In Rio, How to Differ Right from Wrong?
An afternoon snack at one of my favorite places also made me sad.
One of my favorite places in Rio is Bar Urca. It’s a small bar. You buy your drinks and your snacks, you cross the street and you sit on the “mureta”. The trees provide a good shadow, and the ocean breeze keeps the place cool, even in the burning hot summer.
The “mureta” is a short wall that separates the sidewalk from the Guanabara Bay.
The Story
Last week I was enjoying the afternoon at Bar Urca.
People parked their cars on the right side (the ocean side) of Avenida João Luís Alves, where parking is not allowed. I admit that it is tempting. To park 1 meter away from where you will have your drinks and snacks. When you are done, you walk a couple steps, take your car and leave. However, it is wrong, isn’t it?
If you are curious about it, I don’t have a car.
A few minutes later, a police car arrived. Two cops stepped away. The first one, let’s call him ‘bad cop’, pulled his notepad and started writing down fines.
The car owners ran towards the guy, asking him not to fine them, because they were going to remove the cars.
Ironically enough, some of the complainers were arguing with the cop while holding a glass of beer in their hands. They still think they were right.
The cop was not showing any sign that he would retreat.
Then, the part that shocked me the most. Everybody at the wall started to protest against the cop.
“It’s an absurdity!”
“Now, we can’t even park our cars anymore! Parking here doesn’t bother anyone!”
“Who does this cop think he is?”
I kept looking around and figured out I was the only one not complaining and thinking that the policeman was right. Furthermore, I was glad that the cop was just doing his job. The “normal” in Rio is that the law officer would ask for some kind of bribe to “let it go”.
“…but the cop is right,” I muttered to my wife.
After a while, the ‘good cop’ intervened. He talked to the car owners. He explained that they were not going to fine anyone, but asked politely that people removed their cars and parked in the nearby streets, where parking is allowed.
A timid boo came from the crowd.
The drivers removed their cars. Except for one who said: “Fine me! I won’t remove my car!”. It was a Mercedes-Benz.
Ironically enough, some of them drove away WHILE holding their glasses of beer.
The Brazilian flag has two words in it: order and progress.
I suppose people wish that order was not part of it.
