Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 33oC, hot, Sunny and slightly overcast.
Something happened this morning that I am not proud of, but it shows what life is like in Brazil at the moment. Even though it was Sunday, I woke up early to exercise. It was not as early as during the week, but still quite early.
When I arrived at the end of Leme and started setting up my TRX to begin my workout, three guys approached from different directions. One guy on my right side was carrying a large beer and looked drunk, while two shirtless guys on my left side were talking.
As I set up my TRX on the lamppost, the guy on the right looked at the two guys on my left with a sly, suspicious smirk on his face in relation to me.I became suspicious and thought it was a trap or that I was about to be mugged. My brain went into emergency and self-defence mode immediately.
I looked at the guy on my right and counted him and his possible friends out aloud, showing him and the others that I was aware of the situation.
He was stunned and asked me if I was English or American. I answered in a slightly aggressive and sarcastic way that I was Cearense from Ceara, the northern state in Brazil, which has a reputation for being incredibly good with a knife.
I told him not to talk to me and that I did not want any conversation with him. He saw that I had a small rucksack by my side and could have anything inside, even a knife or a gun. I continued setting up my TRX and began exercising with my rucksack near me.
Nothing else came of this situation, but I was a little shaken. It is a true representation of what we are living in Brazil at the moment. During the last right-wing government, there was no tolerance for street crime, and the statistics showed that crime had gone down in Rio and, in general, all of Brazil.
But with the new left-wing government, which has a reputation for corruption and treating criminals as victims, there is a greater feeling of impunity and vulnerability on the streets.
This feeling of aggressiveness and insecurity is absorbed into our daily lives. It is not just me; everyone feels it in Rio de Janeiro. I have a 15-year-old daughter, Yasmin, and I am slowly giving her more freedom to do things alone on the streets. Even though she lives in one of the safest regions of Rio, the south zone, I am always worried until I know that she is at home and safe.
Metaphorically or figuratively, Brazil is at war. The politicians and the institutions are fighting among themselves. As society is a pyramid, this overflows down onto all the other social and class layers. Consequently, what happens at the top of our society eventually influences and affects all other layers.
For the rest of the day, I was disappointed with myself for being aggressive towards a stranger, even though my actions were in self-defence and self-survival. Later, I read; I played chess with Yasmin, lost again, and went to bed early at 9:00 p.m.
Thanks again.
Thanks for reading my blog. Check out my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.
Richard
