It's all so funny...
Brazil is lurching its way through its very own Watergate (Porta de Água?) right now. Eventually I'll try to post some kind of summary of the various scandals that have surrounded Lula and his party, but for now it should suffice to say that in the face of extremely strong competition Lula has established himself as the most corrupt president in Brazilian history. (It is only fair to point out that he may very well be the U. S. Grant of Brazilian history -- fairly honest, drunk, and completely innocent of any clue as to what his advisors are doing.)
As serious as educated Brazilians take the various scandals unfolding in their own country, the Cheney administration strikes them as some kind of joke. Brazilians were bewildered (and hurt) by the 2000 theft. Brazilians are angry about the invasion and occupation of Iraq. (Around the time of one of the various "handovers" or "transitions of power" in Iraq -- I think it was that first one, in June of 2004 -- a Brazilian daily had the headline "Partial Sovereignty is Like Partial Pregnancy".)
I wasn't in Brazil when the US invaded Iraq, but I imagine that up until the moment it began the Brazilian people were sure that it was a bluff, that the US would never do such a foolish thing. Despite five years of Bush-Cheney idiocy, they still retain a charming belief in the overall goodness of the US government and people. Most Brazilians have never seen a coup, but most of them have experienced the resulting government, so the 2000 theft didn't appear particularly strange to them. (The cynic in me wants to say that they admired our ability to take the coup so gracefully. Just like Cokie Roberts did.) The 2004 election did, however.
"How could you reelect him?" They kept asking me (and occasionally still do ask me). I tried to tell them about the media in the US, about how Americans feel isolated from the rest of the world and thus unconcerned about our image abroad, about how conservatives reject any information that does not confirm their belief system (and how in the absence of evidence to confirm their beliefs they will invent such evidence -- saying that every tax cut has resulted in increased tax revenue, for example).
These are things that politically aware Americans undestand, and in some cases have assimilated so well that they seem normal. Of course Uncle Norm doesn't believe that the Abu Ghraib photos will affect world opinion of the US occupation of Iraq. Of course Bob at the office thinks DeLay is the victim of a witch hunt (while Clinton represented a genuine threat to the survival of American democracy). For most of us who are aware, there was a moment when the scales fell from our eyes (I thought the Clinton investigations were valid for a few years), but we all know, and we understand how the system works. But the Brazilians have no idea, and how can you explain all of this? They have enough trouble understanding the electoral college. I can't suggest that they read atrios or bartcop -- they won't understand the references to American political institutions, even if they can understand the English.
So when I read something like this or this, and I agree, I can't express that to my Brazilian friends. Despite the invasion of Iraq, until the bombs actually start dropping on Tehran, the whole idea of another invasion will be a joke. Just like everything relating to Halliburton, Diebold, Jack Abramoff, and so on. They think it's funny that they can describe Lula as "Bush minus the war." I wish I thought it were funny, too.
As serious as educated Brazilians take the various scandals unfolding in their own country, the Cheney administration strikes them as some kind of joke. Brazilians were bewildered (and hurt) by the 2000 theft. Brazilians are angry about the invasion and occupation of Iraq. (Around the time of one of the various "handovers" or "transitions of power" in Iraq -- I think it was that first one, in June of 2004 -- a Brazilian daily had the headline "Partial Sovereignty is Like Partial Pregnancy".)
I wasn't in Brazil when the US invaded Iraq, but I imagine that up until the moment it began the Brazilian people were sure that it was a bluff, that the US would never do such a foolish thing. Despite five years of Bush-Cheney idiocy, they still retain a charming belief in the overall goodness of the US government and people. Most Brazilians have never seen a coup, but most of them have experienced the resulting government, so the 2000 theft didn't appear particularly strange to them. (The cynic in me wants to say that they admired our ability to take the coup so gracefully. Just like Cokie Roberts did.) The 2004 election did, however.
"How could you reelect him?" They kept asking me (and occasionally still do ask me). I tried to tell them about the media in the US, about how Americans feel isolated from the rest of the world and thus unconcerned about our image abroad, about how conservatives reject any information that does not confirm their belief system (and how in the absence of evidence to confirm their beliefs they will invent such evidence -- saying that every tax cut has resulted in increased tax revenue, for example).
These are things that politically aware Americans undestand, and in some cases have assimilated so well that they seem normal. Of course Uncle Norm doesn't believe that the Abu Ghraib photos will affect world opinion of the US occupation of Iraq. Of course Bob at the office thinks DeLay is the victim of a witch hunt (while Clinton represented a genuine threat to the survival of American democracy). For most of us who are aware, there was a moment when the scales fell from our eyes (I thought the Clinton investigations were valid for a few years), but we all know, and we understand how the system works. But the Brazilians have no idea, and how can you explain all of this? They have enough trouble understanding the electoral college. I can't suggest that they read atrios or bartcop -- they won't understand the references to American political institutions, even if they can understand the English.
So when I read something like this or this, and I agree, I can't express that to my Brazilian friends. Despite the invasion of Iraq, until the bombs actually start dropping on Tehran, the whole idea of another invasion will be a joke. Just like everything relating to Halliburton, Diebold, Jack Abramoff, and so on. They think it's funny that they can describe Lula as "Bush minus the war." I wish I thought it were funny, too.
posted by Venha Futuro at 1:15 PM
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