No way!

Since we've published in our January issue "America, the Ugly", an interview with Ana Maria Bahiana, a Brazilian correspondent on the West Coast, readers have fired a volley of opinions pro and against the author and her critical book America de A a Z from which we presented short excerpts. Now, a Brazilian psychologist and law student writes an extensive rebuttal to Bahiana's ideas and says: "Brazilians who live in the United States ought to be more realistic, give up the competitive attitude, and work out the inferiority complex. To paint America as a futile land and perpetuate the myth that Americans are a bunch of idiots is by far more ignorant than to recognize what Brazil really is and what we must do to change it."

Iara Morton

It is hard to believe that a namely "international correspondent" based in Los Angeles would be able to come up with such a misinformed piece of nonsense. To begin with, the same ethnocentrism (the belief that ones culture is the ideal, and is superior to others) that the author condemns Americans of, clearly permeates her writings about Brazil and its culture.

One aspect that has long amazed me is the way Brazilians who live in the United States feel bashed by not being recognized and celebrated as they think they should be. Brazilians have this misconception that our cities, celebrities, as well as particularities of our culture should be known by all Americans. And the question is... Why?

One should keep in mind that the knowledge and appreciation for soccer, lambada, Carnaval, along with other details about Brazilian culture are by no means necessary nor sufficient to judge an American's general knowledge or cultural level. We must remember that the Americans mainly Anglo Saxon and Puritan origins tend to polarize with our predominantly Portuguese and African heritage.

Besides, I wonder how many Brazilians know where Madras, Bangalore, Hyderabad or even Chihuahua and Torreon are located? These are cities of countries that have a similar socioeconomic profile to Brazil, rather than being 10 times poorer, which equals the comparison of Brazil with the United States in terms of GNP per capita. Moreover, take 5 minutes and think about what you know of the Bosnia situation or think of three new countries which emerged out of the Russian Federation.

I am sure many Brazilians do not know much at all about these and other recent events simply because these issues do not directly affect their lives. In contrast, the United States directly affects the lives of people all over the world through its scientific discoveries, film and music industry, tourism, financial aid, political and military power, and especially with its open boarders to immigrants.

Now, think about the contributions of Brazil to the world, and especially to the United States. Of course we can enumerate some, but certainly not enough to justify the attention and prestige we claim to deserve. In fact, the only two main issues of importance that I would think an American should know about are the rain forest, and perhaps our huge economic debt to their banks.

In regards to recognizing our celebrities, how many Brazilians know the names of the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, or the pitcher for the New York Yankees? I expect no Brazilians to know their names nor details of these games since football and baseball are not popular nor played in Brazil. In like manner, it makes sense to expect countries which contain and enjoy professional soccer leagues to know of Pelé and Romário's exceptional talents.

Still, I can concede why Brazilians would want the world to know about our soccer stars, or even labor leader and presidential candidate Luís Inácio Lula da Silva who, despite his limited education, has gained enormous popularity through his strong will, radical ideas, and vision to better the plight of the average Brazilian.

In contrast, knowing the works of Xuxa and the interviewer Bruna Lombardi can only depreciate our image even more. While in the United States many Hollywood actors and directors graduate from Ivy League schools such as Yale, Princeton, and others, our representative Bruna who often interviews several of these major celebrities simply epitomizes "the pretty face without a brain", which is the secret that explains the success of many women in Brazil, including Xuxa.

On sex, the statement that she also calls absurd that "in Brazil... everybody has sex whenever they feel like it without fear of Aids" just shows how little she knows about Brazilian sexual behavior. Presently, the city of Recife is one of the most popular prostitution capitals of the world, and Aids victims have been increasing in alarming numbers among the youth of some cities in the south of Brazil.

In addition, Brazil is close to being the leader in violation and abuse of children's rights. When the author makes these comments "In Brazil it's legal to kill little children"... "they kill little children on the streets just because they beg" absurdities, I wonder if she has been following the news about Brazil during these last nine years that she has been living in the United States. Need I remind my compatriots of the hideous massacres and death-squads that roam the streets and favelas of the big cities annihilating the little ones? To call these actions "legal" may be incorrect, but to admit that they are tolerated and still encouraged is a matter of fact.

As far as racism is concerned, I do see segregation and racial conflicts in the United States. At the same time, I also see many African Americans, Asians, Hispanics and Middle Easterners as prominent Doctors, Lawyers, University Professors, TV reporters, Politicians, Scientists and the like. To narrow the issue to only blacks, one must remember that they comprise only 13% of the population of the United States, and are relatively well-represented in the professional and political arenas especially when compared to their Brazilian counterparts.

Brazilian blacks and mulattos comprise over 50% of the population and yet, I still find it hard to think of one black person who is not a musician, actor, or soccer star who has achieved a position of status in Brazil. To say that we have found solutions for our problems is ignorance in its most pristine form. The reality is that the mingling most non-black Brazilians have with blacks is when they pay them the miserable wages for work that is slightly better than slave labor.

My view is that Brazilians who live in the United States ought to be more realistic, give up the competitive attitude, and work out the inferiority complex. So many Brazilians feel ashamed when we open our gigantic can of worms. Those who feel so denigrated by our dilemmas should come to realize that it is by hiding our weaknesses that we will never encounter solutions to bring about urgent changes in our beloved country.

By creating a fantasy world where they keep considering the millions of shanty town dwellers, abandoned children, and homeless as aliens, Brazilians take a defensive posture or author books in the style of "America de A a Z", just to make a few people feel good. It is time that some of us face our self-esteem deficiencies and be real. To paint America as a futile land and perpetuate the myth that Americans are a bunch of idiots is by far more ignorant than to recognize what Brazil really is and what we must do to change it.

Instead of attempting to expose the ills of America, one could concentrate on writing valuable insights to help heal the ills of Brazil. In fact, I do know many Americans who know Brazil quite well and often travel in groups, not of tourism and not to the hot spots, but rather to the depressed areas of the big cities or to remote places of the country volunteering their time and efforts to help alleviate some of the pain of the people.

The Americans who do know about the Brazilian scenario do not sugarcoat reality as Brazilians often do, but rather, react with sympathy or avoidance. After all, what the author cites as another absurd comment "it's very, very dangerous to go there", is horrificly true. Rio and São Paulo are documented today as having some of the highest crime ratios per capita in the world.

No doubt Bahiana's writings reflect simply the environment she has been living in as well as her own personal experiences. More precisely, her writings simply express the frustrations of a Brazilian who feels out of place, belittled, without an identity, who ends up perpetuating the hasty generalization that all Americans are stupid, tacky, and arrogant. To call that an account of American culture is utterly preposterous.

It must be pointed out that had the author socialized with Americans of post graduate and Ph.D. levels, commonplace especially in California, her A to Z would have contained very different definitions. Besides, some absurdities said by the white trash of America or the ordinary American certainly does not top the absence of any knowledge of the povão of Brazil who, sadly, comprise around 80% of the population, one fourth of which are illiterate. Some Brazilians are proud and love to boast about themselves failing to realize that the 5% of Brazilians who are highly educated and well off are by no means a representative sample of the population of Brazil.

The reality is that Brazilians have much to learn from America and Americans, and perhaps through this learning process we can come to achieve the recognition and appreciation we long for. Before the author publishes "America de A a Z" part 2, let's hope that Ana Maria Bahiana does a more extensive and reliable job of research rather than focus on triviality and nonsense.

As far as myself, it may seem to some that I am spellbound by the American dream and naïve to the problems that exist here. On the contrary, my academic endeavors, constant traveling worldwide, and critical sense, simply forces me to confront the truth even when it requires exposing the ills of the land I love the most... my own country Brazil.

Iara Morton has a B.A. in Psychology & Social Behavior and is a Law student.