Note from BW of Brazil: For anyone who has followed the posts featured on this blog over the past few years, this article should come as no surprise. Real talk, in a country that devised a plan to eliminate its black population through inter-mixture, consistently promotes a white Brazil on its television programming, magazine covers, areas of diplomacy, politics and so many other areas, why would we expect its top network to present something different for the World Cup, an event that probably a billion or so people around the world will be watching? Well, at least we aren’t the only ones who notice it.
In the World Cup of Globo TV, everyone is white
Campaign produced by the channel hides the black bodies and a constructs a completely white Brazil, ready to host the World Cup
By Marcelo Hailer
On Wednesday, April 23rd, Globo TV premiered its campaign for the World Cup. With the theme “Somos um só” (meaning “We are one”), the station puts a show in said respect to turning Brazil into a white country (see commercial below). You will even see blacks in the video, however, they are constrained bodies and almost out of frame. Could it be that for said network Brazilian blackness is embarrassing and must remain off of the screen?
In his book Cultura de Massas no séc. XX – Vol. 1 (Mass Culture in the 20th Century – Vol. 1), sociologist Edgar Morin calls attention to the fact that, from the rise of mass culture/cultural industry there began a new process of colonization, in this case, of spirits. In other words, the products, in order to dialogue with the largest possible number of people and thus make more profits, they deconstructed the subjects and present others conforming to ideas that pervade such institutions. Therefore, the subjects presented are homogeneous, Western and white. Other ethnicities and cultures become “exotic products”.
And what do we have in the Globo Network campaign if not the transformation of Brazil and soccer into a country and a sport for white men? (1) And even more shocking when you consider the theme – “We are one”. Perhaps the campaign slogan works perfectly under the prism through which television programs work: white characters always in the spotlight and black characters enclosed within subordination.
In fact, the video in question brings, once again, the ashamed Brazil, that that does not recognize itself in miscegenation and much less as a Latin American country.
Is Brazil still colonized?
But the editorial line of the video is consistent with the agents involved, let us not forget the FIFA veto to the “Cup Couple”, which would be Lázaro Ramos and Camila Pitanga, but that was replaced by the very Brazilian Fernanda Lima and Rodrigo Hilbert. The station could very well have stomped its foot, but it didn’t, it made the switch to please Mr. Europe, which is not used to this Carnival people and different colors.
Whoever also paid attention to the fact that the country is subjected to the top Soccer Federation is the Federal Deputy Chico Alencar (PSOL-RJ), who in an interview with Fórum stated that Brazil “is becoming a colony of FIFA”, this because of the removals of homeless people from public parks near the stadiums and the strong military apparatus to prevent demonstrations on game days. I.E, all according to the rules of the feudal lord.
The advent of the World Cup may very well serve to strengthen this debate concerning the second colonization, through which not only Brazil goes through, but all countries that have already been colonies, either in Latin America, or in Africa. One must ask: why did the video of the network, that will carry the whole Cup, hide the black bodies? Well, it’s because today colonization does not come from outside, it happens here in our backyard, from instruments of power controlled by those who lick the sidewalk on Wall Street and silences the Latin, African and indigenous character of Brazil.
In this manner, it’s easy to understand the motto of the campaign – “Somos um só (We are one)”: a white people, American (not even South or Latin) with blonde, straight hair…That is, we are perfectly the subject of the colony. Unfortunately, the communicational power still exerts a strong influence on minds, but it’s increasingly blatant the disruption with such a white-Western ideology and by a discarding of the subject that was: First exterminated by the “discoverers” and second, that in following is being deleted by agents of the cultural industry. They are the abject bodies that are being removed from public roads so that foreigners do not leave here with a “poor view” of the Latin, oops, American country.
Accordingly, we’re like this: in the samba and Globo Network World Cup, everyone is white!
Source: Revista Fórum
“Somos um Só”‘, Globo song/commercial for the 2014 World Cup
Notes
1. Early in the 20th century this was actually true as many top soccer teams banned Afro-Brazilian players. See part of that history here.
I disagree with you here. I saw a mixed group of people in the video. Portraying Brazil as an “All Black” country won’t work either. Besides, while many of the people in the video may be considered “white” in Brazil, they would never be considered white in the U.S. or Europe.
But, again, although many of them may not be considered white by American standards, in Brazil, it doesn’t work by the “one drop rule”. If a person appears mostly white, even having a physical features that suggest at least a minor amount of intermixture, said person can still be considered white, or “Brazilian white” as some Brazilians would say. I always say it depends on perspective. There was a time when Italians weren’t considered white in the US, but today they are.
“I disagree with you here. I saw a mixed group of people in the video. Portraying Brazil as an “All Black” country won’t work either”
What in the heck are you talking about ??? your comment is irrational.
The irony is that the world sees Brazilians as mostly black. In North America, the images of Brazil that are featured are almost all Afro-Brazilian.
Don’t worry. I followed the world cup from Europe and they had their own videos for what they thought Brazil was like. Didn’t see no whites, as far as I cam remember.
*can remember*, sorry.