thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
personal experience. Next is someone you personally know that said so. Third is television (and within television, it's a tough call whether the news or the soap operas are more likely to form opinion on a burning question such as "do foreigners bathe or not?").-To a certain extent, reading is something you do if there is something wrong with you. In times of depression, if you don't reach for the bible, you probably read self-help books, the only type of literature that appears to be widely available.-One makes written advertisements (like pamphlets) at his risk - even people that can read the information might find the effort too great to bother, and will chuck it in the street. In my experience trying to advertise a free community movie theater, most people did not achieve an understanding of what the advertisement said without some coaching (and it probably contained a total of 20 words).I started to think about all this while reading a new book called "The Information", that briefly delves into a study on illiteracy in Central Asia in the 1930s. The researcher found that illiterate subjects could not or would not make "logical" arguments. The author gives the example of the syllogismish question:All bears in the North are white.City X is in the North.What color are the bears in City X?The literate observer will say "White". The illiterate respondent will say something like "I don't know. I've never been there. I've only seen black bears".Now, this is quite a bit more extreme than anything I've seen here in Bahia, but it still seemed to get at a kernel of truth about why I find it so hard to relate to people here. "The Information" goes on to argue that the very thought processes of literate and illiterate individuals are quite different, and formal logic and argumentation are basically impossible without literacy.Typically when a foreigner feels a disconnect in the country he's in, he's likely to simply attribute it to "cultural differences." But what if much of the culural difference he feels in a place like Bahia is in fact attributable to the difference in literacy levels?I don't know how big the impact is - I'm certain it exists, but I don't know if it's a lot or a little. But I'd consider the following observations as candidates for further exploration:-Very few people in my experience, including college students, can grasp a complicated or nuanced argument, text-based or not. It's a tough task for anyone, but I'd guess that in more literate countries, there is at least a significant portion of the population that can generally understand what follows logically from a fact and what doesn't. I reckon that population to be very small where I live.*-There is an astonishing inability to think creatively among most people. When I teach English from a textbook to groups, a good part of the exercises must simply be thrown out, because no more than one in five students can answer a question like "describe your ideal house" or do role playing. They sit silently hoping
to avoid the question, or simply say "I don't know". If you give numerous examples, you can probably get them to choose the best example. But few students will come up with an original idea, and it's not because of language issues (I and others have observed creativity issues a thousand times).-There is a penchant for believing in preposterous conspiracy theories that I think most literate people could discard after a moment's reflection.**I hope I'm not coming down to hard on the people here. It's worth noting that any population, including that of the US, struggles with the challenges of logic, creativity, etc. And people everywhere love crazy conspiracy theories, and do not like to change their mind.But even with that in mind, I still propose (as a hypothesis for further consideration, not as a fact) that low literacy rates play a major role in local culture and that, as a correlary, if and when serious functional literacy real takes hold in the region, the culture will undergo some significant changes.I have a lot more to say (and many more qualification to make, such as "what if it's not literacy per se, but rather a cultural factor that promotes literacy and other related factors at the same time that really counts? Say, and 'educational culture'?"), but more on this later after some research, se deus quiser.*To give an example from a few days ago, an English student of mine (who is also a college student) had heard some information to the effect that many words related to capoeira come from African languages. She translated this into the contention that all words related to capoeira, including the word "capoeira", come from African languages. I had read a couple books about the subject and knew that the origins are pretty murky and disputed, so I tried to argue that, while its indisputable that many words used in capoeira (say "berimbau")are of African origin, that doesn't mean all are, and the word "capoeira" itself could be an African word, or a Brazilian word based on an African word, or purely a Brazilian word (the word "capoeira" also refers to a portable chicken cage, which may be related to its origins), but probably no one knows for sure. But she appeared to take my qualification as a wholesale rejection of her idea and merely replied by repeating a few times what she'd already said: "All those capoeira words are African words". The anecdote doesn't amount to much, but I feel it's fairly representative of what I find on the rare occassions where I leave "nice conversation mode" and move into "fact-parsing mode".**An excellent example: a friend told me that he found out that the moon landing was a fraud. How did he know? Exhibit A: the astronaut had a shadow. Exhibit B: the astronaut was stuck to the floor (that is, he was feeling the effect of gravity rather than floating in space).Now, dear reader, see if 5 seconds is enough to conclude that this is absurd. I'll wait.As for A, you don't have to know
much to see that, if you can see anything, there is light, and if there is light, there is a shadow. If the astronaut wasn't shrouded in absolute darkness (which he wasn't - we can see him in the video), then we know that he must have had a shadow. For B, most of us learned in school that anything that has mass has gravity, and the moon certainly has a lot of mass. So of course the astronaut is on the ground rather than floating. If I recall correctly, the moon has 1/6 the gravity of earth.But of course, my argument wasn't very convincing - he'd heard his ridiculous theory from a friend he admired, so logic wasn't likely to get in the way. My friend ended the conversation with "He had a bunch of other proofs too, I just can't remember them now".
Over the last decade, consumer credit has exploded in Brazil. The stabilization of the economy in the 1990's included a precipitous fall in inflation, which allowed consumers and firms to start thinking a bit more long-term: banks, companies and the government have been looking for ways to make up for lost time and lost consumption ever since. One result has been a huge rise in credit. This chart shows the absolute since 2002, taken from the Central Bank - the total 2002-2011 nominal growth was 438%.The strong credit growth, which has been from 10% to 30% for every year shown here, has stirred plenty of debate about the health of Brazil's economy, especially in the middle of 2011. The blog brazilianbubble.com shares news daily to support its position that the Brazilian economy is headed for a disaster. Major publications like the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek have questioned the ability of Brazilian consumers to manage this debt, and praised strong credit growth as an indicator of economic strength (and the blog beyondbrics refers to the debate here). The layman can be forgiven for not being certain what to conclude, and we can expect public opinion to keep changing by the month.But whether a bubble is on its way to bursting or not, it is certainly the case that these scintillating growth rates in credit can't go on forever. As of 2010, the World Bank has credit at 57% of the Brazilian economy, about double what it was in 2002. Of course, this is far from outrageous, as the world average is over 100%. But for lower-middle income countries, Brazil is above average, and given new concerns about inflation eating into disposable income in the country, its questionable whether Brazilians can afford serious continued growth in the cost of paying down debt. No one doubts that credit has played a crucial role in Brazil's recent economic success. Brazil's leaders have defined their strategy as appealing to the "internal market" and developing consumption as an alternative to export-led growth. Consumption has become so crucial as an economic and political tool that a Brazilian political scientist has even attributed voting patterns to which candidate allows them to increase consumption the most. Almost everything, from a semester of English classes to a new stereo is paid in monthly installments - to the point where the displayed price is almost never what you pay up front. Consumers that don't want to pay interest rates (though most Brazilian consumers have falling for the trick of presenting up-front payment as a "discount" rather than avoiding interest) have to ask for the price "a vista". Consumption and credit are fully intertwined in the Brazilian economy.Though credit growth is slowing, it should still continue to be significant. The Brazilian Central Bank expects growth of 15% in 2012, down from 18% in 2011. In the mid to long-term, responsible credit growth will only become more difficult as the market saturates.What will replace credit as a major driver of economic growth in Brazil? It's possible that a coming oil economy
will step in to fill the gap, or that the country will finally turn to real productivity gains down the line. But we should expect the low-hanging fruit credit has provided for the last decade to be exhausted soon enough, and a more arduous growth strategy based on investment and productivity to be necessary.
An interesting survey of over five thousand executives seems to show a particular aspect of Brazilian business culture. According to business magazine Exame, the dream destination of Brazilian executives is Brazil's state-run petroleum giant Petrobras. While the company is legendary for its investment in training and opportunities for advancement (all well as government benefits), the downside is serious as well - the link between performance and remuneration is a bit weak. Employees that perform well can't look forward to bonuses. On the other hand, lazy employees are unlikely to get fired, and the magazine reports that Petrobras cut only 0.05% of its workforce in 2011.The article concludes that Brazilian workers, or at least those over 25, seem to prefer stabiity and to guard against potential losses, rather than maximize potential financial gain or working in an environment that value efficiency. A friend of mine who is captain of a petroleum ship has given me an idea of the kind of inefficiency to be expected; lack of respect for oil delivery schedules (apparently fatal in the oil industry), a willingness to send boats out without ensuring they'll have something on board for the return trip (wasted trips deal a severe blow to profit margins) and a lack of planning that leaves him without ever knowing, or being able to tell his family, whether he'll be back for the holidays or not.Will todays 25-year-olds change their mind as they age and become responsible for families, or do they represent a generational difference that heralds more appetite for risk in the future? Check back in ten years for the answer. For those that learn about Brazil reading books from the US or the UK (say, The Forgotten Continent by The Economist's Michael Reid, or the duo of books from 2010, The New Brazil and Brazil on the Rise, reviewed elsewhere in this blog), former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso typically comes off quite well. Before entering the presidency, he was the man that solved Brazil's inflation problems. While in office, he made some reforms that have turned out well by some measures, like the privatization of state-run companies has turned tax dollar-draining duds into global powerhouses (including Vale and Embraer). He also started several social programs (that have since been rebranded by his competitors) and got the ball rolling to try to improve Brazil's dismal public education. He spent years abroad after becoming a persona non grata for opposing the dictatorship, and is an accomplished academic with a PhD in sociology.He had some faults too - there was undoubtedly some level of corruption in his privatizations, and his second term in office was unsuccessful (though perhaps this can be attributed to a lack of sufficient corruption - he didn't buy off congress to support his agenda).In Brazil itself, evaluations of the former president are far from universally positive. In Bahia, a stronghold of his opponents in the Workers Party, he is detested by a large part of the population, often irrationally so; my wife refuses to use academic books with his name on them, even if
they'd be useful for a college paper. As far as I can tell, the chasm between the international view of FCH comes down to two important points that separate Brazil from the US and UK - identity politics as practiced in Brazil, and a culture of training people to use the word "neoliberal" a lot, and with great disdain, about people that try to reform Brazil's bloated government.In the case of identity politics, Brazilians consider FHC to be arrogant and out of touch with common people. He may well have a fantastic ego, and his professorial demeanor can be offputting to some. Like any politician that wants to survive, he spins things to be favorable to him, and wants to convince the world that his contribution was important. On the other hand, he is probably just as often the victim of spin against him. He once argued that a serious problem in education was the fact that teachers are the lowest-level professionals - that is, that teachers are typically people that can't get a better job. He's completely right, but the statement was turned into an attack on teachers by his opponents, who spun the statement to mean that teachers are a bunch of lazy bums. To this day, he is dispised by a large contingent of Brazilian teachers (explaining the misunderstanding of his statement does nothing to alleviate the hatred).Personally, I don't care very much for identity politics. As for the charge that FHC gave the country away to foreigners, Brazil is profiting still from changes he and others brought about (but most people are attributing economic growth to Lula instead). So, though I try to maintain a healthy skepticism, and by default consider any Brazilian politician corrupt, I tend to more or less see FHC as the international press does.Take a look at the current interview with him in the Economist - it's mostly politics with only a bit of information about Brazil's economic development (regarding economic development, the most interesting part is perhaps some quick mentions of the rising middle class in Brazil and how it is more market-oriented and less dependent on government, which might herald changes further down the road). But he comes off as a pretty reasonable guy. He takes credit for Brazil's recent success (such as when he mentions that everyone was afraid of Lula undoing all the progress "he" had made), but he is also anxious for new leaders to step in. He admits to mistakes. He might criticize Lula and other opponents, but he does so reservedly and rationally. Contrast this with Lula's interview in the New Yorker some months ago (which I summarized in another entry), in which Lula spends the entire time insisting that black is white - his bungles are actually the pride of others, inventions of others never existed, everything before him was doomed to failure.You probably shouldn't draw too many conclusions about real presidential performance based on their interviews, but then again, if so many people love Lula and hate FHC becase of their personality differences, why can't
[...] Porque ser gente e isso. E sentir, sonhar, se iludir, e querer, e ser. Porque ser gente Ze e saber que ninguem e igual a ninguem, e aceitar. So te peco isso Ze. Me olha nos olhos, pega minha mao, diz que passou, que acabou...Me diz que tem algum lugar nesse mundo, que eu me sinta inteiramente minha, que eu nao me distraia de mim, que eu me enxergue em mim. Me diz Ze, que eu vou voltar a sentir como o mundo sente, que eu vou chorar com a alma e nao chorar simplesmente porque meus olhos pedem. Me diz que vou chorar com o coracao... Me abraca Ze, e diz que esse gelo vai quebrar.Porque eu sei Ze, que voce sabe o quao e dificil para mim sorrir, o quao e dificil colocar um sorriso no rosto e enfrentar o mundo. Me abraca Ze, me abraca... [...] Olha... Desculpe-me. Desculpe-me se eu sou fraca, se eu nao consigo sair dessa. Desculpe-me por ficar com as macas do rosto vermelhas, por ficar suando frio, por sentir frio na barriga.Desculpe-me se eu te falei muita coisa, e voce nem ouviu. Eu so queria conversar. Desculpe-me se eu te irritei. Eu so queria mostrar minha alegria para alguem.Desculpe-me se eu abri todas as minhas feridas pra voce olhar e me ajudar. Eu so queria um conselho.Desculpe-me se eu ja chorei no seu ombro. Eu so queria um abraco.Desculpe-me se te olhei nos olhos. Desculpe-me....Eu so vim te falar: Desculpe-me por eu ser fraca, por ser sensivel e ser eu mesma. Eu so fiz o meu melhor.Desculpe-me. Quando eu me sinto sozinha, eu olho para o ceu. Porque nao importa o lugar em que eu esteja, o sol de dia, ou a lua de noite vai estar olhando por mim. Pode ser uma coisa boba, mais em dias assim isso me anima, porque eu sei que nao importa o que eu tenha feito, alguma coisa esta olhando por mim. O sol, e a lua... sempre se revezando para cuidar de mim, para me acolher, para me confortar... Coracao diz: Quero!Cerebro diz: Nao! Da ultima vez voce se machucou... Porque eu estava ali. Querendo ou nao eu estava.Durante segundos, senti meu corpo nao responder a mim. Sim, ele nao respondia!Senti nojo de estar ali. E como se, tudo aquilo de que eu fugi por anos, voltasse com tudo...A boca seca, a mao suando frio, as pernas bambeiam, a alma pede ajuda!Porque nao! Eu nao sou obrigada e ver e sentir nada disso, nao de novo, nao agora. Me da vontade de ir embora. Ir embora para a minha casa, para as minhas coisas, para o meu mundo. Sinto que meus olhos querem transbordar. Nao! Nao venha falar comigo, eu nao quero ouvir a sua voz...Porque foi voce, mulher sem coracao, que me disse coisas tao... tao crueis.Finalmente chega a hora de partir, e sim, eu vou correndo. Porque sabe, voce nao sabe como e dificil parecer estar bem, voce nao sabe... Mas tudo bem, vamos... Vamos. Tentaram me fazer acreditar que o amor nao
existe, e que sonhos estao fora de moda. Cavaram um buraco bem fundo e tentaram enterrar todos os meus desejos, um a um, como fizeram com os deles. Mas, como menina-teimosa que sou, ainda insisto em desentortar os caminhos. Em construir castelos sem pensar nos ventos. Em buscar verdades enquanto elas tentam fugir de mim. A manter meu buque de sorrisos no rosto, sem perder a vontade de antes.Porque, aprendi que a vida, apesar de bruta, e meio magica. Da sempre pra tirar um coelho da cartola.(Caio Fernando Abreu)
[...] Queria te dizer tanta coisa. Queria te dizer o quanto voce me faz falta, o quanto que as pessoas estao me fazendo sofrer e voce nao esta aqui pra me ajudar, o quanto eu quero conversar, o quanto eu quero te abracar...Voce foi embora, e a ultima imagem que eu tenho de voce, foi voce andando de vagar, como se tivesse deixando muita coisa pra tras.Voce foi embora levando muita coisa, levando muita historia...Lembra de quando riamos? Riamos tanto que incomodavamos as pessoas...Lembra de quantas vezes eu estava triste e voce me ajudou? Lembra de quando voce fazia suas gracas, e eu ficava brava?Lembra meu amigo, de quando voce cantava: "O tempo vai passar, os anos vao confirmar, as tres palavras que eu proferi, amigo eu estou aqui."As vezes parece que nao se lembra, mais tem que lembrar. Tem! [...] "Feche os olhos e finja que e so um sonho ruim, e assim que eu faco." (Piratas do Caribe) 20 de Julho. Poucos sabem, mais hoje e o dia do amigo. E foi impossivel eu nao lembrar da minha amiga, da minha melhor amiga. Aquela que me conhece desde que eu era crianca. O tempo passou tao rapido e se nos pararmos para pensar, ja vai fazer 11 anos que eu te conheco, 11 ano de amizade. Voce que sempre esteve aqui, quando eu mais precisei. Voce ficou do meu lado quando todo mundo foi embora. Voce que sempre me aguentou, aguentou minhas tpms, minhas chatices, minhas mesquinharias, mais nunca deixou de ficar do meu lado. Voce as vezes fica no seu canto, quieta, e eu sempre fico preocupada com voce. Mais ai eu te pergunto o que voce tem e voce diz que esta com sono. Ai eu fico aliviada, porque no fundo eu sempre estou com medo de ter feito alguma coisa que voce nao gostou ou te magoou. Eu tenho medo porque voce e muito especial pra mim. Ja pensou se nos brigassemos e nunca mais conversasse? Quem iria dizer que eu fico meiga chorando? Quem iria dizer que nao esta afim de sair porque esta cansadinha? Quem me iria xingar de todos os nomes possiveis do mundo e eu escuto como se fosse um elogio, uma forma de carinho? Pra quem eu iria falar tudo que eu nao falo pra ninguem? Me diz, pra quem? Voce sempre foi, e sempre vai ser especial. E nesse dia tudo que eu tenho pra te dizer e: Muito obrigada por existir. De repente, do nada. Assim mesmo, da pessoa mais improvavel do mundo, no lugar mais estranho do mundo, do jeito mais feio, renasce la do fundo, la do que sobrou de tudo, uma esperanca infindavel. E o que era ruim, se transformou em bom. O que era feio, ficou bonito. O que era cinza, ficou azul. E o insensivel virou gente. Eu sei que nao e da conta de ninguem, e que o certo era eu ficar bem quietinha, mais olha, aqui dentro, bem no lado esquerdo do meu peito, esta transbordando de esperanca, de vida, de mim. E
nao venha me perguntar porque. So sei que ele, meu coracaozinho tao ingenuo e vermelhinho, voltou a bater. E mesmo ele nao falando, eu senti ele sussurrar dentro de mim: "Vai ser feliz". E por isso ca estou eu. Escrevendo. Porque incrivelmente a coisa que me da mais prazer e isso. Escrever. ele gritou dentro de mim: "VAI SER FELIZ" e eu fui, e estou sendo. Do meu jeito, estou sendo. E desculpa, eu nao vou decepciona-lo, nao de novo.