For better or worse, America is an example to the world. On January 8, 20023, the Brazilian people had their own version of the USA insurrection post-election.
Flashback inspired by U.S. Assault to Capitol?
As I am typing this article, I can’t help but feel similarly as how I felt when I was looking at the events of January 6, 2021, in USA. But this time something eerily similar is happening in Brazil’s capital Brasilia. Very similar circumstances that seem to be following a familiar pattern. In this event former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro had a huge following, despite some of his controversial points of views and actions prior, during and post his presidency. As I type this, Bolsonaro’s supporters are storming the Brazil’s presidential palace, congress, and supreme court. I am not from Brazil, but the reason why I find important to speak about this is because it follows a pattern I’ve been speaking in my articles. Let’s explore some of the facts, and their significance.
Context…
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is currently in Florida, USA. He departed Brazil shortly after his opponent, Luis Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) prevailed during the last Brazilian presidential election. Bolsonaro never did actually conceded defeat in the presidential elections. If you’re unfamiliar with Brazil’s politics, then it is worth indicating that the country has been very polarized for several decades, and under Bolsonaro there was a spike in extreme views disguised as patriotic rhetoric – further polarizing the country.
Bolsonaro, much like other world leaders followed a playbook that was very much aligned with Trump’s rhetoric. In fact, if you were paying attention in the last five years or so, you would have known that Bolsonaro was described as the “Brazilian Trump.” And yes, some people considered that to be a compliment to the former Brazilian president. Bolsonaro was no stranger to criticism from his own country and from the international community alike. He ran as a strong man, and he was very much sticking to this particular style of governing.
Unfortunately for Brazil, the country has not been estranged to political corruption over many, many years. I even remember hearing about that even when I was a young boy growing in Ecuador. Which is very sad because Brazilian people are actually amazing. I’ve met a lot of Brazilian people in my 40+ years walking the planet, and I’ve ever met a Brazilian person I did not enjoy their company. If you haven’t been lucky enough to meet somebody from Brazil, you’re missing out, there are awesome.
I loved it so much I even learned to speak Portuguese… though I haven’t really spoken with anybody in Portuguese in the last 12 years because of where I live now. Regardless, because of this experience I was lucky enough to become very well versed in their culture and trust me when I tell you that Brazilian people are fascinating in their rich multi-dynamic culture. And from this deep understanding of their culture, I can see why some really sweet and wonderful people could be enticed to follow the rhetoric Bolsonaro was pushing – in the way it was presented to them. And this is a clear differentiation, how it is presented does not necessarily mean, that itis exactly how it is,
Obviously, I don’t subscribe to Bolsonaro’s doctrine, and I don’t have to either way because I am an American Citizen. However, I can still have my opinion as this not just a Brazilian, or American phenomenon (in the case of January 6, 2021) – it is a world-wide situation that has been taking root in many hearts and minds across the globe’s political spectrum. If you read my article “Today in America | 07 JAN 2023” or any of the previous ones, then you can see what I mean by that. To quickly summarize, there is a toxic epidemic that is poisoning the hearts and minds of otherwise good people into a tergiversated reality to support a nefarious agenda. Read that again.
Even though I am nowhere near Brazil, I am not surprised at all that this is happening in Brazil. It is heartbreaking and disturbing, but not surprising. And I am not alone, this has been telegraphed by both the perpetrators and those who were raising the warning bells. And just like I said at the beginning of this article, this is eerily similar to what we saw during January 6, 2021, in Washington D.C. In this case are Bolsonaro supporters dressed in Brazil’s colors which represented Bolsonaro’s regalia and fueled by their rhetoric, are essentially vandalizing the political center in Brasilia. And the catalyst for this was the misperception of a stolen election. Sounds familiar? It should.
Screen Capture from YouTube during Brazil's insurrection January 2023
Developing Story
Unfortunately, from where I am sitting, I don’t get to see all that is going on in Brazil as it was the case in USA back on January 6, 2021. But the timeline in Brazil seems to be very similar to what we saw in USA.
Bolsonaro ran against Lula who was a former president from the opposite side of the political spectrum. Bolsonaro is far Right, and Lula is for many considered far left. Several months leading to the election season, Bolsonaro started planted a seed that if he did not win, then it was without a doubt because the election was stolen. Keep that in mind as I’ll address that sentiment below in a bit. Of course, this seed sprouted in the hearts and minds of his followers. I’ve mentioned before that politics is a very strong motivator to people no matter where they are from.
Of course, for many years the rhetoric has been prompting people to take action. That day to them has arrived, as we can clearly see. There were hard core Bolsonaro supporters who did not believe Lula won, especially because it was a very close race. Lula was sworn into the Brazilian presidency last Sunday. Fast forward to today and Bolsonaro supporters marched from the Brazilian Army headquarters in Brasilia to what is known as the three Powers Place (Presidential Palace, Congress and Supreme Court). To include the Pálacio do Planalto, presidential offices and a few other government buildings.
According to the repots, there has been a lot of vandalism to these government buildings, and the motive is to destitute Lula and have Bolsonaro return to power. The question in everybody’s mind then could be. Is Bolsonaro responsible for all this? We will find out in the future for sure, but Bolsonaro is not even in Brazil right now. He’s in Florida. I have not heard yet what is his message to his supporters though. I’m sure I’ll learn that along with the rest of the world in the near term.
In either case, it would be extremely naïve to ascertain that the organizers of this attack to the political center of Brazil was planning on a vacuum. I would safely assume that they took extensive notes from the situation in Washington D.C. and the aftermath. Especially all the legal, prosecutorial and punitive consequences to all involved. I’m not insinuating that this is why Bolsonaro left the country ahead of this event, but it is definitely a smart strategy for him.
If you are a Bolsonaro supporter, I don’t have anything negative to say about you in particular. I don’t even know you. What I can tell you is that I am very well versed on how politics can polarize people.
As promised, I told you to keep in mind about the electoral fraud being claimed in Brazil, and back in USA. In the event that there was electoral fraud, that’s a down-check on the person in charge of the country at the time. That would mean that the fraud occurred under Trump’s watch or under Bolsonaro’s watch respectively. That means that their CHOSEN cabinet members are the people who are in charge of all this was fallacious if it allowed for election irregularities. Both Trump and Bolsonaro were world-famous for being able to get away with stuff most people who has roamed the earth have been able to get away with. And that would also imply that they would have very strong situation awareness on their cabinet members. That does not equal to “dissuade them” to do something contrary to what is considered lawful. That would be illegal.
Some people loved them in their respective countries, most people didn’t. That’s why they got voted out. And to be honest, people who understand a lot about politics do pay attention to politics around the world (In my humble view that’s what a functional adult should be doing anyway, because politics affect our future like it or not). And many get a sigh of relief once a polarizing figure gest voted out of office, even if they will never plan on visiting that country. Why you think is that? I’m sure opinions vary, but I would ascertain that it is because when a polarizing politician gest voted out it shows to the world that there is a chance to balance on what is supposed to be wholesome and good. Polarization inevitably swings a culture towards authoritarianism, and this can be dangerous around the world. This trend towards authoritarianism can be a long game or can more very quickly. I’ve lived long enough to see these trends growing up around thew world. Therefore, whatever I’m observing it is not something I cannot identify miles away.
With that said, the fact I can see it does not mean others will be able to see the same thing. That’s why I feel compelled to type this. History does repeat itself. You can agree with me or disagree with me on political doctrine – that’s fine, that’s why there are elections. As I said many times before I don’t swing left or right… I am very centered. That way I can hold accountable either side. That also keeps me objective on the pragmatism of their issues and doctrines. I’m not against a particular person, I am against a destructive ideology. And these ideologies tend to be a product of a cult of personality. It is normal, it has existed from the beginning of civilization.
You would think that in that long interval everybody would learn more about these cults of personality, right? Well, it is not that easy. Because a lot of times when we think about “learning from history” people think way far in the past. Like the times when people wore funny clothes or had films in black and white. The fact is that we make history every day, and when history is being made, many people don’t realize they are playing part of history. Today, for better or for worse, January 8, 2023, will be part of Brazil’s history, and it is part of world history. As with every chapter of history, who was in the right and who was in the wrong side of history? Food for thought. Look forward to an update on this situation in a future article. Thank you for reading this far! HLC