Travelling to Rio

Dear Mr. Pan,

P E T E R P A N wrote:

You call the initial post below by this dumb loser Kurko a mild
comment? I hate to know what would be considered rude and offensive by
Brazilians!

Let me see: there was only one f-word, one comment regarding the wisdom
of your behavior, and a suggestion regarding your participation in the
genetic pool. No mention of race, sexual orientation or capacity,
Hitler, graphic obscenity, profanity or blasphemy, and no mention to
your parents, grandparents or (at least in the initial post) your whole
culture and nationality. For Usenet? oh, yes, it is mild. Insulting, but
mildly so.

I posted the bad experience to warn other tourists from running into
the same problem! This stupid jerk Kurko blamed the whole incident on
me, the victim, instead of the muggers! Is that how Brazilians
approach life? Is that fair?

I think we had already established that Mr. Kurko is not Brazilian. And
pointing risky behavior is NOT the same as blaming the victim. My
husband was once robbed in Torino of all his money, after letting his
wallet on a table for a couple of minutes, while talking to a friend. Of
course the thief is the guilty part, but knowing this did not prevent my
husband from feeling, as Mr. Kurko would put it, “a stupid ****” for not
paying enough attention to his wallet.

Regarding your intentions in posting your bad experience, well, I would
rather not to comment on that. People are free to read the post and take
their conclusions.

(snip)

Did you see any constructive suggestions from these dumb, nasty jerks
Kurko and JohnM on how the crimes and threats levels in Rio can be
reduced? Or are they just trying to shut me up and cover up the
crimes situation in Rio like they are losing their money and their
pride big time because of my posts?

Again, neither Mr. Kurko nor JohnM are Brazilians—although I should
point out that JohnM is the author of an excellent book on Brazil, much
more revealing, thoughtful insights, with many more denounces about
organized crime, denounces of inequality and wrongdoings, portraits of
life in favelas, tourist traps, in Rio, São Paulo, Amazon, Recife, Rio
Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais and many other places, than any of your
posts. No, it is not a flattering book—not in the easy sense of the
word—but it is very passionate.


I am very disappointed in ignorant, dishonest, rude and abusive people
like Kurko and JohnM. I am disappointed in you for siding with these
2 pieces of trash against the truth, and against my attempt to shine
some light on this horrible crime problems in Rio, so some good can be
done.


Mr. Pan , I don’t understand how you can be possibly disappointed in me.
I mean, I am one of those people among which you “found, through my own
experience, some serious flaws of characters [in theBrazilian people in
Rio]”, you know, one of those with “disturbingly bad attitudes [among
various young, old, educated and wealthy Brazilians in Rio, Sao Paolo
etc…]. What, I just found out that I am very likely to pee on the
streets! (Hopefully, my mother will never know.) So I wonder how I can
have brought you any disappointment, when your “opinions of Brazil and
her people, after much reviews of the events, facts and
rationalizations, to be honest, [are already] very low,” or as you put
in another post, “that Brazil is a very unsafe, lawless place, populated
by a lot of dumb savages” (that would be me) who “would p*ss on
sidewalks and someone else' cars on the busy streets of Rio in broad day
light, who should be removed from the gene pool!” Mostly Brazilians,
according to you, can be characterized as “uncivilized jerks” [Mr.
Kurko’s attitude--did I mentioned that he is not Brazilian?--is supposed
to be “typical of many, if not the majority, Brazilians I
encountered.”], and show a “lack of honesty [that] is the complete
opposite of the people in Argentina and US!” We belong to “the country
of dumb, unprincipled losers” and “some Brazilians and residents of
Brazil do appear to have probably the worst, the most uncivil attitudes
among the peoples I visited!” All of this in a quite ugly city/ country,
as “the scenaries in Rio is [sic] much poorer than many places in North
America, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean... Rio is full of homeless,
undesirables people sleeping on the streets, watching tourists intensely
for the opportunities to commit crimes!” What a terrible contrast with
the “friendly, fun, warm, honest, civilized, law-abiding Americans!”

Considering such low expectations, I can’t understand how I can have
disappointed you.

But you know what? I find out that I really don’t care.

Neither do I care in engaging in discussions--about
Brazil/Rio/Brazilians/whatever—with you. You are, of course, entitled to
your views about Brazil/Rio/Brazilians/whatever. I am entitled to be
selective regarding my interlocutors. If you believe that it is because
I feel some kind of “deep shame” about myself and my society, “that
prevent” me “from discussing some of these problems openly and honestly,
at any level, emotional, intellectual or educational…” it is just too bad.

I will, of course, thank you wholeheartedly for your very sincere
intentions of shining “some light on this horrible crime problems in Rio
[at the Usenet], so some good can be done”, as your “heart is for these
poor people” in the favelas of Rio, for whom you have already manifested
such warm feelings.

Sincerely,
Lise