PLEASE, HELP SPREAD THE WORD! THIS IS WHAT’S HAPPENING IN BRAZIL.
Protests against the increase of bus fare have been happening in various Brazilian cities for a week; in Brazil’s biggest city, São Paulo, four acts already happened and a fifth is planned for the next Monday. People have grown tired of wasting, occasionally, 40% of their low monthly salaries on bus, subway or train tickets, which are highly expensive, and unfairly so, given the precarious infrastructure and lack of quality in public transportation in most of the country’s metropolies. The alarming political corruption that’s been plaguing our country for nearly a decade is also a factor that led to the culmination of these protests.
I’ve been actively participating in these perfect examples of democratic manifestations since day one. Violent confrontation with the police happened within all acts. Protesters have been deemed by the media as the violent side at fault in most of them. When the fourth act rolled, though, the lies spread by the media crumbled like a house of cards. I, for the first time in my life, experienced what dictatorship feels like. We (over 20.000 protesters, plus journalists and innocent bystanders) were hunted, attacked, humiliated by the police, the whole time claiming for “NO VIOLENCE!” while they treated us like thugs and criminals. Over 200 protesters were arrested for no reason other than being there, exercising their democratic rights. I won’t describe every abuse against human rights I witnessed - I think the video speaks for itself.
The government is trying to suffocate these protests because of the visibility Brazil is going to receive within the next years, what with the World Cup and Olympics programmed to take place here. It’s in their interests to portray our country as a nice, fluid democracy to the rest of the world. DON’T BELIEVE IN THESE LIES. The events from yesterday (06/13/2013) shows us that they won’t refrain from attacking the population with totalitarian oppression, when our interests aren’t perfectly alligned to theirs.
Eu sei que palavras parecem inúteis em horas como essa, mas um dos poucos jeitos de tentar humildemente unir meus sentimentos ao sofrimento dos parentes das vítimas dessa tragédia de hoje é esse. É fácil, nessas horas, deixar o sofrimento te engolir. Mas quanto mais rejeição e negação das mortes que aconteceram houver, mais o sofrimento vai se enraizar na pessoa… Então, por mais que isso seja difícil, aceitem o que aconteceu hoje, respeitem suas próprias dores, deixem-na extravasar, e tenham total consciência que vocês NÃO ESTÃO SOZINHOS, nunca estarão, estamos todos aqui compartilhando a dor de vocês. Vocês não irão carregar esse fardo sozinhos. Eu rezo muito por uma transição fluída das almas das pessoas que morreram hoje, para que todas elas possam passar para esse outro plano em paz.
Over 130 people were killed by gunfire in my city (São Paulo) in the past TWO WEEKS. I just… da fuck? Seriously, living all my life in a metropolis of an underdeveloped country got me pretty used to violence, poverty and glaring social imbalances, but this is getting really fucking extreme even for me. There’s a legit civil war happening right now between the government and drug dealers. Innocent bystanders are getting hurt in the process. I’m actually becoming afraid of walking the same streets as regular cops because they are getting target. And killed. It’s just sad.
And we’re supposed to be hosting fucking World Cup in 2014 *crieslaughs*
In a world ruled by money and flashy appearances, with next to none essence, we still have pearls like this song. That speaks of simplicity, love and nature. It’s filled with cultural meaning since it reflects the typical folk music and way of life of the poor population from the regional parts of Brazil. Few songs make me break in tears as much as this one because I wish people would go back to this more natural state, where greed and blind competition don’t play such crucial roles in our lives. Where honouring, respecting, and loving nature is actually a thing that matters.
This is one of the most well-known folk songs in Brazil. I fully support them choosing it to play a part in the opening cerimonies of the Olympics; it would be a modest and unpretentious act on the outside, but a spectacle for the soul on the inside.
the lyrics, for those who are curious:
“Now I walk slowly because I was too fast
and I bear this smile because I cried too much
Today I feel stronger, happier, who knows
and I am only certain that I know too little, that
I know next to nothing.
Understanding the tricks and the mornings,
knowing the taste of the pastes and the apples,
it takes love to be able to beat,
it takes peace to be able to smile,
it takes rain to be able to bloom…
I believe that fulfilling life is simply
walking along the march, and keep carrying on
just like an old cowboy leading the herd,
and I’m taking what the days give me, as this long road goes on
I am the road.
Everybody loves, everybody cries
One day we arrive, and on the other we leave.
Each one of us writes our own personal story
and each human being carries the gift of being capable,
but seriously say what you want about brazil and our beaches and our samba and our soccer but seriously fuck you ‘cause our culture is fucking beautiful
I love our culture.
It’s a fusion of African, Amerindian and European cultures AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH ;-;
PLEASE, HELP SPREAD THE WORD! THIS IS WHAT’S HAPPENING IN BRAZIL.
Protests against the increase of bus fare have been happening in various Brazilian cities for a week; in Brazil’s biggest city, São Paulo, four acts already happened and a fifth is planned for the next Monday. People have grown tired of wasting, occasionally, 40% of their low monthly salaries on bus, subway or train tickets, which are highly expensive, and unfairly so, given the precarious infrastructure and lack of quality in public transportation in most of the country’s metropolies. The alarming political corruption that’s been plaguing our country for nearly a decade is also a factor that led to the culmination of these protests.
I’ve been actively participating in these perfect examples of democratic manifestations since day one. Violent confrontation with the police happened within all acts. Protesters have been deemed by the media as the violent side at fault in most of them. When the fourth act rolled, though, the lies spread by the media crumbled like a house of cards. I, for the first time in my life, experienced what dictatorship feels like. We (over 20.000 protesters, plus journalists and innocent bystanders) were hunted, attacked, humiliated by the police, the whole time claiming for “NO VIOLENCE!” while they treated us like thugs and criminals. Over 200 protesters were arrested for no reason other than being there, exercising their democratic rights. I won’t describe every abuse against human rights I witnessed - I think the video speaks for itself.
The government is trying to suffocate these protests because of the visibility Brazil is going to receive within the next years, what with the World Cup and Olympics programmed to take place here. It’s in their interests to portray our country as a nice, fluid democracy to the rest of the world. DON’T BELIEVE IN THESE LIES. The events from yesterday (06/13/2013) shows us that they won’t refrain from attacking the population with totalitarian oppression, when our interests aren’t perfectly alligned to theirs.
Eu sei que palavras parecem inúteis em horas como essa, mas um dos poucos jeitos de tentar humildemente unir meus sentimentos ao sofrimento dos parentes das vítimas dessa tragédia de hoje é esse. É fácil, nessas horas, deixar o sofrimento te engolir. Mas quanto mais rejeição e negação das mortes que aconteceram houver, mais o sofrimento vai se enraizar na pessoa… Então, por mais que isso seja difícil, aceitem o que aconteceu hoje, respeitem suas próprias dores, deixem-na extravasar, e tenham total consciência que vocês NÃO ESTÃO SOZINHOS, nunca estarão, estamos todos aqui compartilhando a dor de vocês. Vocês não irão carregar esse fardo sozinhos. Eu rezo muito por uma transição fluída das almas das pessoas que morreram hoje, para que todas elas possam passar para esse outro plano em paz.
Over 130 people were killed by gunfire in my city (São Paulo) in the past TWO WEEKS. I just… da fuck? Seriously, living all my life in a metropolis of an underdeveloped country got me pretty used to violence, poverty and glaring social imbalances, but this is getting really fucking extreme even for me. There’s a legit civil war happening right now between the government and drug dealers. Innocent bystanders are getting hurt in the process. I’m actually becoming afraid of walking the same streets as regular cops because they are getting target. And killed. It’s just sad.
And we’re supposed to be hosting fucking World Cup in 2014 *crieslaughs*
In a world ruled by money and flashy appearances, with next to none essence, we still have pearls like this song. That speaks of simplicity, love and nature. It’s filled with cultural meaning since it reflects the typical folk music and way of life of the poor population from the regional parts of Brazil. Few songs make me break in tears as much as this one because I wish people would go back to this more natural state, where greed and blind competition don’t play such crucial roles in our lives. Where honouring, respecting, and loving nature is actually a thing that matters.
This is one of the most well-known folk songs in Brazil. I fully support them choosing it to play a part in the opening cerimonies of the Olympics; it would be a modest and unpretentious act on the outside, but a spectacle for the soul on the inside.
the lyrics, for those who are curious:
“Now I walk slowly because I was too fast
and I bear this smile because I cried too much
Today I feel stronger, happier, who knows
and I am only certain that I know too little, that
I know next to nothing.
Understanding the tricks and the mornings,
knowing the taste of the pastes and the apples,
it takes love to be able to beat,
it takes peace to be able to smile,
it takes rain to be able to bloom…
I believe that fulfilling life is simply
walking along the march, and keep carrying on
just like an old cowboy leading the herd,
and I’m taking what the days give me, as this long road goes on
I am the road.
Everybody loves, everybody cries
One day we arrive, and on the other we leave.
Each one of us writes our own personal story
and each human being carries the gift of being capable,
but seriously say what you want about brazil and our beaches and our samba and our soccer but seriously fuck you ‘cause our culture is fucking beautiful
I love our culture.
It’s a fusion of African, Amerindian and European cultures AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH ;-;
7 notes
15.06.2013