Big economic gains, but little changes where it counts

It’s welcome news here, and of course because it’s a positive story about Brazil (for a change) the national media is all over it like a Rio pro over an American monger. “the sleeping giant is awakening” screams the headlines here in Brazil and it must be true, because a foreigner from England has said so.

I’m happy that the nation is doing better economically, and really this is what is at the heart of the article. All international economic indexes point out that the fourth largest country in the world, blessed with the best natural resources on the planet, has finally managed and learn how to make some cash off of its mineral, biological and agricultural inheritance. There’s no innovation here, or very little of it, the money is coming in through resource extraction and farming. This is not necessarily a problem, unless you’re an Indian in the Amazon. However, the world has long surpassed the agrarian age, and although we need food to eat and farmers to plant and cultivate, Brazil needs to diversify its economic portfolio and look more to R&D and technology. The country has been close to reaching it’s potential for greatness on myriad occasions, but it’s a country with a penchant for putting all its eggs in one basket. Any minor trip that affects that one sector or commodity produces disasters results as the centuries here have highlighted. The famous phrase: “Brazil is the country of the future, and always will be” was born from such historical close calls and fumbles.

But again, even with an expanded portfolio all we’re really celebrating here is that there is a few in the country getting extremely rich while for the rest of us, relatively little has changed. I guess the fact that nothing has really gotten worse for people financially, especially after decades of hyperinflation should be seen as an achievement. There is talk of a burgeoning middle class but it is still horribly eclipsed by the endemic poverty that plagues this nation. The president triumphantly bellows that millions are being lifted from poverty, and to ignore a marginal improvement here would be suspect. That said, with 50% of the nation, approximately 80 million people, living on slightly 2 dollars a day, I’d not want to stick my neck out and say “we’re winning the war on poverty”. When you figure you have this level of poverty in a nation that has more personal helicopters than any other and then you get to see the problem a bit more clearly. Brazil is only second to South Africa in term of income inequality.

Education is still in dire straights and academically Brazil, year after year, places in the lowest levels of international results when tested on the basics: literacy, math and science. Simple conversations with your more impoverished will provide you with anecdotal proof. For President Lula this is OK. He too is a simple man who uses simple logic and simple language; it’s his bailiwick as it is with most populists in this part of the world. “Stupid is those who didn’t think I can run a country” is a recent line of his which aptly reinforces my point.

Violence in the nation is on the rise (with the exception of Sao Paulo, where it is in fact getting marginally better) although the media is more infatuate with banality like throughout the rest of the world. In a country where over 40,000 are killed each year and in cities such as Rio where the young are 8 times more likely to be killed than in the Gaza strip in Palestine, this should be the Media’s war cry. There are respected news weeklies that do their best (readership is low, not surprisingly), but they are shunned by the President, politicians and by the masses because they “only focus on the negative”. Lula has long proven to be thin-skinned in terms of bad media coverage about Brazil or about him. He once personally tried to expel a New York Times reporter from Brazil because the journalist had the audacity to repeat what the national media was saying: Lula likes to drink. Not quite the "Watergateesque" revelation you'd think would shake and move the highest office in the land to act, but that's Brazil for you.

This may not last long. The government wishes to place greater restrictions on the media here as well as control the movement of foreigners in 61% of the Nation: the Amazon. International television, too, is in the government’s radar to reign in. As more and more celebrate the supposed new birth of a rich and prosperous land few are questioning the erosion of their personal rights and the rights of others. In fact in a recent poll about the restriction of foreigners in the Amazon, 97 percent of those responded actually agreed with the blatantly xenophobic and discriminatory move.

Arguably, with a better economy the rest of the problems I raised should solve themselves. So say “invisible hand” theorists. But this is Brazil. As long as corruption is allowed to continue without leaders (let me emphasis that LEADERS) being punished, and the rich continue to do what they like with impunity, we’ll just see more Brazilian flags on Yachts in Europe and not much of a difference made here back home.

I don’t want this to come across as a blatantly bitter attack on the country in which I currently reside (although I am thinking about making a move). I do cheer for the nation and I do have hopes and aspirations like others that Brazil can overcome some of its greatest hurtles and emerge more equitable, less violent, less corrupt and just a little bit smarter but..but…but…

I am happy to see some good news in the papers about Brazil for a change, I just wish I could see it here where it counts.

I'll write again on some of the things I cherish in the nation, soonest. Many in North America, regardless of some of the problems that Brazil faces, could learn a lot from this culture.