Note from BW of Brazil: You know, if all of us were to record everything that others say in the privacy of their own homes, on telephone calls, in day-to-day dialogue, we would truly discover how people truly feel beyond all of the politically correct, PG, NSFW masks we all wear in public. In Brazil, or any other country, people will hide their true sentiments in public where certain attitudes and opinions could possibly be detrimental to their professional or financial lives. On the outside they may proclaim, “we are all equal”, “I don’t see color”, but often times they utter such phrases as if reading from a script. Their true feelings are often reserved for more private settings or at least times and places where they feel such comments will be well-received.
A great example of this recently came to light when a video was leaked in which well-known Globo TV journalist William Waack was caught uttering a comment that that revealed how he really felt about black people. Outside of the country, Waack made a comment in which he basically attributed something negative to a black person even not knowing if the person he to whom he referred was actually black or not. The person who he didn’t see did something that annoyed him, so Waack automatically assumed that the person just had to be black.
Actually, the long-time journalist’s comment was not surprising when you consider phrases that are part of the everyday vernacular in Brazil. Phrases such as “tinha que ser preto”, meaning ‘it had to be a black’ or, “preto quando não caga na entrada, caga na saída”, meaning, ‘a black, if he doesn’t shit on his way in, he shits on his way out.’ The phrase that Waack uttered, “coisa de preto”, meaning ‘a black thing’, or something negative that only a black person could have done is another of these types of phrases. In situations such as those I described in the first paragraph, there would have most likely not have been any problem as so many believe in such opinions and if they don’t, they won’t speak out against them. Waack’s problem began because he didn’t realize that cameras were rolling when he said it.
Upon hearing the news, São Paulo native Daniela Gomes, a Ph.D candidate at the University of Texas, stated what many in the Movimento Negro were thinking upon the news surrounding Waack: “William Waack expresses in a video that which the racist white Brazilian outside of the country feels free to say things that he/she doesn’t always feel free to say at home.”
For me, it’s always great to expose how people really feel, because a place like Brazil will consistently deny that prejudices against certain groups actually exist. And even exposing Waack, it’s not like this will suddenly change how people really feel. They’ll probably just be more careful with whom, when and where they express such sentiments.
William Waack is removed from Jornal da Globo after video falls on the web
Courtesy of Correio 24 Horas
“Black, right? It’s a black thing for sure,” said the presenter in the video.
Globo Network reported Wednesday night (8) that journalist William Waack will be removed from Jornal da Globo. The decision comes after a video showing a leaked comment a TV newscast. In the images, Waack is in Washington, USA, and complains about a driver passing by honking. “You’re honking for what, you fucking dick?”, the journalist said. He then says to the guest next to him, “I won’t even say, I know who he is …” Then he turns to the guest and says – in a lower tone: “Preto, né? É coisa de preto com certeza”. (Black, right? It’s a black thing for sure)
Globo said that at first the journalist is away until “the situation is clarified” and that tomorrow it will discuss the implications in the long term. It further says that it is “viscerally against racism in all its forms and manifestations.” Waack himself has not yet come to the public to comment on the case, but according to the Globo note he “does not remember what he said, since the audio is unclear,” but apologizes to anyone who feels offended.
The television news will be presented by Renata Lo Prete, Waack’s “official” replacement in the program.
The video is from November 8 last year in coverage on the election of Donald Trump as US President. Waack is alongside Paulo Sotero, director of the Wilson Center, who commented on the occasion. “I think William is not like that. I certainly am not like that, I repudiate racism,” Sotero told Buzzfeed News today. After seeing the video, he stated that he could not hear what Waack said. “It did not hit me at the time, and it would have struck me because I don’t play around with racism, sexism and homophobia,” he said.
The hashtag #WilliamWaack was ranked second among the most talked about Twitter topics in Brazil this afternoon because of the video. “Whoever works on Globo and decided to leak this video of William Waack has our eternal gratitude,” commented a Twitter user. “I shouldn’t be shocked, but I am,” commented another ‘net surfer.
Read the note issued by Globo:
“Globo is viscerally opposed to racism in all its forms and manifestations, and no circumstance can serve as a mitigating factor.” Globo is thus removing host William Waack from his functions as a result of the video circulated on the Internet today, until the situation is clarified.
In it, just minutes before being aired during the coverage of last year’s US elections, someone on the street blows the horn, and Waack, annoyed, makes racist comments. Waack says he does not remember what he said, since the audio is unclear, but he apologizes sincerely to those who felt outraged by the situation.
William Waack is one of the most respected Brazilian professionals, with an extensive curriculum of services to the journalism. Globo, starting tomorrow, will start conversations with him to decide how the next steps will unfold”
Source: Correio 24 Horas
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