Brazilian culture is internationally known for being warm, with its welcoming people and beautiful beaches.
To certain extent, all that is true.
But there are negative aspects about Brazilian culture as well.
As a foreigner, you’ve probably experience some… that is, if you’ve been to Brazil.
If you haven’t visited this country, or if you’d like to hear it from a Brazilian who breathes the country (I do, I’m a teacher of Brazilian Portuguese), I’ll introduce you to some of the peskier details about my culture.
What aspects, you ask?
Social indifference…
Rudeness…
Environmental neglect …
Corruption as a lifestyle…
These aspects shed light on the challenges and issues that are often overlooked.
It is important to note that these negative aspects do not define Brazilian culture entirely, but rather serve as a critical reflection and starting point for discussion.
1 “Who are you in the line of the bread?”
The above headline is a direct translation of a funny liner favorite of many Brazilians.
It spells out the indifference and rudeness toward strangers who get in our way.
And getting in our way is very easy to do.
But—
Social indifference and rudeness are negative aspects that can sometimes be observed in Brazilian culture.
Although Brazilians are generally known for their warmth and friendliness, there are instances where social indifference and rudeness prevail.
One example of social indifference and rudeness can be seen in situations where individuals display indifference towards those outside their social circle.
You see, sometimes neighbors play loud music all night and respond with offensive language when politely asked to lower the volume (“vai se f****” is something I’ve heard myself when complaining about a particularly noisy neighbor in my hometown).
Or if you’re not among their circle of friends, people will not even say good morning to you.
It is essential to recognize that not all Brazilians exhibit social indifference and rudeness, though; but it is important to address these negative aspects as part of an ongoing cultural conversation.
2 Competitive and Opportunistic Behavior
Another negative aspect of Brazilian culture is the presence of competitive and opportunistic behavior. Some people give a positive tint to the word opportunistic. For me it is entirely negative. And it's going from this point of view that I describe the situations in which this kind of opportunistic behavior can be seen.
Nobody Respects Traffic
In the context of traffic, for example, it is common to witness individuals ignoring traffic rules and prioritizing their own interests without considering the safety and convenience of others.
One of my friends went to Germany once. She said that as soon as she stepped on the marked crosswalk, cars would stop. My friend doesn't usually lie, so I believe her. And she's Brazilian too, so she's used to the fact that cars never stop here when you are in the marked crosswalk.
They never stop.
Sometimes they will even speed by so as to avoid stopping for you.
And that's just one instance. As I am not a driver, I cannot tell you firsthand how terrible it is to drive here in Brazil. But this video will show you a little about it.
3 The 'Levar Vantagem' Culture
This behavior is rooted in the 'levar vantagem' culture, which translates to seeking advantage or gaining an advantage over others.
In Brazilian culture, this opportunistic mindset often prevails.
And it is reflected in the language as well.
When I teach my students the meaning of the word “esperto”, I always struggle to explain to them that it's not only smart, but it's smart in a cunning way.
It's the kind of “smart” of the guy who fixes your computer and charges you $300 for a problem that didn't even exist.
It's the kind of smart that tells you are stupid if you don't take advantage of someone who is clearly disoriented.
I personally hate this. It's hard to navigate social situations when you know other people are never going to take you into consideration in their decisions.
But it is what we have.
4 “Pollution is the others”
Environmental neglect is a significant negative aspect of Brazilian culture.
Unfortunately, littering has become a norm in certain areas, and people waste a lot of resources just because it looks nice. I’ll explain.
Littering as a Norm
Littering has become ingrained in Brazilian culture, with many individuals thinking nothing of tossing their trash onto the streets or in public spaces.
When I am riding the bus, I'm often baffled by people who've tossed their trash by me.
I mean, I am sitting by the window and they stretch out their arm to throw trash out of the window. I see there arm in front of me and the hand going out of the window and throwing whatever they have.
If you say something, they'll tell you to shut up.
That's why I just give them the evil eye.
This careless behavior contributes to the accumulation of waste. And you'll see a lot of it in the streets.
Resource Management and Wasteful Practices
In addition to littering, Brazil faces challenges in resource management and wasteful practices. Despite being blessed with abundant natural resources, the country often fails to manage them sustainably.
Sometimes it's led by profit.
After all, it's not profitable to preserve nature.
It's way more profitable to destroy it. Then we think of a solution like a rocket to take us out of the planet.
5 Corruption in Business and Government
Corruption is a prevalent negative aspect of Brazilian culture that has deeply rooted itself within the realms of business and government.
Some sociologists have created the term patrimonialism. It's when people in power mix what's public and what's private. It's not a confusion. It's done on purpose. If you are a deputy and you have control over the public machinery, as we call the “government” in Brazil, you will take advantage of it for your own benefit.
After all, everything public belongs to you.
And that corrosive thought pervades every sphere of public and private life.
Normalizing Corrupt Practices
In Brazilian culture, the normalization of corrupt practices has perpetuated a worrying trend that erodes public trust and undermines the integrity of institutions.
Over time, corrupt practices have become normalized, making it even more challenging to eradicate corruption from the business and government sectors.
This normalization not only hampers progress in addressing corruption but also contributes to a sense of resignation and acceptance among the population.
Elections
Election cycles play a crucial role in shaping public trust in government and the perception of corruption in Brazil.
During election periods, political campaigns often promise to tackle corruption and promote transparency.
But we all know it's never going to be tackled.
So much so that in Brazil we have coined the phrase, “He steals, but he does something.” (“ele rouba, mas faz.”)
It was first a politician who came up with the sentence to say that his adversary was corrupt, but he did what he said he was going to do [in Portuguese]. The fact that he embezzled money from the public treasury was just a pesky detail.
6 Obsession with Physical Appearance
An obsession with physical appearance is another negative aspect of Brazilian culture.
Although valuing physical appearance is not unique to Brazil, it plays a significant role within Brazilian society.
This obsession can lead to body image issues, unhealthy beauty standards, and a culture of competition and comparison.
In Brazilian culture, there is a strong emphasis on physical attractiveness, which can create pressure for individuals to conform to certain beauty ideals.
This can result in low self-esteem, body dysmorphia, and unhealthy behaviors such as extreme dieting or excessive cosmetic procedures.
An obsession with body image can even facilitate the work of charlatans like “Doctor Buttocks,” [in Portuguese] who maimed several women in the surgical stretcher he had in his apartment-cum-clinic.
7 From “he is a cuckold, but he’s my friend” to “I killed her because she cheated on me”
This headline comes from a famous song of the 1990s, “ele é corno, mas é meu amigo.”
It pokes fun at those people who were cheated on but took it in stride.
Infidelity is a cultural concern within Brazilian society.
Yeah, yeah, I know, infidelity exists in various cultures. But it is seen as more prevalent in Brazil, and it leads to concerns about trust and fidelity within relationships.
And my gripe with infidelity is not that it exists. It is a common human behavior. The thing I don't like is the aura surrounding it.
First and foremost, if a man is unfaithful to his partner, people think this is natural and even expected.
If a woman is unfaithful to her partner, people think this is shameful and should be punished.
And now I will speak of specifically heterosexual relationships.
For a long while in Brazil, there existed a law called protection of honor. According to this law, the men had the right to kill his wife if she had somehow “dirtied” his name.
The most common way to smear someone's reputation was betrayal.
So if a wife cheated upon her husband, she could be killed and justice would say the men was protecting his honor.
This is an ancient law and didn't exist for long. But up to this day, many men have this idea in mind. This idea that it's OK to kill as long as it's to protect your honor.
And that idea has led Brazil to become one of the “champions” of femicide.
The idea that a woman should be punished is so prevalent that sometimes people will say, “She was looking for it,” after a woman is murdered by her husband.
8 Class System and Economic Mobility
The class system and limited economic mobility present a negative aspect of Brazilian culture. Brazil's social structure is characterized by significant inequalities, with a wealthy elite and a large population living in poverty [in Portuguese].
And most people think it's normal that only five people in the whole country have a combined wealth that matches that of 50% of the population. We’re talking about 5 people against 110 MILLION people.
Classism and Entitlement
Classism and entitlement among the privileged exacerbate the challenges faced by those in lower social classes.
And one doesn't really need to actually belong to a social class to feel like that social class.
One personal anecdote.
I live in a house in development that we call “popular” in Brazil. And popular in Portuguese carries two meanings: Something that is popular and something that is cheap.
And my housing development has the second meaning.
For long while, the entrance to this housing development was open. In fact, it was built so. There was no gate. Anyone could come and go. And it was OK for 20 years.
In the past year, some neighbors were tired of seeing homeless people wandering around asking for money. They organized themselves and after struggling a lot to raise the money, they raised enough money to put a gate here.
Now that there is a gate, they are saying that no homeless people are allowed.
But let me tell you the difference between those homeless people and my neighbors is about $300.
If those homeless people had $300 to afford rent and foo, they would live in here.
But my neighbors don't see that. They believe homeless people are scum. They don't want homeless people wandering about. After all, poverty is ugly.
But if one of them gets cancer and cannot go to work anymore, they will end up on the streets just like those homeless people.
And this happens because they believe they're middle class. After all, anyone earning more than 1000 Brazilian reais (about $200 in 2023’s money) in a house is Classe Média (in Portuguese).
Service Sector Reliability and Work Ethic
Rio de Janeiro is nationally known for the terrible service of the service sector.
But it's not only in Rio de Janeiro.
I've lived in two states. And they can say both have terrible service most of the time.
If you order something online, you will surely not receive it in time if it depends on the Correios (The Brazilian UPS).
If you are in a restaurant and you need to think before you order food, you will be treated like you’re bothering the waiters… who coulnd’t be bothered.
9 Poverty and the attitude that you’re poor because you don’t want it enough
The poverty trap and high crime rates contribute to the challenges faced by those in lower social classes.
The lack of economic opportunities and resources leads to a cycle of poverty that is difficult to break free from.
Desperation and limited options can push individuals into engaging in criminal activities as a means of survival, perpetuating a vicious cycle of poverty and crime within Brazilian society.
I know I've been very lucky.
My father was an alcoholic when I was growing up. But my mother could make ends meet and send mother to school. My father eventually came around and helped a little and then we had good public education. My neighborhood was not as violent then as it is now. So I had a chance to go to school and come back home without harm.
But many Brazilians don't have that chance. And I hate when some Brazilians say, “You just don't want it enough.” Fuck you.
10 We don't say what we mean and we don't mean what we say
Imagine you bought some food. You know, this food has to be a little bit spicy, not too much.
Your first bites in and you find out it's too spicy.
What do you do?
A) You say it's too spicy and demand a replacement.
B) You say it's kind of spicy and laugh it off and ask for some water to wash it down.
C) You say it tastes good and but right now you feel full, and you'll eat it later.
The further down you choose, the closer to being Brazilian you are.
It so happens that in Brazil we don't usually criticize people openly. Even if we don't like them, we may smile at them and say how cool they are.
Then we go home and trash-talk them.
Of course, that is an extreme example.
Let me give you a more everyday example.
I just woke up. It's my day off. I want to spend the whole day just looking at my nails grow. But then a neighbor comes by my door. She says she needs my help. If she doesn't leave the door open, that is, if she doesn't give me a way out of her request, I will feel obliged to help her.
A way out she might offer?
“If you're busy now, it's OK. I can do it by myself.”
If she doesn't offer a way out?
I could say something like, “It's just that I'm preparing to welcome my family here. I haven't seen them in a while and right now I am busy.”
But my family is miles away and they are never coming today.
She will latch on to the fact that I don't want to help her.
But I could never say, “It's just that I don't want to do anything now.”
That would be considered rude. Even though it is the truth.
Brazilians interrupt a lot
I think it was Fran Lebowitz who said that the opposite of talking isn't listening. It's waiting.
And that's what seems to be the rule in Brazil.
Of course, that's not everyone. But most people that I talk to, especially men, tend to just wait for the turn to say something.
They don't actually listen to what you say.
If you want to be heard, you have to talk louder. And that's why sometimes Brazilians seem to fight a lot when they're actually just having a normal, everyday conversation.
Brazilians don't read
That's a personal pet peeve about my country.
I know it's rooted in the fact that we were colonized by Portugal. And Portugal didn't allow any printing press in Brazil until Portugal let go of Brazil’s neck to suck blood somewhere else [long but important article in Portuguese].
And the fact that Brazilians don't read has several impacts in communication.
First, if you need to send an e-mail, don't do it.
People will not read it.
And if they do, they are likely to misconstrue it.
It's better to send a WhatsApp message. Even better, send a recording.
And if you’re selling something online (probably on Instagram), people will ask how much it is even if you SPELL OUT THE PRICE IN CAPITAL LETTERS.
Believe me. It’s nerve-wracking.
That was what we call “a rant”
Of course, I could talk about lots of bad things about Brazilian culture. But it has so many positive aspects that, at the end of the day, we can say they level each other out.
But many Brazilians prefer to leave the country if they have a chance.
What would you do?
Also, if you’ve been to Brazil, what is it about Brazilian culture that rubs you the wrong way?
Don’t be shy. I know Brazilians hate when foreigners criticize their country, but I’m opening up this safe space for you to express your thoughts. Just be mindful of the number of curse words.
And if you’d like to know more about Brazilian culture, check out our blog.