American journalist and constitutional lawyer Glenn Greenwald, who lives in Brazil, broke down the top lessons for Western democracies from recent electoral victory of Brazil's new president, Jair Bolsonaro. (Photo: The Intercept/YouTube)
Watch: Glenn Greenwald Breaks Down Lessons for the West From Bolsonaro's Fascist Victory in Brazil
"When the establishment class fails a huge portion of the population for enough time and to enough of an extent, sooner or later they will decide that it is the ruling class that is their enemy."
In a video published by The Intercept on Monday, U.S. journalist and constitutional lawyer Glenn Greenwald, who lives in Brazil, breaks down the top lessons for Western democracies from the rise and ultimate victory of Brazil's newly elected fascist, misogynistic, racist, and homophobic president, Jair Bolsonaro.
Greenwald challenges the popular Western media narrative that Brazil's new leader is the President Donald Trump of the Tropics, calling it "woefully inadequate--in fact, wildly misleading." Bolsonaro poses a far graver danger to basic human rights and democracy, Greenwald argues, because he previously was part of a military dictatorship and wants to reimpose it; Brazil's institutions are newer and far more fragile than other democracies, limiting accountability; and he comes from the right-wing movement of the 1960s and 1970s--which obsessed about an "existential war" with Communism--rather than today's emerging reactionary movements in the U.S. and Europe that focus on stoking xenophobia while attacking social programs and democratic institutions.
Bolsonaro's victory, he explains, largely comes not from voters who support his hatred toward marginalized groups, but from poor people, people of color, LGBTQ people, and women "who voted for him despite that out of desperation and hopelessness." The lesson to take from Brazil is, according to Greenwald, "when the establishment class fails a huge portion of the population for enough time and to enough of an extent, sooner or later they will decide that it is the ruling class that is their enemy and they will run into the arms of anybody who they perceive as being its enemy and who is threatening to tear it down."
Watch:
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just days away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
In a video published by The Intercept on Monday, U.S. journalist and constitutional lawyer Glenn Greenwald, who lives in Brazil, breaks down the top lessons for Western democracies from the rise and ultimate victory of Brazil's newly elected fascist, misogynistic, racist, and homophobic president, Jair Bolsonaro.
Greenwald challenges the popular Western media narrative that Brazil's new leader is the President Donald Trump of the Tropics, calling it "woefully inadequate--in fact, wildly misleading." Bolsonaro poses a far graver danger to basic human rights and democracy, Greenwald argues, because he previously was part of a military dictatorship and wants to reimpose it; Brazil's institutions are newer and far more fragile than other democracies, limiting accountability; and he comes from the right-wing movement of the 1960s and 1970s--which obsessed about an "existential war" with Communism--rather than today's emerging reactionary movements in the U.S. and Europe that focus on stoking xenophobia while attacking social programs and democratic institutions.
Bolsonaro's victory, he explains, largely comes not from voters who support his hatred toward marginalized groups, but from poor people, people of color, LGBTQ people, and women "who voted for him despite that out of desperation and hopelessness." The lesson to take from Brazil is, according to Greenwald, "when the establishment class fails a huge portion of the population for enough time and to enough of an extent, sooner or later they will decide that it is the ruling class that is their enemy and they will run into the arms of anybody who they perceive as being its enemy and who is threatening to tear it down."
Watch:
In a video published by The Intercept on Monday, U.S. journalist and constitutional lawyer Glenn Greenwald, who lives in Brazil, breaks down the top lessons for Western democracies from the rise and ultimate victory of Brazil's newly elected fascist, misogynistic, racist, and homophobic president, Jair Bolsonaro.
Greenwald challenges the popular Western media narrative that Brazil's new leader is the President Donald Trump of the Tropics, calling it "woefully inadequate--in fact, wildly misleading." Bolsonaro poses a far graver danger to basic human rights and democracy, Greenwald argues, because he previously was part of a military dictatorship and wants to reimpose it; Brazil's institutions are newer and far more fragile than other democracies, limiting accountability; and he comes from the right-wing movement of the 1960s and 1970s--which obsessed about an "existential war" with Communism--rather than today's emerging reactionary movements in the U.S. and Europe that focus on stoking xenophobia while attacking social programs and democratic institutions.
Bolsonaro's victory, he explains, largely comes not from voters who support his hatred toward marginalized groups, but from poor people, people of color, LGBTQ people, and women "who voted for him despite that out of desperation and hopelessness." The lesson to take from Brazil is, according to Greenwald, "when the establishment class fails a huge portion of the population for enough time and to enough of an extent, sooner or later they will decide that it is the ruling class that is their enemy and they will run into the arms of anybody who they perceive as being its enemy and who is threatening to tear it down."
Watch: