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Brazil is a very hypocritical society when it comes to race and class. First time I went to Rio, I walked into Copacabana Palace, a very famous and luxurious hotel.
Mind you, I was born in Brazil, but I was dressed like an American, baseball hat, football t-shirt, shorts, expensive sunglasses, etc. I walked into the hotel and only spoke English while I was there- all the staff basically bent over backwards for me even though I was not even a guest there lol
I walked into the elevator and asked one of the staff where the swimming pool was in English- he immediately swiped the magnetic card and sent me there.
I found this whole experience hilarious, so I just sat by the pool for a couple hours and watched the people there, it was a great time lol.
On my way out, I noticed they have some people at the front desk that just stand there and watch everybody who walks past the front desk- it is a very subtle form of discrimination and I really doubt a Black Brazilian would have been able to walk in like I did before being stopped and scrutinized.
Last edited by Repubocrat; 07-06-2014 at 08:03 AM..
Brazil is a very hypocritical society when it comes to race and class. First time I went to Rio, I walked into Copacabana Palace, a very famous and luxurious hotel.
Mind you, I was born in Brazil, but I was dressed like an American, baseball hat, football t-shirt, shorts, expensive sunglasses, etc. I walked into the hotel and only spoke English while I was there- all the staff basically bent over backwards for me even though I was not even a guest there lol
I walked into the elevator and asked one of the staff where the swimming pool was in English- he immediately swiped the magnetic card and sent me there.
I found this whole experience hilarious, so I just sat by the pool for a couple hours and watched the people there, it was a great time lol.
On my way out, I noticed they have some people at the front desk that just stand there and watch everybody who walks past the front desk- it is a very subtle form of discrimination and I really doubt a Black Brazilian would have been able to walk in like I did before being stopped and scrutinized.
You were dressed as a person from the inner city Urban American, which is common among blacks all over the world. They treated you well and you cannot accept that. You have to come up with a story that is full of assumptions.
Could it be they simply treated you well because they are nice people? Why are you calling them racists?
They would have to give these folks free tickets to get in. It is not an issue of racism, but an economic issue. I am certain blacks had access to tickets, but they do not have the cash.
Could it be they simply treated you well because they are nice people? Why are you calling them racists?
You have no idea what you are talking about. Trust me, I lived in that society for 13 years of my life, so I understand exactly how things work there.
Racism in Brazil is alive and thriving but it is a very subtle form of racism. Even in the early 80's when we lived in Sao Paulo, most of the buildings had two types of elevators: Social and Service.
It was understood that blacks and maids always rode the Service Elevator- a very interesting form of Jim Crow style segregation that was totally accepted by society back then. Not sure how it is now.
About 4 years ago, Globo, the biggest Brazilian TV network did a segment where a Black person, well dressed walks into a BMW dealership. The black guy walked around the dealership for about 30 minutes and no salesman greeted him or even talked to him.
A white guy walks in, dressed exactly the same and he is greeted in less than 5 minutes.
Racism in Brazil is way worse than here in the USA in many aspects. Trust me, I am from there.
I have visited Rio and a few neighboring cities several times. When I go I always stay in Copa/Ipanema but I seem to enjoy the people the further away from Copa i go. Maybe it's because I don't like the tourist vibe in Copa or the uppity attitudes of some in that area, not sure.
The more I travel there and the more i discover about Brazil's history (ie: importing millions of Europeans to whiten country, last in Americas to abolish slavery, etc).... the more I recognize the prejudices there against black Brazilians.
When I'm there I look for black or even moreno (mulatto) faces on the mags or TV....really there is not much at all.
While watching the World Cup, what stood out to me was the lack of black faces in the crowd.
After all, this is the land where more African slaves were placed than any country outside of Africa, right? Funny, there was an article written about it I see with the link provided earlier.
When I travel abroad, I always try to blend in. After reading this thread, the OP may think its best to appear foreign or american. I just prefer to blend in no matter the country I visit regardless.
In Brazil I've learned to dress down to basically shorts, t-shirt and flip flops. Now around cops or anything like that....I will definitely speak English. ;-)
I would recommend going to brazil and seeing for yourself. I want to visit Salvador myself but just haven't gotten around to it yet.
Brazil is a beautiful country with many nice people but don't go believing that "we are a color blind society" talk. Matter of fact don't think that about any country in Latin America.
However, don't ever allow what people may or may not think stop you from seeing any place I the world you would like to travel to.
You have no idea what you are talking about. Trust me, I lived in that society for 13 years of my life, so I understand exactly how things work there.
Racism in Brazil is alive and thriving but it is a very subtle form of racism. Even in the early 80's when we lived in Sao Paulo, most of the buildings had two types of elevators: Social and Service.
It was understood that blacks and maids always rode the Service Elevator- a very interesting form of Jim Crow style segregation that was totally accepted by society back then. Not sure how it is now.
About 4 years ago, Globo, the biggest Brazilian TV network did a segment where a Black person, well dressed walks into a BMW dealership. The black guy walked around the dealership for about 30 minutes and no salesman greeted him or even talked to him.
A white guy walks in, dressed exactly the same and he is greeted in less than 5 minutes.
Racism in Brazil is way worse than here in the USA in many aspects. Trust me, I am from there.
It is still an economic issue.
The sales people would love to sell BMWs to anyone that can afford the car. Most blacks in Brazil don't have the cash, so they make a judgement. I can see why the judgment seems racist, but economics is at the heart of this.
Service elevators are common in big old buildings. I never looked them as racist, however a person that has been sensitized could easily see this as racist.
You have no idea what you are talking about. Trust me, I lived in that society for 13 years of my life, so I understand exactly how things work there.
Racism in Brazil is alive and thriving but it is a very subtle form of racism. Even in the early 80's when we lived in Sao Paulo, most of the buildings had two types of elevators: Social and Service.
It was understood that blacks and maids always rode the Service Elevator- a very interesting form of Jim Crow style segregation that was totally accepted by society back then. Not sure how it is now.
About 4 years ago, Globo, the biggest Brazilian TV network did a segment where a Black person, well dressed walks into a BMW dealership. The black guy walked around the dealership for about 30 minutes and no salesman greeted him or even talked to him.
A white guy walks in, dressed exactly the same and he is greeted in less than 5 minutes.
Racism in Brazil is way worse than here in the USA in many aspects. Trust me, I am from there.
See, the problem in Brazil is about money: what happened to the black guy at the dealership happened to a friend of a professor of mine. His friend is white and professor of Agronomy in one of the more highly respected univesities in Brazil, but he went to buy a Chevrolet S10 (these kind of pick-up is unreasonable expensive here) dressed as he went out his work, with old jeans, t-shirt and big boots. There should be no problem, right? After all, it's a car to be used by farmers... But it's a car to be owned by rich farmers, and rich people don't dress up like that. The man not only couldn't buy the car as he was also ofended by the manager and the salesmen, and they probably don't have the education and don't make the money the professor does... Brazil is all about appearance, and that's one of the main reasons I believe this is country is full of rascals: everybody is a fool in potencial to get into the talk of some good looking man in a suit...
As an African American, Brazil still isn't a place I would want to live or visit based on what I've read and heard. If I'm going to be looked upon with suspicion or accosted for being Brown until the police realize I'm an American, that still wouln't be a place I would want to call home.
...and how is that different from how we're treated here?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Julian658
It is still an economic issue.
The sales people would love to sell BMWs to anyone that can afford the car. Most blacks in Brazil don't have the cash, so they make a judgement. I can see why the judgment seems racist, but economics is at the heart of this.
Service elevators are common in big old buildings. I never looked them as racist, however a person that has been sensitized could easily see this as racist.
Bull****. It has nothing to do with being sensitized.
The Black guy in the scenario was well dressed, he wasn't wearing rags or walking barefoot. If it was really about economics and not race then the fact that he was well dressed would have been enough for him to get service, however they ignored him anyway.
Last edited by lexdiamondz1902; 07-07-2014 at 04:10 AM..
You were dressed as a person from the inner city Urban American, which is common among blacks all over the world. They treated you well and you cannot accept that. You have to come up with a story that is full of assumptions.
Could it be they simply treated you well because they are nice people? Why are you calling them racists?
I went into a hotel at Copacabana. FOUR security guards came running behind me, asking what I was doing there, until I responded in English, and was treated quite nicely.
Its this simple in Brazil only a small affluent group of blacks exists so they make one of two assumptions. Either they think that you are Brazilian, so query why you are there, or they assume that you are a foreigner. I guess being Caribbean my dress wasn't "American" so I got the "Brazilian" treatment until they heard me speak English.
...and how is that different from how we're treated here?
As some one who has visited Rio and lives in NYC the treatment here in expensive hotels is vastly better. Every one knows that there are affluent blacks in the USA. No one wants to find out that one targeted the wrong black and then has to face the embarrassment of having TV reporters asking you why. I go into NYC hotels all the time to use the rest room and I have never had an issue.
Last edited by caribny; 07-07-2014 at 04:38 AM..
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