More black than white, and yet so much difference

Most Brazilian newspapers today are talking about a study from IPEA (the Research Institute of Applicable Economy, in Brazil) that says that by the end of this year the black population will be bigger than the white one (bare in mind that, according to convention adopted in the country, a black person is anyone who claims to be black or brown, and the black population is the sum of all blacks and mulattos). 

Reading that, made me think of an episode that happened back in 1996 to a friend.

He was in South Africa as an exchange student. One day, he took the underground and was soon approached by a group of black guys, asking him what his white ass was doing at a place where it didn’t belong. As soon as he started explaining that he didn’t know he wasn’t wanted and the guys heard his accent, they realized he was a foreign. And when he told them he was Brazilian, one guy put a large smile on the face and said: oh! that country were blacks and whites all live happily together! 

Of course there is some truth in the guy’s remark - in comparison to South Africa, Brazil is a country where the color of your skin matters very little. But the idea that we are a country where the life of black people is that easy is a myth. A stereotype our football and carnival have been spreading around the world. 

The sad truth is that, in Brazil, black women are paid 51% less than white woman and black people only hold 3,5% of leadership jobs. And this just to cite two examples! So, next time you watch Kaka and Robinho hugging themselves on the field, try to remember that reality is often very different from the images screened on our TVs.

By the way, that same study shows Brazil will take at least another 32 years to reach racial equality.

Filed Under History & traditions, Human Rights, Media & Society, Modern Life, Sport