Post: #1

I often see a lot of discussion on this forum from guys inquiring about which places in Latin America are best for blacks.

This website for the documentary, Afrolatinos, has some generally resourceful information about the local history and culture for people of African descent in myriad countries across Latin America.

Check out this link and simply click on the country you're curious about: http://www.afrolatinos.tv/index.php?roots.map

I would have to agree, based on my own empirical evidence, that Brazil is truly the only country in Latin America where being black is about as equal a footing you will find with anyone else of any race within your class. I would venture to say it's even ahead of the US in that respect.

There is really no other place in Latin America where I found the level of awareness and celebration of African heritage as Brazil.

Afrolatinos also has some video content that you can find on YouTube.

Enjoy.

Post: #2

(12-12-2011 09:05 PM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  I often see a lot of discussion on this forum from guys inquiring about which places in Latin America are best for blacks.

This website for the documentary, Afrolatinos, has some generally resourceful information about the local history and culture for people of African descent in myriad countries across Latin America.



I would have to agree, based on my own empirical evidence, that Brazil is truly the only country in Latin America where being black is about as equal a footing you will find with anyone else of any race within your class. I would venture to say it's even ahead of the US in that respect.

There is really no other place in Latin America where I found the level of awareness and celebration of African heritage as Brazil.

Afrolatinos also has some video content that you can find on YouTube.

Enjoy.

Really...well if you do a google search on racism+brazil+youtube there is a whole bunch of evidence that says otherwise. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=AASusCA0XVA

Post: #3

(12-13-2011 12:43 AM)rhodey Wrote:  

(12-12-2011 09:05 PM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  I often see a lot of discussion on this forum from guys inquiring about which places in Latin America are best for blacks.

This website for the documentary, Afrolatinos, has some generally resourceful information about the local history and culture for people of African descent in myriad countries across Latin America.



I would have to agree, based on my own empirical evidence, that Brazil is truly the only country in Latin America where being black is about as equal a footing you will find with anyone else of any race within your class. I would venture to say it's even ahead of the US in that respect.

There is really no other place in Latin America where I found the level of awareness and celebration of African heritage as Brazil.

Afrolatinos also has some video content that you can find on YouTube.

Enjoy.

Really...well if you do a google search on racism+brazil+youtube there is a whole bunch of evidence that says otherwise. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=AASusCA0XVA

Yeah, I'm not saying it's free of racism (no place is), but the general social attitudes towards race in Brazil are far more relaxed than anywhere else in Latin America. Also, the level of mixing between the races within the same class levels is far more common than in a country like, say, the United States.

Also, African culture has a very strong influence on the mainstream culture of Brazil, much more so than any country outside of Africa. It's a dominant feature of Brazilian culture, not just Afro-Brazilian culture, and that makes it unique among non-African countries with relatively large black populations.

Have you been to Brazil? I would encourage you to go if you haven't yet. You can do youtube/google searches about racism in just about any country and find information that highlights its existence.

Post: #4

Nice find. Thanks for posting this up.

Post: #5

(12-12-2011 09:05 PM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  I often see a lot of discussion on this forum from guys inquiring about which places in Latin America are best for blacks.

This website for the documentary, Afrolatinos, has some generally resourceful information about the local history and culture for people of African descent in myriad countries across Latin America.

Check out this link and simply click on the country you're curious about: http://www.afrolatinos.tv/index.php?roots.map

I would have to agree, based on my own empirical evidence, that Brazil is truly the only country in Latin America where being black is about as equal a footing you will find with anyone else of any race within your class. I would venture to say it's even ahead of the US in that respect.

There is really no other place in Latin America where I found the level of awareness and celebration of African heritage as Brazil.

Afrolatinos also has some video content that you can find on YouTube.

Enjoy.

Well i am sorry but spending few weeks in Brazil and came out with this conclusion is not enough to know what the real Brazil is about.

There are parts of Brazil where racism is very very intensive, probably even worse than most of places in Europe. And there is no way that racism in Brazil is lower than in the states.

Man i really wanted to write a big article about this subject, but i need to focus on my uni assignment.

But if you understand portuguese and you like rap, listen to MV Bill for you to know some of the racial segregations in Brazil.

Post: #6

[/quote]

Well i am sorry but [b]spending few weeks in Brazil [/b]and came out with this conclusion is not enough to know what the real Brazil is about.

Response:

Wrong. I spent a few months in Brazil and I didn't go there as a mere tourist. I have many local friends from there, as well as in the diaspora, and I've read A LOT of information about the country, its history and people. I've traveled across the entire country, in both large and small cities, urban and rural, not just a select number of famous tourist sites in Rio de Janeiro; and I've been there more than once.

[/quote]

There are parts of Brazil where racism is very very intensive, probably even worse than most of places in Europe. And there is no way that racism in Brazil is lower than in the states.

Response:

Where is your empirical evidence supporting those claims? That's utterly bogus.

As you may or may not know, Brazil was late in abolishing slavery: 1889 (the last country in the Americas to do so). And after slavery ended, no program arose to promote the integration of blacks. The persistence of the old colonial system made land difficult to amass (wealthy descendants of original Portuguese settlers were given enormous tracts of land to save the colony in its earlier days from regional Spanish hegemony). When blacks began migrating to urban areas, black women played a crucial role because they could get jobs there, particularly as maids. The men moving from the countryside to the cities formed the first wave of marginalized people, the first slums. So it took a long time to integrate blacks into a changing capitalist, market-based society. They had very low levels of education and remained mostly in the informal sector.

Just 20 years ago, 75 percent of black children were enrolled in public schools. Now, that number is over 95 percent. Now they can start moving ahead. But Brazil never had what has always been commonplace in the US: races characterized legally as separate groups. They never had any equivalent of Jim Crow or legal segregation after the end of slavery.

Brazil also doesn’t have the sense of racial distinctions by blood. They never had this idea that one drop of “colored” blood makes a person “non-white.” In fact, the United States is the only country in the Western hemisphere that instituted the "one-drop rule." The US is also the only country to have instituted Jim Crow segregation laws following the end of slavery (for nearly 100 years officially, and still de facto in many places). Meanwhile, Brazilians were allowed to mix and integrate following the abolishing of slavery, and many, in fact, did just that. It is hard in Brazil to tell another’s precise lineage by appearance, because there are many mixed-race people with many shades of skin color. But the important thing is that no one cares. This puts the country in an odd situation. It allows it some social flexibility, but it also disguises prejudice. Its relatively liberal attitudes lead many to think that there are no significant problems, but this is not so.

Economic inequality in Brazil is certainly higher than in the US--largely owing to the original land issue I alluded to earlier--but social attitudes towards race, on a whole, are definitely much better. I don't think most people who are deeply familiar with both cultures would tell you otherwise. You can even see in the televnovelas the presence of black males engaging in steamy sex scenes with beautiful women who are, for lack of a better term, "white." That's simply not the case in the US. Blacks in the US are better off economically and educationally than their Brazilian counterparts, but that's not due to racism, but the fact that the US has done a better job to improve economic opportunity for all (thanks to the countless social movements from different groups demanding for equality in this country). A big reason for that is that most blacks and people in Brazil generally identify as "Brazilians" but not as belonging to one race, unlike Americans. The official data for tracking racial disparity simply hasn't been there to the extent that you find in the US, but that's been changing in recent times.

As I've said, the influence of African culture in heritage is higher than any country outside of Africa. Brazil has more people of some level of African descent than any country in the world after Nigeria.

No one is saying there is no racism in Brazil, but as a black man, I'd rather be just about anywhere in that country, controlling for language and economic circumstance, than in many parts of the US where racism and racial animosity is endemic (most of the deep south, etc).

Another important fundamental difference is that in Brazil they don't have a “white culture” and “black culture.” Their music is black and white, and so is the food. The culture is essentially mixed, blended. There is a famous poet and musician in Brazil named Vinicius de Moraes, who said something to the effect, “I am the blackest white in Brazil.” Blacks became more accepted as part of Brazilian heritage because of the arts, and because of sports. They had integrated professional sports teams LONG before the US integrated theirs. Just have a look at Brazil's first world cup team and then go study when the US finally integrated MLB and the NBA. Brazil's greatest novelist, Machado de Assis, was a mulatto, but nobody identifies him that way. He didn’t write “black novels” as far as most people there are concerned; he wrote Brazilian ones.

You should read "The Accidental President" by former Brazilian President and sociologist, Fernando Henrique Cardoso. He offers great insights on this.

Post: #7

good find bro

Post: #8

Here is an article supporting what I said about how crucial black women were during the migration to urban areas, and how economic opportunities for poor Brazilians are burgeoning.

Post: #9

Ive spent a few months in Brazil and I also came away with the idea that whites and non-whites get along much better than in America or elsewhere in Latin America. I am not saying it is perfect, but I see so many mixed couples or groups of friends and I generally find that white Brazilians don't have this anger towards other groups that you sometimes see with US whites.

Post: #10

(12-13-2011 03:11 PM)nomadicdude Wrote:  Ive spent a few months in Brazil and I also came away with the idea that whites and non-whites get along much better than in America or elsewhere in Latin America. I am not saying it is perfect, but I see so many mixed couples or groups of friends and I generally find that white Brazilians don't have this anger towards other groups that you sometimes see with US whites.

You don't see the anger because in Brazil, the blacks (and the browns) accept white supremacy and have never made any attempt to challenge it (in the modern era - no civili rights movement). Hence the whites live a relatively tranquil existence - enjoying their privilege unmolested by challenges.

In the US, blacks have always challenged white supremacy - and continue to do so. So, whites, since 1865 have never been able to enjoy their supremacy unmolested. Hence the anger at "those blacks (et al. ) who are always complaining" (i.e. challenging white supremacy).

Post: #11

(12-13-2011 04:52 PM)kdolo Wrote:  

(12-13-2011 03:11 PM)nomadicdude Wrote:  Ive spent a few months in Brazil and I also came away with the idea that whites and non-whites get along much better than in America or elsewhere in Latin America. I am not saying it is perfect, but I see so many mixed couples or groups of friends and I generally find that white Brazilians don't have this anger towards other groups that you sometimes see with US whites.

You don't see the anger because in Brazil, the blacks (and the browns) accept white supremacy and have never made any attempt to challenge it (in the modern era - no civili rights movement). Hence the whites live a relatively tranquil existence - enjoying their privilege unmolested by challenges.

In the US, blacks have always challenged white supremacy - and continue to do so. So, whites, since 1865 have never been able to enjoy their supremacy unmolested. Hence the anger at "those blacks (et al. ) who are always complaining" (i.e. challenging white supremacy).

The fundamental reason there was a Civil Rights movement in the US was to eradicate Jim Crow laws, which never existed in Brazil. Please read my earlier post. There is no color-coded strata that segments society into various groups in Brazil, unlike the US. And, of course, there was nothing as patently absurd as the "one-drop" rule that is still employed in the US into the present day.

Brazil is a racially mixed country at its essence. There are even places in the country where Yoruba, a language that originates in Nigeria, is still spoken; as are rituals and religions practiced in parts of Africa.

Governments around the world, including the US, study Brazil to understand how it's become so successful in instituting a racial democracy.

There was even a four-day holiday the first time I visited Rio celebrating "black consciousness," something not in practice in the US, ironically enough.

Have you been to Brazil? I don't know what you're talking about with that unusual "accepting white supremacy" charge. That's the first time I ever heard anyone say that about Brazil, and black men who've been to Brazil are unlikely to ever say that. If anything, it sounds like you're talking about the US. This clip doesn't look "accepting white supremacy" to me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfegyzbm2...re=related

Post: #12

I read that in Brazil people who are not 100% black are not really considered black as they would be here in the states. Would you say this is true?

Post: #13

(12-13-2011 06:42 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  I read that in Brazil people who are not 100% black are not really considered black as they would be here in the states. Would you say this is true?

My earlier post addresses that. There is no real sense of racial distinction by blood in Brazil.

Post: #14

Quote:Yeah, I'm not saying it's free of racism (no place is), but the general social attitudes towards race in Brazil are far more relaxed than anywhere else in Latin America. Also, the level of mixing between the races within the same class levels is far more common than in a country like, say, the United States.

Ok gotcha,but I wonder as dark skinned persons of African heritage become more self aware and begin strive to advance further in that society will that relaxed social attitude turn into something resembling it's nearest neighboring countries?

Quote:Also, African culture has a very strong influence on the mainstream culture of Brazil, much more so than any country outside of Africa. It's a dominant feature of Brazilian culture, not just Afro-Brazilian culture, and that makes it unique among non-African countries with relatively large black populations.

True.

Quote:Have you been to Brazil? I would encourage you to go if you haven't yet. You can do youtube/google searches about racism in just about any country and find information that highlights its existence.

Nope, wanted to go before I got married , love those thick honies but I'm put off by the racism and some of the brainwashed brain trashed legacies of their slave system. It's kind of hard for me to turn a blind eye to that crap, just to get a nut off. It's the same reason I was hesitant to go to D.R.

Post: #15

Nope, wanted to go before I got married , love those thick honies but I'm put off by the racism and some of the brainwashed brain trashed legacies of their slave system. It's kind of hard for me to turn a blind eye to that crap, just to get a nut off. It's the same reason I was hesitant to go to D.R.

[/quote]

Brazil and DR are polar opposites. Yes, it's definitely true about "brainwashing" in the DR; I used to date a girl from there who told me all about it, and one of my best friends studied abroad there for five months. But for a black person, I can't think of a more accepting country than Brazil. You should definitely go BEFORE you get married, particularly Rio. No man has any business going to that city with a significant other.

Post: #16

(12-13-2011 05:28 PM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  

(12-13-2011 04:52 PM)kdolo Wrote:  

(12-13-2011 03:11 PM)nomadicdude Wrote:  Ive spent a few months in Brazil and I also came away with the idea that whites and non-whites get along much better than in America or elsewhere in Latin America. I am not saying it is perfect, but I see so many mixed couples or groups of friends and I generally find that white Brazilians don't have this anger towards other groups that you sometimes see with US whites.

You don't see the anger because in Brazil, the blacks (and the browns) accept white supremacy and have never made any attempt to challenge it (in the modern era - no civili rights movement). Hence the whites live a relatively tranquil existence - enjoying their privilege unmolested by challenges.

In the US, blacks have always challenged white supremacy - and continue to do so. So, whites, since 1865 have never been able to enjoy their supremacy unmolested. Hence the anger at "those blacks (et al. ) who are always complaining" (i.e. challenging white supremacy).

The fundamental reason there was a Civil Rights movement in the US was to eradicate Jim Crow laws, which never existed in Brazil. Please read my earlier post. There is no color-coded strata that segments society into various groups in Brazil, unlike the US. And, of course, there was nothing as patently absurd as the "one-drop" rule that is still employed in the US into the present day.

Brazil is a racially mixed country at its essence. There are even places in the country where Yoruba, a language that originates in Nigeria, is still spoken; as are rituals and religions practiced in parts of Africa.

Governments around the world, including the US, study Brazil to understand how it's become so successful in instituting a racial democracy.There was even a four-day holiday the first time I visited Rio celebrating "black consciousness," something not in practice in the US, ironically enough.

Have you been to Brazil? I don't know what you're talking about with that unusual "accepting white supremacy" charge. That's the first time I ever heard anyone say that about Brazil, and black men who've been to Brazil are unlikely to ever say that. If anything, it sounds like you're talking about the US. This clip doesn't look "accepting white supremacy" to me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfegyzbm2...re=related

Oh really? Well, did you know that black students when joining university in Brazil dont have to pay anything simply because they are black? Not because they are poor, but because they are black. A country that has a system that makes things easier for a particular race should be considered racist, in this case, the brazillian system is inherently racist, systems tend to present themselves according to how society presents themselves.

Another thing you mentioned which is not correct, let me assure you that in many parts of Brazil blacks dont like blacks, lighter skin people look down on dark skin people and they are not considered one race as in the states. Part of the main problem is that blacks brazillians dont like themselves as a race . If you look at most of rich black brazillians, they all usually end up marrying a white chick, you know why? Because it means status over there, you will hardly see a black rich cat dating a dark skin woman.

Man this is a subject that would take a lot of research and i dont really have the time to kill right now but if i get free time end of the year, i will provide more serious evidence.

Post: #17

(12-14-2011 12:33 AM)pitt Wrote:  Oh really? Well, did you know that black students when joining university in Brazil dont have to pay anything simply because they are black? Not because they are poor, but because they are black. A country that has a system that makes things easier for a particular race should be considered racist, in this case, the brazillian system is inherently racist, systems tend to present themselves according to how society presents themselves.

Brazil has introduced affirmative action policies to increase the representation of "blacks"--many of whom are disproportionately poor in a country where well over 50% of the people have some level of African ancestry--in the country's universities, government agencies and in its diplomatic corps. Before hysterically asserting that these measures are tantamount to racism, I think it's important to remember how black people got to Brazil to begin with; they arrived as slaves from Africa. As I made clear in one of my earlier posts in this thread, after the abolishing of slavery in Brazil, no program arose to promote the integration of these former slaves into society. As a result, marginalization--specifically educational and economic inequity--afflicted millions, and the resultant disastrous social consequences compounded over generations. The Brazilian government's decision to institute the recent social measures is an implicit acknowledgement of its failure in addressing a fundamental problem that poses grave dangers (economically, politically, and demographically) as the country seeks to assert itself on the world stage. Without a more equitable, educated, and prosperous workforce, Brazil's growth will be severely limited in relation to its potential, and far behind its fellow BRIC counterparts and other emerging economies. So even more than just attempting to remedy the social ills of victims suffering from the historical phenomenon of deeply problematic past injustices, one of the major underlying motives for the government's latest social policies is classically an economic one. Perhaps no social program demonstrates that fact better than "bolsa familia," a social measure for all poor Brazilians (regardless of "race") introduced under the Lula administration that awards stipends to families if their children have good school attendance records. This program is an attempt to pull more Brazilians out of poverty so that they can become better educated and skilled enough to compete in a global economy, which is imperative to Brazil's future economic success. It's been widely praised as effective and has been mimicked by governments in other developing countries, even having influenced innovations in institutional practices such as microlending.

(12-14-2011 12:33 AM)pitt Wrote:  Another thing you mentioned which is not correct, let me assure you that in many parts of Brazil blacks dont like blacks, lighter skin people look down on dark skin people and they are not considered one race as in the states. Part of the main problem is that blacks brazillians dont like themselves as a race . If you look at most of rich black brazillians, they all usually end up marrying a white chick, you know why? Because it means status over there, you will hardly see a black rich cat dating a dark skin woman.

I'm not even sure what to make of this one. What are you basing this off? Sure, guys like Pele have married many white women, but famous black telenovela stars like Lazaro Ramos married a black woman. It has been noted often that it is not uncommon for Brazilians of opposite hues to be attracted to one other. Just as it's not uncommon to find a dark Brazilian man with a light Brazilian woman, the converse is also true. I can't count the number of times I've seen dark black women with white men in Brazil.

I've even known black girls from the US who have happily disclosed to me the ego boost they've gotten from being approached by white men while in Brazil. It's a pretty normal occurrence.

I think it's worth reminding you, again, that I've had Brazilian girlfriends as well as many Brazilian friends that live in Brazil, of all races, and have spent significant time having these type of discussions with actual Brazilians and their families. I speak from a position of factual experience, and there's nothing that I've asserted that isn't backed up by empirical observation, both anecdotal and professional.

(12-14-2011 12:33 AM)pitt Wrote:  Man this is a subject that would take a lot of research and i dont really have the time to kill right now but if i get free time end of the year, i will provide more serious evidence.

This is true, which is why I would appreciate if you coordinated your arguments better and supported them with verifiable evidence. Alleging that an enormously diverse nation is categorically racist is a pretty bold and reckless charge, especially when that nation is widely known throughout the world as being the most multicultural and racially harmonious, yet you have no facts to support it. Intellectual honesty demands that you provide evidence for your fulminating rhetoric. I really look forward to seeing what you come up with should you choose to elaborate on this topic.

Post: #18

(12-13-2011 03:28 AM)pitt Wrote:  But if you understand portuguese and you like rap, listen to MV Bill for you to know some of the racial segregations in Brazil.

MV Bill's e bom de mais cara!

Post: #19

I went to Brazil for work and found that socially things arent segregated and people get on well / better than in the US, but from a career / corporate standpoint things are slightly fucked. Only black faces I ever saw were in the kitchen at the canteen at the factories I visited (except for 1 in accounting). Also was confirmed in a few conversations with people...

I also found that no one is black. People pitch black will still tell you / self select mixed / mulatto when it comes to race.

Post: #20

(12-14-2011 08:30 AM)ea303 Wrote:  I went to Brazil for work and found that socially things arent segregated and people get on well / better than in the US, but from a career / corporate standpoint things are slightly fucked. Only black faces I ever saw were in the kitchen at the canteen at the factories I visited (except for 1 in accounting). Also was confirmed in a few conversations with people...

I also found that no one is black. People pitch black will still tell you / self select mixed / mulatto when it comes to race.

This is an accurate post. Thanks. It's those historical forces I mentioned that help explain why you don't see many blacks in the corporate world in Brazil. I dated a mulatta there who grew up going to private schools, a private college, and had a good job with a pharmaceutical company. Her Brazilian father was "black" and her Brazilian mother was "white." Just about all of her friends and acquaintances in her social circle were white, but she never had a difficult time being accepted by others.

It's important to note that most of the European immigrants that went to Brazil came from countries and circumstances that gave them valuable skill sets and knowledge to apply to Brazil's growing industrial economy. Of course you're going to see many white people working corporate jobs in Brazil. Blacks, on the other hand, were brought in as slaves and were never really integrated into the formal economy, which is why you're now starting to see measures that address the resultant issues which have emanated from that history.

It appears that Brazil's social policies are gradually making strides, though there is still much work to be done.

As for race, Brazilians naturally embrace their mixed origins. There isn't a fixation on color like we have in the States, and I went into great detail explaining why that is. It may be disappointing for an American who comes from a culture that is obsessed, neurotically at times, about the topic of race, I know, but that's why Brazil is Brazil and not the US.

Post: #21

I would venture to say that they are just as fixated on race as we are here (depends I am from a major city in the South so my views on race will difference from those up North or a small town). It just manifests itself differently. I said black in Spanish, and literally all the locals freaked out. I was a few years ago, but we talked about it and it had nothing to do with the US meaning from what I remember, and was more about the color. I said how would you say the black shirt, and the guy was like I would point to it. Im black so I found the conversation very interesting, and researched race in Brazil for a few hours online, and talked to a few folks about it. Its extremely complicated was my take away. A guy state side who was Brazilian and one in Croatia who I was drinking with said that the lines / mixes can go back so far, that sometimes when you have a kid you have no idea what color it could be. Both guys had fairly dark sisters and looked Portuguese.

Here we have a 1 drop rule which greatly simplifies or complicates things lol (depending on how you look at it). Obama is black, even though he is mixed. There someone black blue black will tell you they are mixed which is quite funny from an american sense, but I guess its how you look at it. With that said they do get on heaps better, and you see people of all shades hanging out together after hours.

Brazil is where the US is getting, at the end of the day you can buy acceptance with cloths, money, and dressing. Class trumps race in both places. Being poor and shabby is worse then the color of your hue.

Post: #22

Ea303 said:
"Its extremely complicated was my take away."

You don't say! Very difficult to sum up race relations in a few sentences. Hell, relationships between individuals (regardless of race) are complicated. Of course relations between groups are complicated (whether racial, religion, linguistic, etc).

To Casanova -
Hard for Afro-culture to not be manifest in Brasilian Society. A good half of the population has some African roots. This is not the case in the U.S. I assume you're aware of the statistics on the Slave trade. It's estimated that eight times as many African slaves were introduced to Brazil as to the U.S.

I would concede that the DR seems to be the counterexample here. They have a higher percentage of African descent in the population than Brasil, yet they are more reluctant to recognize it (I suspect it has a lot to do with their relations with their next-door neighbor).


It's complicated is putting it mildly.

Post: #23

(12-13-2011 04:52 PM)kdolo Wrote:  

(12-13-2011 03:11 PM)nomadicdude Wrote:  Ive spent a few months in Brazil and I also came away with the idea that whites and non-whites get along much better than in America or elsewhere in Latin America. I am not saying it is perfect, but I see so many mixed couples or groups of friends and I generally find that white Brazilians don't have this anger towards other groups that you sometimes see with US whites.

You don't see the anger because in Brazil, the blacks (and the browns) accept white supremacy and have never made any attempt to challenge it (in the modern era - no civili rights movement). Hence the whites live a relatively tranquil existence - enjoying their privilege unmolested by challenges.

In the US, blacks have always challenged white supremacy - and continue to do so. So, whites, since 1865 have never been able to enjoy their supremacy unmolested. Hence the anger at "those blacks (et al. ) who are always complaining" (i.e. challenging white supremacy).

IMO the reason some whites in America are so angry at blacks isn't about maintaining white supremacy. Most whites don't really give a shit about that anymore. The real source of the anger is the Republican Party, which for the last 40 years has used a strategy of telling poor whites that white culture and Christianity is under attack. Your problems are caused by affirmative action, Islam, the Civil Rights movement, whatever. That is the only reason a poor white making 30k a year will vote for a party that only gives a shit about the mega rich. In Brazil I don't get them impression that race is such a politically charged issue. Brazilian politicians don't appear to use race to try to win votes like in the US, though I imagine it's still at least an issue.

Post: #24

(12-13-2011 10:06 PM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  Brazil and DR are polar opposites. Yes, it's definitely true about "brainwashing" in the DR; I used to date a girl from there who told me all about it, and one of my best friends studied abroad there for five months. But for a black person, I can't think of a more accepting country than Brazil. You should definitely go BEFORE you get married, particularly Rio. No man has any business going to that city with a significant other.

ROFL

Post: #25

I see what your saying Hencredible, Brazil is unique among latinamerican countries due to its majority black population. There are definitely less taboos involving inter-racial relations there (especially white men with black women), but thats where it ends. If you haven't seen it already http://www.pbs.org/wnet/black-in-latin-america/ , PBS did an informative look at racial relations in Brazil that goes into the particular brand of racism that exists in Brazil.

While I can recommend Brazil to visitors of all colors, the average resident black brazilian faces a level of racism and discrimination that doesn't exist in the U.S. How else can you explain the fact that a post colonial country with a black/dark brown MAJORITY has so little representation in the higher classes of society,government, TV, etc... When you look at the favelas what color are over 80% of the residents? Brazil has a lot of potential but it also has a lot of work to do.