Brazilians are mad at the U.S. because an American at the Pan Am Games wrote “Welcome to the Congo” on a whiteboard. The American says it was because it was frickin’ hot in Rio, where the games were being held. Brazilians say it’s because Americans stereotype everyone poorer than, say, Italy as being part of some undifferentiated mass.

(One could argue that the comment struck a chord in Brazil because Congo = black, because Brazil has its own tortured racial history regarding its own black population, and because the Brazilian elite is keen to differentiate itself as “white.” One could.)

Anyway, I found this section amusing:

On Rio’s Copacabana Beach, Brazilians said it reinforced their belief that Americans frequently stereotype other countries. “Americans are full of prejudices,” said Alessandra Teixeira, a 29-year old model. “Everything for them is bad, and they make it worse.”

My amusement stemmed from the fact that, were one to create the most stereotypical Brazilian in an American mind — it would likely be a model on Copacabana.

But then I Googled Ms. Teixeira and found her web site (NSFW) — which clearly shows her as a former Mr. Teixeira and indicates that whatever modeling she does much be of a specialized kind. So forget the stuff I said about stereotypes.

18 July 2007

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