The ghosts of the ultra-right – 7/5/2023 – Maria Hermínia Tavares

Speculating about the political future of Jair Bolsonaro is a futile exercise. It is more useful to try to understand the varied aspirations of the approximately 30% of Brazilians who, according to Datafolha, continue to believe that his government benefited the country. They will follow here whatever the fate of those who were banned from political life until 2030 and may still face other penalties.

This population includes a friend who voted for Bolsonaro both in 2018 and last year. She regularly supplies me with material that circulates on her social networks, serving her a reinforced diet of antipetism and conspiracy theories. Last time, she sent an article recently published in Oeste magazine, certainly a strident far-right voice in the national media. The text wants to make one believe that Brazil is in the process of becoming a “Soviet country”.

In this apocalyptic delirium, the collusion between Lula and the STF (Federal Supreme Court) would have already engendered “a one-party regime”, in which corruption thrives and freedom of expression languishes, under the heel of the TSE (Superior Electoral Court), “political police at the service of the government”. With Shakespeare, one could say that the verbiage configures “a story told by a madman, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Still, that’s what 7 out of 10 supporters of the former captain believe. Worse: half of those interviewed by Datafolha agree, in whole or in part, that Brazil runs the risk of becoming communist

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Here, the fantasy of communizing the country goes hand in hand with adherence to values ​​related to individual conduct, family and religion. Although they must combine to varying degrees in different segments of society, together they define a distinctly reactionary political field. With its groups, leaders, social networks, publishers and media, this nightmare right was structured long before Bolsonaro gave it an electoral outlet.

In “Treze”, an excellent study on the cycle of protests a decade ago, sociologist Angela Alonso digs into their origins in the conflicts that arose during the long PT period in the federal government.
It may not be possible to completely dispel belief in a non-existent communist threat. After all, there are those who believe that the Earth is flat. But at least it is worth trying to dismantle —with words and above all with actions— the arguments that support the mirage.

There is no reason to leave the supposed defense of freedom of expression and the hypocritical denunciation of political corruption to the creators of ghosts. Both are calling for attention and response from progressives.

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