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 I have written quite a lot about tourism in Brazil, generally pointing out that while the country has lots to offer it fails to deliver in terms of infrastructure and service, particularly for foreign visitors. The response from most Brazilian readers is usually hostile since, while they will tolerate criticism of their country from another Brazilian they refuse to give a foreigner the same right.
Foreign readers are also often critical but these are usually politically correct types who patronize Brazilians as being helpless victims of malevolent external influences like the IMF and the Bush administration. Some of these readers are so pious that one wonders if they know how to have a good time. It must be difficult to lie on a beach, enjoy a beer and admire the girls (or boys) when you are worried about the destruction of the Amazon, suicide rates among Indians and the plight of landless peasants. These are the kind of people who would hate to be labeled tourists in any case and feel guilty about being better educated and better off than the overwhelming majority of Brazilians. If you ever have a look at the guidebooks aimed at this audience you will see that the history of Brazil is always presented in a simplified way with the good guys - the Indians and blacks - being badly treated by the bad guys - the Portuguese, British and Americans. Lots of space will be devoted to racism, the state of the Amazon, the violence behavior of the police, the cause of pollution, the poverty etc. You will be given a sanitized warning about safety so that the guidebook cannot be accused of being racist or prejudiced. You will be encouraged to spend your money at local stores and markets rather than supermarkets or shopping centers. None of the authors dare to be critical and point out the frustration of not being able to walk around with your camera on display or the annoyance of being hassled every minute on a beach by people trying to sell you everything from peanuts to sunglasses when all you want is a bit of peace and quiet. I recall walking around the streets of São Paulo some years ago with a Swiss acquaintance who spent the time explaining the various kinds of ailments the beggars we passed were suffering from. "You see the open sores in his leg. They are caused by a vitamin deficiency and living in unhygienic conditions", she would say, pointing to a ragged alcoholic stretched out in our path. She would look sadly at the kind of street boy most people kept a wary eye on, seeing him as a criminal waiting to pounce, and discuss ways of integrating him into society. She was coldly polite to the various types who approached us asking for money. "Não obrigada," she would say with the superiority of an English memsahib in India at the time of the British Raj. To be fair, she was a good woman with admirable intentions and had helped set up a home for abandoned children in Curitiba. At the same time, I used to wonder if she ever enjoyed her trips to Brazil. Surely even Mother Theresa escaped from her orphans and patients and relaxed for a bit. On the other hand, foreign readers who have traveled around or live here are generally more understanding and realize that someone can like a country even thought they criticize it. João Pessoa - Love It or Hate It It was interesting to see how two Canadians gave different views of the Northeastern city of João Pessoa after my recent article in which I pointed out the good and bad points of the place from the point of view of a tourist (January 17). One slagged off my article in the comments section (as he is perfectly entitled and welcome to) based on two stays amounting to a total of five weeks there while another slagged off João Pessoa based on a year living there. While the first was vague - making wishful thinking comments such as: "The only negative is the amount of poor in the area and hopefully this situation will improve with the promises of large investments by the government", his fellow countryman was down to earth and his comments were obviously based on bitter experience. For example: " JP is like the wild west with very little conscience, full of thieves. They'll rip the stereo out of your car in 5 minutes, steal your cell phone if you let it sit on the counter unwatched for 2 seconds, cheat you in EVERY business dealing." The first was the condescending view which is common among politically correct North Americans and Europeans. These people see Brazilians as basket cases who are so broken and defeated that they can do nothing for themselves. So, while the country's ills can be blamed on the government, the World Bank, capitalism or any other institution or system it is never the fault of the people themselves. If some of them are layabouts, thieves and rascals with no sense of personal or social responsibility then one cannot criticize them because they are not really to blame. If tourists, most of whom are Brazilians and not foreigners, pay for a product or service which is of inferior quality then they are expected to accept it without criticism. So if a guide working for the tourist office shows insufficient knowledge of the city and tries to cover up by telling jokes or singing songs (as the guide I mentioned did) then all of us are supposed to accept that this is good value for our money. These tours bring in lots of revenue and income and the locals think they can just put out their hands and take the money without giving anything in return. That is one of the reasons why none of the people in my group has any intention of going back to João Pessoa. The other reader is showing the anger and frustration which many foreigners go through in Brazil after the end of the honeymoon period. He might be accused of overreacting and generalizing but, at least, he knows what he is talking about and is being honest. This discrepancy in views is understandable since a short-term visitor to any country has no experience of day-to-day life and even if things are not going well, he has an exit route. Two views of the same place. Take your pick: "If you can go to JP and spend a night walking along the beach with all the happy families and lovers kissing and still be negative, then I think you are just missing what life is about in Brazil." Or: "JP might get you to visit once, but not twice." John Fitzpatrick is a Scottish writer and consultant with long experience of Brazil. He is based in São Paulo and runs his own company Celtic Comunicações. He can be contacted at jf@celt.com.br. You can read more by him at his site www.brazilpoliticalcomment.com.br. © John Fitzpatrick 2006
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Any response addressing these issues would be appreciated.
Thanks