This is where we are now... The Olympic games have begun, the displaced Cariocas have been repositioned, and the citizens of Rio are again dealing with an influx of people. The difference from the time of the World Cup is that though people are excited about the temporary influx of money, they are not as naive as before. They are not running out to buy a new TV, or expand their restaurant because they realize that until the political situation settles no one will know what will happen post Olympics.
Having personally walked as far as I could on the new Olympic bike path from Vidigal to Sao Conrado, after part of the path dropped off into the ocean, I know that distrust of the current optimism is not misplaced. I believe that national pride is almost all that's left of the previous hopes for the Brazilian economy, therefore it is not easy for me to jump on the bandwagon when people are upset that Brazilians boo opposing country's athletes. These countries including the U.S., China, Israel, Russia have benefited way more than the Brazilian people from the construction that has taken place to create the Olympic venues. Wait, correction, there are Brazilian individual, the 1 percenters, the billionaires, real estate developers and corrupt politicians have benefited, but that money will be taken out of the country, and not reinvested.
Which is why I know many entrepreneurs in Rio could care less about the politics in their own country and are only focused on making their immediate neighborhood better Which is why I believe most of the Brazilian people that I meet while in the U.S. are rarely involved in, or even know about the politics in their native country, its because many of them or a product of the money thats been taken out of the country over the years, and have attended prestigious schools here in the U.S. and can't speak about the injustices. But I can't hate the people, I hate the game.
No comments:
Post a Comment