What is really happening in Brazil?

Well, I feel it my duty since I have a vehicle such as this blog to communicate with people from all over the world that I should try and inform them what is REALLY happening around here in Brazil. To sum things up, the population has finally awaken from a slumber of complete desregard and ignorance and is finally doing something about it.

Because even though the government tries to put across to the world that this is a wonderful country full of opportunities to thrive and succeed, the awful truth is that it REALLY isn’t. It is very clear that the government is solemnly dedicated to keeping the people in this country as ignorant as ignorant can get. Because the truth is that they STEAL so much money that any person with a bit self awareness can see that there’s something wrong with our taxes. We pay taxes for almost absolutely EVERYTHING and surprisingly, unlike in other countries, we don’t see the money we pay being invested in the well being of the population. 

While the government invests massively in the World Cup and Olympics projects there are people DYING in EVERY state because of insufficient hospital structure. And I’m not talking about supplies, gloves and medicine, that too, but I’m talking about BEDS, there are no places for the sick to be treated in. They have to make do in the reception, emergency cases are treated with total lack of regard and people who are sick and go to the hospital for help sometimes quite literally DIE WAITING. Plus doctors are over worked and under payed, sometimes the emergency room of a hospital has only ONE doctor available, yes, ONE, with ambulances arriving by the second. And this is happening ALL over this gigantic country we call Brasil.

Education has really gone to the dogs. Teachers are told to approve everyone regardless of their performance, which results in people applying to go to university who CAN’T READ OR WRITE. YES! They want to show statistics, so they tell us, for instance, that 87% of the youngsters in Brasil are graduating High School and that 70% of them are getting into college. BUT these people graduating might as well have done absolutely NOTHING! Youngsters are not encouraged to study or read or to do any sort of activity that requires a bit more intellect usage. People in the US are outraged (quite rightly I must say) because the founding for the Arts in public schools is being diminished. Guys, THERE IS NO ‘ARTS IN SCHOOLS’ HERE, REALLY THERE ISN’T. I studied in a good private school and we did not have what you guys call extra credit in Arts, if you want to learn how to dance you have to go to a school of dancing, same with music and languages. I only got in touch with Art in the first place because I danced ballet ever since I was a little girl in a ballet school and because the language school I went to (unlike ANY OTHER SCHOOL IN THIS ENTIRE COUNTRY, at least that I know of) has the arts and culture as one of its founding pillars.

Now I ask you, is a country with this kind of deficiency in BASIC HEALTH and EDUCATION really apt to host this kind of event? Instead of investing in health and education the government prefers to invest in entertainment, it works like Panis et Circensis from ancient Rome, to distract the ever growing ignorant population and send out to the world the message that Brazil is awesome!

This is why the people have had enough of being made complete fools of, the fact that public transportation prices were raised 10% was the last drop. People are finally doing something about it and protesting in various cities all over Brazil every day. Tomorrow there’s going to be a big protest in São Paulo, where I live, that in its Facebook event page has almost 200.000 people who have confirmed that they will be there. And so, after having painted the picture of what it is to live in Brazil, I’ll talk about the protests.

The protests intention is to make some noise and make people listen, that’s why they stop traffic in the most agitated and important parts of town. Its objectives are NEVER to be violent, the REAL protesters do not use violence, yes, there are people who go to these things to solemnly destroy things and be violent. But these people do not represent us, they are simply idiots.

Plus, the action taken by the police in these protests has disgusted me enormously. They are quite literally attacking the protesters even as they all shout out in unison “NO VIOLENCE”. They throw bombs with hurtful gas in the big agglomerations of people, there was actually a case that they missed their target and the bomb hit a car’s window and entered the car where there were two people. The protesters noticed the people from inside the car didn’t get out as the gas spread itself inside so they smashed the windows and took the two passengers out themselves, since the police (who is there to protect us, hun?) was too busy beating up 20 year old female protesters 4 to 1. This sounds ludicrous, right? But I swear I’m not making this up, it happened just last week in the city where I live!

The police are also shooting rubber bullets as if they were playing video games. I’m totally against the use of these weapons, but I know that there are rules to using this weapon in public to “keep the order”. They must shoot from waist down, preferably at the feet, but as you might know that is not what’s happening. Protesters have affirmed that the policeman are aiming for the faces, if you don’t trust their word just look at the picture of the reporter who was hit in the eye by one of these bullets. They are also aiming peppers spray directly in people’s faces, specially their eyes.

Police violence is not exclusive for the protesters, people who work/live/are passing by the places near the protests are being treated like scum. And policeman are also throwing their “toys” and shooting at the press, professionals that even near real war zone locations are never the target.

Well I’m not going to say that’s basically it because there’s a lot more happening. I ask you guys to watch the video above, this guy explains the political situation that we live in that made us stand up and fight much better than me. Please share the video, share the post, post it on your Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, whatever, let’s let the whole world know what’s REALLY HAPPENING AROUND HERE IN BRAZIL. And as I always say at the end of my posts, PEACE! ALWAYS!