Brazil-"democratic" experiment without revolution

Garnet 2022-01-18 08:01:56

In fact, I finished watching this documentary in August, and I feel a lot of feelings, but I don’t know where to start. I can’t catch the thoughts one by one in my mind, and I can’t even watch other films. I have to sort it out quickly so as not to forget it.

The first thing that needs to be explained is the social situation in Brazil and the perspective of observation. This will help us analyze the problem and determine whether the information conveyed by the film is relatively objective and self-consistent.

Brazilian society

From the military dictatorship, to the Democratic Movement Party taking power, to the Labor Party taking power, and finally back to Bolsonaro, who represents the interests of the military, it seems like a reincarnation drama. There are many social problems: stimulating economic development, industrialization pressure, serious gap between rich and poor, serious social corruption, political and business collusion, etc.

Observation angle

The director was born in a big family and is a character who can play games at the poker table, so he can get so much inside information. The angle of view is from the Labor Party. Most of them are filming Lula Dilma. Other videos have not received good support from the rightists, so there are still tendencies, but the feeling is not inciting, but talking about it. It reveals the frustration of the leftists and the worries about the future of Brazil. Still very sincere.

The second is the highlight of the film. How did the Labour Party, as the power-holder, be defeated by the right and ousted from power?

Smooth political operations by the rightists

The first is to use the social dissatisfaction caused by the economic downturn to lead to corruption and collusion between politics and business, and put anti-corruption on the agenda. After approval, the overall layout began.

Then he used the "Car Wash Operation" to crack down on corrupt officials and company executives in all aspects. Dilma didn't know whether it was to divert pressure or for some reason. Without intervention, she lost the opportunity to win over politicians, or she was not such a person. As a result, the right winged an olive branch to filthy politicians, which greatly increased the number of political opponents of the Labor Party.

Next, when the climax is detected, all eyes will stay on the corruption issue of the Labour Party, and the biggest flag, Lula, will make a fuss about whether an apartment is the proceeds of corruption. And rightist officials even have asylum clauses that are not subject to investigation. The most irritating point has arrived. The "car wash operation" itself has loopholes. The prosecutor’s filing a lawsuit is equivalent to making a guilty inference, and the judge’s judgment is to refute all the unreasonable factors raised by the prosecutor before making a judgment. In this operation, the responsibilities of the prosecutor and the judge overlapped. Basically it is equivalent to "you are guilty, and I am trying to find evidence. If I find you, I am guilty. Even if I don't find it, I think you are guilty and reasonable, then you are also guilty."

Another point is that the people in the upper echelons cannot see the struggles. All they can see are benefits and information. The media is controlled by the rightists, which exaggerates the serious corruption of Lula. The position of the left is I can't sit still.

Under a combined attack on political enemies, the media, the public, corruption investigations, and the economic downturn, Dilma was impeached and the Labor Party stepped down.

Finally, the film lamented the tearing of society, the decline of democracy, and even worried about Brazil's future. For ordinary viewers, of course they hope that a society will be stable and prosperous, and the people will be safe and prosperous, but some people really don’t think so, such as politicians who use contradictions to survive, little bourgeois who live better than others, and grabbing society. A wealthy chaebol capitalist who sucks blood. Different buttocks, different heads, different ideas.

The Predicament of the Left and the Rules of the Game of "Democratic Politics"

Let’s say something personal.

It gives me the feeling that Lula and Dilma have a revolutionary romantic spirit. They feel that they "man will conquer the sky." They dare to move even the roots of corruption and collusion between politics and business, and they are really a little "involuntary." In other words, it is too naive, thinking that if it is better than bad, it will definitely be better than the rightists, but forget that those in power cannot be compared with the opposition parties, and I didn't expect the rightists to be so shameless, they would grab the leftists and beat them fiercely. You have the hearts of revolutionaries, but you don’t have revolutionaries’ guns. You play political struggles in accordance with Western rules of the game, and you don’t have so many resources, only the support of the poor. This way of fighting is doomed to failure.

There is also this set of democratic game rules. If you really want to join its circle, you can only move forward. It is the release of human evil. If you are vicious enough and shameless enough, you can get the first opportunity in the struggle; if you want to do something, you have to overcome countless obstacles and coordinate countless interests. If something goes wrong, it will be you. Responsibility. The rightists are picking faults in the dark, and when the rightists themselves come to power, they will actually face the same things, but people don't care about the face, "this is the best way, it is what it is." The cleaning ladies are all saying "Does democracy exist? No". The people are most likely to be puppets controlled by information, and used chess pieces, in the era of better than bad, pick out the one they think is not bad. Do they have other options? no! Only when the old rules are completely broken can you see a different picture. But on the other hand, when social resources are controlled by a small number of people, it is difficult to spontaneously form a revolutionary movement. One is that it has no program and has been banned, and the other is that it has no resources and cannot be consumed. Therefore, people who are controlled by the rules have a high probability of being played with by the wise men before.

Brazil, which has experienced decades of democratic social experimentation, finally returned to Bolsonaro's hands. Of course, it will not be the same as the military government, but the extreme rightists are also good enough to be demons, and they can even see some fascist shadows. The ability is not strong enough to control the entire country, but the heart is the same black.

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Extended Reading
  • Michel 2022-04-21 09:03:08

    A Brazilian political popularization

  • Charley 2022-03-20 09:02:40

    Class struggle does exist. But it was launched by top rich people like us, and we will win. -Buffett

The Edge of Democracy quotes

  • Petra Costa: A Greek writer said that democracy is only working when the rich feel threatened. Otherwise, oligarchy takes over. From father to son, son to grandson, from grandson to great grandson, and so successively.

  • Self - Ex-Presidente: It's no use trying to stop me from travelling around this country, because there are millions of Lulas, Boulos, Manuelas, and Dilma Rousseffs to do it for me. There's no use in trying to stop my ideas. They're already in the air, and you can't imprison them! There's no point in trying to stop my dreams, because when I stop dreaming, I'll be dreaming through your minds and dreams! There's no point in thinking everything's going to stop the day Lula has a heart attack. That's nonsense! Because my heart will be beating through yours, and there are millions of hearts! The powerful can kill one, two, or 100 roses. But they'll never stop the arrival of spring, and our fight is in search of spring!