Final Cultural Blog Post

Who is Brazil?

Brazil is a nation of passionate people. People love to interact, to think, and to feel. Your average Brazilian is a very warm and friendly individual who leisurely enjoys their life. This is a stark contrast compared to the US.  Your average person in the US is just another cold person trapped in one rat race or another, mindlessly pursuing some goal that they think will make them happy or bring them closer to where they want to be. Unlike your average Brazilian who takes their time to take in what’s around them, the average American fails to do so.

São Paulo might a bit of an exception to this generalization, but Brazil as a whole lives a slower paced life compared to the US. They take their time going about their daily lives, and they ask themselves questions like, “Where do I want to go today?”, whereas the average American asks , “okay, if I have this meeting at 1 and then another thing at 3, what can I do to make sure I can get to everything?”.I think this really represents the American mindset. The US wants to try and do everything as fast as possible, and everything is rushed. Enjoying experiences is rather a chore of getting things done, and mentally pre planning future logistics of when and how to get to the next thing. I don’t think it is the best way to go through life because it means that people fail to stop and appreciate what they are doing and what is around them. In my month here in São Paulo, I have come to learn that your average Brazilian is not rushing to the next place as soon as possible, and that they aren’t trying to eat their sit down meal in less than an hour. No, rather these people take their time. The average Brazilian enjoys their meal, goes for a walk, and lives a more content life.

Because your average Brazilian is happier with what they have, there is a different in everyday interaction. When you go to a restaurant and try to order food, you don’t see waiters like in the US where you can tell they are just trying to appease you in order earn the biggest tip possible. If not that then there are waiters that are completely disinterested in what they are doing. In Brazil however, you are greeted by friendly people who love what they do, and they are happy to see you. Maybe these people don’t have all the speed and affluence that comes with a place like the US, but they carry a very paramount quality and disposition to them. These people are people that know how to enjoy life. These people slow down and are able to think about who they really are. While Brazilians enjoy their job for the most part, they work to live, and not live to work.

These people’s passions and emotions is not just demonstrated in their demeanor, but also how they conduct themselves. The Brazilian people make their food with care, with handmade quality, temporarily transporting you to a home cooked meal from a Brazilian cozinha.. Food is appreciated as a cultural enjoyment, and not just sustenance to  get you through the day.

The Brazilian people are also passionate not just in the interactions that I have experienced,but with each other as well. Men and women kiss each other on the cheek. Men aren’t afraid to hug each other. Public displays of affection and touching are ubiquitous in Brazil, and something rather interesting spawns from it;. A society where people are comfortable with each other. The average person on the street likes their neighbor. his passion and  happiness and trust can be extended in a restaurant as well.

In the US, where you have to pay immediately for what you order, for where if you are one cent short the cashier will glare at you, isn’t the case here in Brazil. You can just go to pay for something at a counter, you can tell them what you ordered, and they will trust you. If you are short a bit, it will be okay. This laissez-faire attitude is something that seems to extend to almost all of Brazil. People want to be happy and carefree, and it is very invigorating coming from fast city life in Boston to a more relaxed Brazil.With any place however, things are never as rosy as it seems. While Brazil might seem like a tranquil paradise as I have described it, it is certainly not that.

Relaxation breeds people stepping outside their bounds. It leads to a lot of mistrust on the streets. People are not on their phones while walking down the street, nor can you hand your phone to someone to take a picture for you because it would likely get stolen. At the same time though, it permits people to be in touch with society and with themselves, and not rushing to the next thing as fast as possible. You could say the same thing with cars. Drivers do not respect pedestrians in Brazil. Even though there are signs everywhere that says that pedestrians have the right of way, cars will drive within millimeters of you before stopping. Cars are the exception in the sense that drivers are trying to get to their destination as quickly as possible. However, the hasty drivers leaves Brazilians more aware and in touch with their surroundings.

Brazil is very much in the midst of change. There are older generations who more closely follow the relaxed Brazilian lifestyle, and then there are millennials, who are largely addicted to their phones. However, in the midst of everything you don’t see everyone staring at their phones like you would in the US. Every day however, this number increases as Brazil starts to mobilize, not only in terms of phone usage, but in terms of daily life. People will start to become less aware. People are going to start adapting the US model of life where they are running to the next thing and not appreciating what is happening to them around them right now.

There is one very potent aspect about the new generation in Brazil , and that it is out with the old and in with the new in terms of a change of lifestyle. This is largely a function of age. This can be observed in things like transportation. The old Brazilian mindset is having a car. A car is the ultimate goal. A car gives you freedom. However, the new Brazil recognizes a car as not full beneficence.. They recognize it as a possible burden that must be maintained and cared for, and that owning one can  more trouble than what it is worth. With this you can see an increase in public transportation and other alternative transportation services like UBER. One could argue that this is better because you are no longer trapped by owning a car. You can see the same thing with an uptake in bike lanes as well. However, these new ideas still cling to the fundamental Brazilian relaxed way of life. These things are so that you can be more free to relax.  The fundamental goal to relax as a Brazilian remains consistent across generations.

So let me answer you this. Brazil is a an incongruous country, where for every item that increases busyness and seemingly detracts from relaxation and life appreciation, it in turn represents an alternative pursuit, where this pursuit is congruous with the beliefs and goals of the new generation. Brazil will continue to be a back and forth play between busyness and relaxation, with an ever dynamic shift of modality. The same thing holds true with the passion of the Brazilian people. In a life where people seem less passionate and more with in a cyber world, you can observe the converse where these people are able to plan hanging out and meeting with each other even more effortlessly. Brazilian passion and warmness hasn’t gone away, but it has shifted to a new form of  communication, one  made for  the passion between people easier to conceive.

Cultural Blog Post 4

Regions of São Paulo

Brazil is a divided country. A country where people do not see each other as equals. This is represented in one of the songs that we learned about where it talks about the regions in Brazil. This song is written from the perspective of someone living in the north, which traditionally is a poorer and agriculture based area. When they sing about the regions of Brazil however, they do not sing about the regions in the south. In a way Northern Brazil does not recognize the south as part of Brazil, partially for such a large difference in culture but also for another key belief that the south has about the North.

The south of Brazil does not want anything to do with the rest of Brazil. The south has always been more industrial and as a result, there is a higher GDP and your average Brasileiro from the south is significantly richer than that of the north. The south of Brazil believes that it would be better off without the North, and that the north is holding them back economically.

I think that this belief can be similarly attributed to the film A Que Horas Ela Volta?. The film shows that although the wealthy family living in Morumbi in Sao Paulo is associated with their housemaid and her daughter, they don’t really want anything to do with her. They view her as someone of a poorer background and as someone who is an outsider to them.

A similar divide can be observed racially. We had learned about the ratios of ethnicity in different regions in Brazil. Many of the regions in Northern Brazil have a majority of inhabitants that identify as not white (Brown or Black). In the south however, the majority of people identify as white. I have observed a similar thing as well from class as well as in the films that we have watched. If a family has some sort of housemaid, typically the family will be white, and the housemaid will be of brown or black complexion. I think that the continuous stereotypes further propagate the divide that exists between the north and the south, between the black and the white.

I believe that this divide which is so deeply ingrained in the mind of most Brazilians will start to change however. I think that the construction of a city like Brasilia is an example of the change that is to come. While Brasilia isn’t exactly part of Northern Brazil, its values definitely would lean more towards values from Northern Brazil than a state like Parana would. The interesting thing is however, is that Brasilia is a city that is industrious, while also in the north (relatively) as well. This is an example of a contradiction that has existed between the north and the south of Brazil so long. It shows that Northern Brazil can be industrious as well, and this tenant can be extrapolated to the economic divide in Brazil as well.

Jessica in the film A Que Horas Ela Volta is that Brasilia, that contradiction. She might not have brought up with the most money, but her attitude shows a breaking of the barriers that have existed between the rich and poor for generations. It shows that this divide doesn’t have to exist. It shows that “Mixing makes us whiter”, meaning that the more that the regions of Brazil mix as well as their people, everything will move to one balanced melting pot, with barriers broken down, and further extinguishing the cultural, racial, and economic divide that separates Brazil.

Assignment 6

Secretary of Energy of São Paulo

Today we went to see the Secretary of Energy for the State of São Paulo.

Hearing what that had to say definitely gave me hope.  As I have learned more and more about the extreme barriers that need to be overcome in order to actually run on nearly renewable energy sources. I think that São Paulo and Brazil as a whole really is setting an example of what is really possible, so that we can stop degrading our environment not only in a way that hurts our wildlife, but basically running a clock that will eventually stop.

That clock is for traditional energy sources as well as all the people involved in harvesting them. When that clock stops, there will be many people without work. By moving to renewable energy, we can create new jobs for many people as well give our environment a break.

Seeing the numbers that Brazil was starting to get close to 50% for operating on renewable energy and seeing that the state of São Paulo was already at 60% was really staggering. I was very surprised that there was actually a place that has made this much progress in terms of adapting renewable energy and kicking the habit of fossil fuels.

One of the questions that I had asked to the Secretary was the status of the mindset for your average Paulistano for renewable energy. If there is one thing that I have learned about adapting renewable energy it is that a whole other element of is changing the way of the people to see the merit of something new, because as with anything, change is hard. The Secretary had given a thorough explanation of all the different tax incentives that are provided with adaption as well as how they plan to instruct the people about the importance of making the switch to sustainable energy.

Another thing about today’s presentation that really stuck out to me was that everything that was presented had a very strong sense of authenticity and legitimacy. I heard nothing but cogent reasoning and logic today from the Secretary as well as some very plausible numbers that I think were quite emblematic of where things stand as well where things need to go. My biggest takeaway was optimism. I think as São Paulo and Brazil as a whole further develops its renewable energy, the world can follow suit. I think every day as a society we learn more about the best method for every place for replacing traditional energy sources with renewable ones. I was very moved by today’s presentation, to see that there was a lot of real action occurring, and that things can only improve as more people learn about the need for sustainable energy as well as further technology development for minimizing impact to the environment.

Culture Assignment 3

Favelas in Brazil

The favela is an incredible thing. It is a microcosm. It is a mechanism that some might call parasitic, but in its own way is self-sustaining, at the same. 

The favela is in a constant battle for equilibrium, on that is unreachable. As in the article and in the movie City of God, there is always another contender trying to take the throne, always another drug trafficker trying to expand what he already controls. It is this violence, this unquenchable thirst which exists by the drug traffickers in the City of God, which continues to perpetuate the nature of the favela itself.

As in the case of the film, drug traffickers, gang leaders, or other positions of power within a favela start with early recruitment. this early recruitment creates a visage for the children who are born and raised in these favelas, setting primarily one goal in their mind, "how can I be like them?". "I want to have power just like them". It is this allurement that creates a continuation, so that when it seems when some major change has occurred, when a key player in the favela has died, the change is not so major. There is another person ready to assume the role, and to continue pushing drugs and try to grow or expand their own empire. This dance is not disconnected from the role that these drug traffickers in the favelas have with local law enforcement.

Local law enforcement plays a dance with these drug traffickers that has continued just as long as these favelas have existed. The police attack, trying to create what they perceive as "order", or change from the outside, while the traffickers are prepared for any attack that the police might throw at them, with a whole network of sentries ready to sound their alarm should they see the police. In the article as well as in the movie, the idea of having police come in to change the behavior of the favelas is seen as positive by those outside of it, but rather it is merely bringing to light an ongoing dance that continues to exist between these two parties.

Although there might be by large chaos between the favelas and the state, in the city of God something rather interesting can be observed. In the film as well as in an interview by a man who calls a favela home, there is actually a sense of order. People help each other out and are mostly friendly with each other. The article and the film dabble in the idea that the favela works to protect its business interests, and this is axiomatically true. The favela wants to keep pushing its drugs and other illegal paraphernalia in order to keep money flowing through it.

I believe where this violence that occurs, this media coverage, the horror that people outside of the favela view the favela is merely an example of ideology that is lost in translation. The law enforcement wants to disrupt the ecosystem of the favela in order to get rid of the drugs with the belief that they can restore order if they eliminate the right people. The drug traffickers, those whose run the favela, want to push drugs so that they can have relative tranquility within their favela and so their society can continue happily. The means of what is "right" is definitely the focal point in terms of the ongoing battle that occurs between the two forces attempting to eradicate each other. 

Unsurprisingly in both the film as well as in the article, the idea of media coverage is very strong. Surprisingly, the traffickers of the favela though want this media coverage. They want the world to see them as a threat, to see that there is a struggle going on between the favela and the state. Not only does this help the gang leaders gain notoriety and establish control in their territory, but it helps to further preserve the divide that exists between the favela and the state. If the outside world sees the favela as a society of evil, nobody would want to go there, and by keeping people out, the favela can continue to operate as it does. This notion is how the favelas have survived.

Assignment 5

Thoughts on Renewable Energy

When I first came here, I knew that the world was pushing to get off of renewable energy, and I didn't know a whole lot more beyond that. I knew some basic types of renewable energy sources, but still my knowledge had remained rather limited. 

I have learned an immense amount in terms of how alternative energy sources actually work and how they all play a large role in terms of moving towards sustainable energy. I had never truly had a good understanding of some of the numbers that went into solar for example, and I had never really pondered the ideal that the terms and adjectives that we use to describe renewable energy are so ubiquitously obfuscated, and that we lack clarity on where we really stand as a society in terms of what amount of effort, what amount of land, and what amount of money it would take to work to make the transition off of traditional fossil fuels.

I have also gained a much larger insight in terms of what some of the negative externalities are for creating or adapting existing infrastructure in our pursuit of sustainable energy. When I thought about hydroelectricity, I would never think to consider all the other possible environmental effects that it could have beyond just creating energy.

There is one thing that I have come to realize about sustainable energy in terms of what we need to do. I think there is an enormous uphill battle ahead of us. The amount of energy that we use vs the amount of renewable we can produce are not close, and both of these numbers are only likely to grow with time. After everything that we have learned, I think that as a society we won't make a really significant push towards renewable energy until the average citizen feels the effects of running on traditional fossil fuels, or rather, what it might be like to live without them. I have learned in what cases our technology has continued to grow to help us further make the transition, but our challenges that we will have to face as well continue to grow, namely population and land use.

I think that we will make it there though, but not for a long time, maybe even a few generations. The problem is, that it is likely we will see the effects of running out of fossil fuels to burn in our lifetime, and I believe when that happens, that is when we will see the biggest change. At that point, we will have no other choice if we want to continue living our current lifestyle. However, we still won't have an answer, because at least where we are now, we still need large amounts of land for things like biofuels and solar, and large amounts of water for things like hydroelectric. This doesn't even go to mention our environmental effects.

I have learned throughout this course that we are in a battle for balance. A battle between trying to control how much energy the average consumer uses via distribution of information; between capitalizing on what limited resources we do have to move towards sustainable energy like land and water; between creating capital for all of these projects; and between doing this all in a way that minimizes our environmental impact. This is an absolutely tall order, but I suppose in terms of our start I think it is fair to say, better late than never.