Power abuse several flavors

Brazilians, especially upper middle class, feel our country is very special in terms of the absurd stuff that happens around here. Usually I tend to disagree and attribute this perception to both the usual egocentric view of the world coupled with a limitless ignorance about it (going to Miami every now and then to waste money doesn't really count as knowing the world, sorry.)

But I do think we have peculiar features around here (tending to nag my grandfather and his book about nonexistence of such a thing as national character). Anyhow, I'm not trying to become chief of department at the University, so unlike him I can just throw ideas in the air.

I feel we're walking paradoxes. We have the smallest bikinis in the world (and also the pubic hair management system that goes with it). They are famous worldwide. Brazilian girls sexiness is like a national export product. And still we're very much used to morally judge and condemn women who have an active sex life. This leads me to think we don't really value the insinuating beauty of our girls. We treat this as a male consumption product, objectifying women. Instead of empowering them, their beauty and attractiveness become a sort of sordid prison (although possibly with a great view).

As with girls derriéres on our sunny coast, people's prejudices are also often out there in the open, despite an also very generalized self-consciousness and will to please others (yeah grandpa, talking about the cordial man here). Curious thing is that these constant contradictions create anomalies such as our extreme right politicians. These guys are a perfect condensation of the nasty side of our culture. So much so that a reelected federal congressman named Jair Bolsonaro has the balls (or not) to say at an open tribune he just wouldn't rape a fellow congresswoman because she doesn't deserve it (meaning she is not attractive enough for motivating him to do so).

Well, in this case I've got to admit this seems a little too much. Maybe people in power say that in Sudan. But it's a war zone, and killing and raping are best practices in these circumstances. My take is that power abuse happens everywhere. It just assumes different shapes and colors, but it's very much always the same. It can occur at high level companies, promoted by both men and women, at the congress, or a battle field.

Some people struggle for life to understand how the hell the holocaust has happened about 75 years ago. Others have the nerve to deny its existence, which is not only idiotic given the amount of hard evidence available, but also despicable. I'm not slightly interested in this later group. But for the struggling one, my point is that the answer is as simple as power craving. It's always around the corner, and it's highly appreciated and rewarded by our society because it retrofits its logic, creates more wealth for the already wealthy, thus maintaining the status quo. It fuels discrimination and inequality.

I'm dead sure power seekers might have been useful at some point of our evolution. Now they are probably our biggest risk of being wiped out from the face of the Earth. And unless the rest of us that hate power do something about it, they might end up getting what they want.