by Pâmela Gomes dos Santos
It is difficult and complex to define what culture is, because it is not only about common experiences, but personal experiences as well. These common experiences are usually lived by people of the same religion, belief, behavior, etc. But it is not a rule. Thanks to technology, today we can connect and meet people with common tastes, for example, thousands of miles away, so that we can know a place, even superficially, through what is said by other people, such as on television and in newspapers. It turns out that the information we receive is the result of a point of view of who is speaking, not of what you are experiencing or often impartially imparting. The world is controlled by great powers, so most of the information we receive comes from these great powers and is popularized around the world, making a ‘’new truth’’ prevail.
Brazil, for example, is seen by foreigners as a place where everyone can have fun, a tropical paradise. Thinking this way, it seems to be a good thing for the economy of the country, so the Brazilian media ends up contributing to any stereotype that pleases foreigners, selling this stereotypical image. It turns out that this is not always positive. Just a quick search on the internet to see that Brazil is seen from outside from all the best-known stereotypes such as football, samba, caipirinha, beautiful women, bikinis, beaches ...
Something that is never missing is women. The Brazilian woman is seen as beautiful, hot and easy, having a tanned sculptural body and a big butt. This kind of thinking can be very harmful and have serious consequences, being dangerous, leaving us vulnerable.
Looking at it from the outside also made me wonder how hypocritical we can be that we get angry, and we often see our own country from a negative point of view only because of things I have barely seen, heard, and even I lived. We need to keep in mind that places are different, people are different, concepts, ideas, thoughts, experiences. We should not judge anything or anyone from the standpoint of others, or the little we know about. As we were reinforced this semester, the truth we know of someone or a place may be real, but that doesn't mean it's the only truth.
I also used to have a lot of prejudice, which I try to get rid of. I have changed my mind about many things, I started to like things I didn't like, and I stopped liking things I loved. What matters is that we should always put ourselves in the other's shoes and not judge what we do not know. What we know, our opinion and experiences do not determine the opinions and experiences of others, and our truth is not the truth of all.
It is difficult and complex to define what culture is, because it is not only about common experiences, but personal experiences as well. These common experiences are usually lived by people of the same religion, belief, behavior, etc. But it is not a rule. Thanks to technology, today we can connect and meet people with common tastes, for example, thousands of miles away, so that we can know a place, even superficially, through what is said by other people, such as on television and in newspapers. It turns out that the information we receive is the result of a point of view of who is speaking, not of what you are experiencing or often impartially imparting. The world is controlled by great powers, so most of the information we receive comes from these great powers and is popularized around the world, making a ‘’new truth’’ prevail.
Brazil, for example, is seen by foreigners as a place where everyone can have fun, a tropical paradise. Thinking this way, it seems to be a good thing for the economy of the country, so the Brazilian media ends up contributing to any stereotype that pleases foreigners, selling this stereotypical image. It turns out that this is not always positive. Just a quick search on the internet to see that Brazil is seen from outside from all the best-known stereotypes such as football, samba, caipirinha, beautiful women, bikinis, beaches ...
Something that is never missing is women. The Brazilian woman is seen as beautiful, hot and easy, having a tanned sculptural body and a big butt. This kind of thinking can be very harmful and have serious consequences, being dangerous, leaving us vulnerable.
Looking at it from the outside also made me wonder how hypocritical we can be that we get angry, and we often see our own country from a negative point of view only because of things I have barely seen, heard, and even I lived. We need to keep in mind that places are different, people are different, concepts, ideas, thoughts, experiences. We should not judge anything or anyone from the standpoint of others, or the little we know about. As we were reinforced this semester, the truth we know of someone or a place may be real, but that doesn't mean it's the only truth.
I also used to have a lot of prejudice, which I try to get rid of. I have changed my mind about many things, I started to like things I didn't like, and I stopped liking things I loved. What matters is that we should always put ourselves in the other's shoes and not judge what we do not know. What we know, our opinion and experiences do not determine the opinions and experiences of others, and our truth is not the truth of all.