Those who support this government believe they are in a struggle against the powers that have always ruled the country (political caste, the press, and the intellectual elite). They believe they have placed "one of our own" at the heart of power. Someone who has our same characteristics and who shares in our difficulties. Someone who is not afraid to show his unfitness to occupy the position, thus creating some empathic identification with those who could never imagine being president. They think that in this revolution one should not "respect the institutions" that were largely responsible "for all that is there,” the former status quo. They see themselves fighting for “freedom of expression”, especially if this “freedom” allows the circulation of discursive violence against vulnerable sectors of society, such as women, blacks, LGBTQs. A discursive violence that legitimises violent practices.
Fighting “indoctrination”
Within this horizon, an ideological polarization has intensified, focusing on the government’s fight against "indoctrination" in schools and universities. After cutting the budget of three of the major Brazilian universities by 30% because they are allegedly promoting "chatter" (read as opening a space for political debates and discussions about the national situation), the Ministry of Education saw public opinion turn against him for politically pursuing institutions with high levels of research and academic commitment and accomplishment. In response, the government simply extended the cuts to all 69 federal universities, affecting their more than 1.2 million students. This decision endangers the day-to-day functioning of several institutions and the integrity of higher education in Brazil.
That decision to make those cuts came just days after the President of the Republic announced his intention to shut down courses in philosophy and sociology in order to privilege "areas that generate an immediate return to the taxpayer, such as the veterinary sciences, engineering and medicine."
To the Brazilian public, none of this is strange. Already on the second day after his election, Bolsonaro himself posted videos of public school teachers who were allegedly "indoctrinating" students, vowing that it is now time for "less policy in schools." One can imagine the pressure under which today’s teachers in the Brazilian public system are working.
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