Brazil's Teenage Flashmobs Are A Lot More Serious Than They Sound

BI ^ | 1-20-2013 | Brian Feldman, The Wire

[blam]

Brazil's Teenage Flashmobs Are A Lot More Serious Than They Sound

The Wire
Brian Feldman, The Wire
Jan. 20, 2014, 7:43 AM

Over the past week, flashmobs have been occurring all over Brazil as a form of protest, drawing thousands of participants and sometimes turning violent. The rolezhinos—"gatherings of predominantly poor, black youths who party in malls usually occupied by mostly wealthy, white consumers"—have been so effective in garnering attention that even the country's president is paying attention.

The protests, according to The New York Times, "involve large numbers of dark-skinned teenagers" and cast an eye on public space in Brazil, where parks are a scarcity in urban areas. One Brazilian academic told the Times, “Kids from the lower classes have been segregated from public spaces, and now they’re challenging the unwritten rules.”

(snip)

[blam]

* Brazil (in land area) is about the same size as the USA.
* Brazil has the largest Black population than any country other than Nigeria.

[Black Agnes]

Security for the Olympics should be fun!

[ronnie raygun]

“involve large numbers of dark-skinned teenagers.....sounds racist

[John Valentine]

At least they aren’t “youths,” like in France.

[kearnyirish2]

For decades Brazil has had issues with feral youth of all colors; I remember John Paul II speaking out against police executions of young criminals. Brazil is a huge country with massive resources and potential, but it is almost ungovernable. Brazilian soccer players have bodyguards for their families, who live in compounds, because of the kidnapping for ransom potential. Black Brazilians have long derided the public proclamations that they have achieved a “post-racial” society; too many blacks are still at the bottom of the economic ladder.

[jocon307]

Yeah, can you believe the Times said that?

I had always heard that Brazil, although it has a rigid class system, really didn’t have “a color line”. Maybe that was never true.

[Red in Blue PA]

according to The New York Times, "involve large numbers of dark-skinned teenagers"

Self-caricature in action.

Worldwide.

[Mercat]

All of Latin America countries have a similar problem. They were settled by people from countries who had no history of human rights or democracy. The men were there for generations before they brought over their carefully segregated women. In those early generations a lot of “mestizos” were generated making a middle class of people who were descended from the indigenous people but always the color was important - who had the lightest skin etc. I had a long conversation (he speaking what he called Castiliano with me understanding about 10% of it) with my sister in law’s former father in law in Peru. One of the most openly racist people I have ever met. But he so obviously had a lot a Indian in him with a profile like a pre-columbian Inca pot. Short and dark. His wife was tall and light skinned but her ancestors were from northern Italy, not SA. In the settling of North America, our ancestors for the most part brought both their women and their values from northern Europe. I have a couple of native american women ancestors but for the most part they were all European and I’m looking back to the 17th century. This probably sounds racist but that’s was I have observed both living briefly in SA and learning from my SIL who lived there for probably 20 years.

[autumnraine]

Is it genetic or something ?

[BenLurkin]

The publication’s focus is on “large numbers of dark-skinned teenagers” — apparently a LOT of Nazis made it to Brazil after WWII.

Not saying the author is one, though.

[Travis McGee]

There today, here tomorrow.

[Arlis]

MOST of Brasil does not have a color line......because 95% of all Brasileiro’s are mulatto and a mixture of native indian, black and European.

BUT, there is a hard color line in the top levels of business and government, where only Europeans (mostly Portuguese, Italians and Germans) rule - and that like is harder than anywhere in the USA.

I have yet to meet a Brasileiro who knows this (I used to spend a lot of time there all over the country and was fluent enough that they thought I was Brazillian), but there is a reason for most Brazillian’s being mulatto.

The Portuguese enslaved the native indians and killed most of them. They then began importing blacks from Africa as slaves. Brazil imported 5 times as many blacks as America did. And they too were killed by horrible slavery.

The king of Portugal and the Pope were horrified at this, and got together to come up with an idea to stop the killing.

They came up with an incredible idea: to pay a huge amount of money to Europeans in Brasil who would intermarry with the indians and blacks. To a large extent it worked, and the result is nation that is a mulatto people of mixed races...this is why Brazillians are different from all other South American peoples, who are mostly native indian in blood.

I studied the history of Brasil before I went there ......

[Tax-chick]

predominantly poor, black youths who party in malls usually occupied by mostly wealthy, white consumers

Does "party" mean "get drunk and play loud music," or does it mean, "assault, steal, and vandalize"?

[Red Badger]

It’s a wonder the NYT didn’t refer to them as ‘African-American Brazilians’.........................

[hal ogen]

“protests”? It more sounds nobama-like redistributions.

[EEGator]

The World Cup is there this Summer.

[pepsi_junkie]

Brazil (in land area) is about the same size as the USA.

But vast areas are impenetrable jungle and/or extremely sparsely populated.

[UCANSEE2]

Sounds like you are well informed.

Now... is it Brasil or Brazil ?

[demshateGod]

The next two Olympics are going to be a hoot. Between the Chechen Muslims (Rebels) and the Brazilian Blacks (Teenagers), we’re going to hear all kinds of Ambiguous media contorting.

[cunning_fish]

I guess Brazil is a single nation measuring success against urban crime in killed and wounded, not arrests and charges.
Police and military are moving tanks&air support to fight street gangs and they are actually losing aircraft over ghettos.
In Sao Paolo wealthy people are travelling by choppers from their homes in gated communities to helipads on skyscrapers they are working in.