Why Brazilians do not recognize their value?
By “mutt complex” I understand the inferiority in which the Brazilian put yourself voluntarily in the face of the world. This in all sectors and especially in football. — Nelson Rodrigues
Nelson Rodrigues (1912–1980) was a great Brazilian journalist and writer. His speciality was to describe the daily life ironically. One of his famous chronicle is entitled: “Complexo de Vira-latas” or "Mutt (pavement dog of questionable birth) Complex."
The mutt dog is very common in Brazil. It is possible to find a mutt dog anywhere. Nobody wants to own it. Who would want to own a dog that has no breeding? "Vira-lata" is the Brazilian Portuguese name for "mutt". The literal translation of this word is "trashcan feeder". So, it is a dog that spreads the garbage on the streets in its despair for food.
He wrote it in the Manchete Esportiva magazine, 1958, when the Brazilian Soccer National Team won its first World Cup Championship. Rodrigues exposed a common Brazilian behaviour: good things only comes from outside Brazil and not inside. Ironically, his country was the number one at that moment.
The reason for this thought was tangible. Everythig Brazil needed for sustainability were imported from countries abroad. This continued until the 1950’s. The elite refused to use a national products as it was considered of lower quality. Only rich could afford the very expensive and best products. It was widely accepted by the broad population of Brazil that local product were quality as were they.
From the "favela" (slums) to very rich noble areas, soccer is the passion and golden thread that links all in Brazil. This was the reason Nelson delivered his message to everybody. Although Brazil was the world soccer champion at that stage, the low self-esteem of the nation was of "mutt" quality.
What an oximoron.
How ironic.
Nelson Rodrigues addressed the issue. Nobody took notice until the beginning of the 90’s when Ruy Castro, Nelson Rodrigues' biographer, organized and launched a book collection. Until then, the expression “Mutt Complex” — or “Complexo de Vira-latas” — was hibernating.
During the last World Cup hosted in Brazil, which was also the time of the presidential election (both in 2014), the concept became “famous” again because of social networking. People were criticising the government on corruption, bad investments, and unnecessarally hight expenses for the World Cup, under the rule of the Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores/PT).
The Workers Party had a team of bloggers advertising its ideas, not illegally, but immoraly. The message they sent was obviously in favor of the government. These bloggers accussed the population opposing the government of being "mutts". This was not Nelson Rodrigues' original idea for this expression, but has been used by the bloggers in a distorted way to insult the opposition.
Nelson Rodrigues would be very sad if he could witness this immoral act of insulting people by using an expression he created. He was such a great man and journalist. One with outstanding morals and character who played with people in an ironical sense. How dare the bloggers use his words to insult people for having their own opinions.
Brazil changed a lot since 1958:
1) The country became urbanized.
2) Brazilians from all social classes now has access to education (compared to those born before the 70's).
3) A gradual improvement of income distribution.
4) The Brazilian economy is now a world economy.
5) Brazilian learnt to stand up and voice their opinions and by doing so are bring political changes to the country.
6) The country has great, good and stable industries.
Because of this and more, I have been questioning the "Mutt Complex" in modern day Brazil.
Where is the origin of this concept?
Scholars that studied and explained Brazil's culture in the beginning of 20th century took Europe as a reference. These scholars studied in France and/or England doing their bachelor degrees in Law, Engineering, Journalism and Medicine mainly.
The Historian Dr. Marcos Capellari said:
“Brazil was not what they desired. They wanted a Europe here”
It was not possible to find Europe's culture and history in Brazil. And this was what they desired.
Even today people are still comparing Brazil to Europe and the United States.
Many Brazilians are travelling abroad and they have access to a lot of information over the internet which makes possible for them to access many references on their own.
When Brazilians face the organized cities of Europe; fair prices in the United States; the organized and fast development of Asia and the Middle East, they realize this could also be possible in Brazil.
Keeping all of the above in mind, people in general are mostly divided into two camps:
- I LOVE TO CRITICIZE
This group only sees everything in other countries that is better than in Brazil. And they criticise everything in Brazil.
This group comes from “C Class” and usually has little knowledge of the Brazil’s history, social, political and economic condition.
They publicise their oppinions for everybody to hear and they feel very important.
2. WEIGHTED CRITICS
The second group are the intellectuals and scholars. They realise that it takes time, knowledge, wisdom and a lot of hard work for a country to reach the ultimate goal of economic, social, political and cultural unity.
In the 1950’s when Nelson Rodrigues described Brazil as having a "Mutt" population, the scholars used Europe as a reference. Nowadays, scholars are using the Brazilian culture and development as a reference to its own problems and solutions.
Conclusion
As in any other country that has developed over the years, the emphasis in Brazil has shifted. The scholars and intellectuals that looked at Europe as a reference and which was accused of having a "Mutt Complex" by Nelson Rodrigues, have now grown into maturity and are no longer "mutts" but blue blood, well-bred pedigreed dogs. They are proud to be Brazilians. They are proudly looking for solutions within their own backyard.
Unfortunately, it doesn't how thinly you slice a situation. It always has two sides. As in Brazil flipside to this growth is the C Class. These people vision is so narrow that they are still unable to seek solutions within their own country and as the scholars and intellectuals of the 50’s they are now the "Mutts" looking at Europe and the United States for cultural, economic, political and social reference.
If you are able to read Brazilian Portuguese, check Nelson Rodrigues' story.
