Shattered Perceptions

                When you think of Brazil, what images come to mind?  Arial footage taken from a helicopter of the Senhor Redentor statue in Rio de Janeiro?  Miles and miles of pristine beaches before a mountainous tropical coastline?  A small boat on the Amazon River surrounded by the greatest display of floral and special diversity known to man?  A little over a month ago, what I imagined as I giddily prepared to participate in a university exchange to Brazil was a nation crazy about football.   I saw children playing the game barefoot in the streets in every other neighborhood.  I saw teenagers with crazy dangles tearing up the futsal courts at the local parks.  I saw the world’s most storied soccer nation overjoyed to be hosting soccer’s biggest event and cheering for their beloved team to bring home a sixth World Cup.

                It’s funny how often my naïve perceptions get blown out of the water by reality.  The reality of Brazil is far different than I expected.  The natural beauty of the country is real.  But the soccer lover’s paradise that I’d envisioned has yet to reveal itself.  When Brazil was awarded the right to hold the 2014 World Cup back in 2007 the news was greeted with enthusiasm.  But things have changed since then.  The optimism cooled to a simmer as the economy of the country slowed and then was replaced with skepticism and even outrage as extravagant spending on stadiums lead to accusations of corruption and missed deadlines lead to fear of the event being an embarrassing fiasco.  Matthew M. Taylor’s article here does a good job of concisely explaining the conditions leading to the current unrest in Brazil.

                I have yet to speak with a Brazilian who is happy that the World Cup is going to be in Brazil.  The members of the family with which I am living expressed to me their concerns.  The money spent on the stadiums was excessive.  The stadium in Brasilia, the nation’s capital, cost over a billion reais.  And for what?  To host an expensive soccer game that most Brazilians can’t attend?  The government funded education system is terrible.  The public health system is swamped and lacking resources.  Why are funds going to pay for a party for the rest of the world when it could be put to use helping people who need it?  One person told me, “Don’t get me wrong, I love Brazil and I love our soccer team, but I almost don’t want them to win because I’m afraid if we win the cup people will forget all the problems and mistakes that have been made.”

                I explained these shattered perceptions to a lady on the bus two days ago.  (My Portuguese is improving!)  She’s a professor at the federal university here in Curitiba.  She explained to me that Curitiba is not indicative of the rest of Brazil.  Things culturally are different here.  But something that is almost universal in Brazil is the unrest and dissatisfaction about the World Cup.