opportunities for all, and it is not true, especially if you include the factor of the colour of your skin. I’m not talking about being a privileged white person or condemning a black person, which I don’t believe. Your skin colour can influence your life, but ultimately, you have choices, you make them, you make your bed, and then you have to lie on it, either for the better or for the worse.
We are what we decide to be, and we are accountable for our choices, and nobody else!
I know that it is much more complex than what I am trying to make it out to be, and I also realise that many of the issues I complain about in Brazil are also present in England and other countries around the world. It seems that politics, and especially socialism in one country, is more or less the same in most other countries in the world, and that is the need, the desire, and the thirst for power and control, rather than the welfare of the people they so much market.
I love Brazil, but it’s perversity to do wrong, and to be so unfair to good people is sometimes too much for me. At a time when most countries are trying to cut government expenditure, Brazil, under Lula, wants to increase it for those in power and the ‘Haves’.
How FUCKED UP is that? How stupid is that?
You can’t get more stupid than that. We know that many weak economic plans and benefits are merely used to buy votes and control the people. However, due to this government’s megalomaniac outlook and its deep-seated desire to control, who ultimately pays, are its people? And that is very sad!
In the evening, I spoke with my mother about when I would like to return to Brazil. I explained my logic and reasons to her, and I think she understood. I plan to return in May, which will give me enough time to prepare beforehand, hopefully.
In bed by 11:00 p.m.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Richard
