Brazzil

It’s undeniable that Mr. Buarque has his heart and compassion in the right place. What is questionable is the apparent perpetuation of the politics of victimism that seems to be so fashionable in some circles. It’s not my place to criticize Senator Buarque and his contributions to social welfare in the Federal District and to education in Brazil. But Senator Buarque’s account lacks any attempt to propose solutions for the issue he presents. While he concedes that the new resorts in Porto de Galinhas generate jobs and resources, he offers no analysis on the role of the government itself (and legislators like himself) on the situation of those who are being displaced (and replaced) by modern enterprises. At no point Mr. Buarque looks inwardly and puts forth even a hint of a plan of action, but the one of offering, once again, government hand-outs which are only quick-fix solutions. In his most recent article, “O Bom Elitismo” (http://www.cristovam.com.br/?p...&idcanal=9), Mr. Buarque applauds the actions of the Instituto Rio Branco (changing English from an eliminatory subject to a classificatory one), and argues that “Brazil’s diplomacy cannot continue loosing excellent candidates, who weren’t proficient in English prior to their admission.” So, again, we victimize a segment of society (that is those who, in his opinion, “didn’t have the opportunity to live abroad, or whose parents are not bilingual, or who didn’t have a chance to engage in language studies early in life, or who don’t have the specific inclination for languages” – this last one is my personal favorite), bring the bar lower, and offer hand-outs. Not a plan, not a task list, nothing. Don’t get me wrong, I believe his heart is in the right place, but is there Wisdom? Is there a Vision? Is this what “democratization” (a word in fashion, these days) is all about?