WHAT THE DICTATORSHIP IN BRAZIL WAS: Pro-democracy Movements Bring Back Yellow as a Symbol
The color was associated with the military dictatorship, symbolized the Diretas Já campaign, was present at Dilma's impeachment and was appropriated by Bolsonaro supporters
Jun.29.2020 4:13PM
Joelmir Tavares
SÃO PAULO
In the flag it represents wealth, in the military dictatorship it served to stimulate pride, in Diretas Já it pushed people to the streets to clamor for direct vote and, in Brazil today, it is disputed by detractors and supporters of Jair Bolsonaro.
Yellow has already been used and recycled as a symbol in different contexts of national politics, now associated with the establishment, now with contestation.
Color (which, combined with green, is synonymous with Brazil anywhere in the world) is at the center of a war that pits civil society movements that defend democracy against groups loyal to Bolsonaro.
While the second group takes to the streets in yellow and proudly displays the national flag and sings anthem, sectors critical of the government want these items returned to Brazil as common goods.
The inflatable duck installed at that time on Avenida Paulista was also dyed yellow as a campaign avatar of the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo against the increase in taxes. (Foto: Danilo Verpa/Folhapress) - Folhapress
More:
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/brazil/2020/06/pro-democracy-movements-bring-back-yellow-as-a-symbol.shtml
DU'ers might easily remember DU member who lives in Sao Paulo, Obenario, who shared so many perfect photos taken of demonstrations during the insufferable months the ultra-conservatives of Sao Paulo enjoyed on Sundays. You would recognize huge yellow ducks immediately. Very hard to miss, very distinctive, they always dragged them to the demonstrations. The color yellow was everywhere, and it signaled the demonstrations were very deeply funded by people with a lot of money to throw around. You may recall in the photos we were also able to see wealthy young couples, strolling together, enjoying the days, perhaps even bringing a dog on a leash, their children, and even a nanny following behind them with a baby buggy for their very small children. Absolutely disgusting. There were also places around the areas where people could meet and throw back beloved glasses of wine, and really whoop it up in general. Oh, yeah, they also loved to take selfies with the cops, with everyone beaming. They carried signs saying they wished to have the dictatorship back. This was during the time Dilma Rousseff, who followed Lula da Silva was in office as the President of Brazil. They wealthy people were livid because she and Lula da Silva had dared to improve the well-being of the desperately poor people who had been left behind so very long ago, when the elites started grabbing up all the controls of government.
Yellow damned ducks. So cute! So festive! So sinister in meaning.
We were lucky Obenario gave us so much to learn during the wretched time the oligarchs were moving to steal the government away from the voters. Her generosity, her sense of community with human beings, were appreciated so greatly. It's a real shame some right-wing trolls saw her as a target, and harassed her any time they saw her writings here.
Their nastiness and viciousness was so obnoxious it undoubtedly drowned out all her attempts to let others know what we were NOT being able to read in our own corporate media "news" outlets who seemingly had been given the word to blow right past all that stuff and forget letting the U.S. public in on it. If we were to only read our own corporate stenographers we would have never known anything was going on in Brazil.
If she ever returns, you'll recognize her from her intelligent, fascinating information, and the trails of slime left as possibly the very same right wing trolls ooze on back to attack her again. Several of their cluster are still here, of course.
Very best wishes to Obenario, we think of Brazil every day, and hope so much you will lose your monster just as we need desperately to lose ours. Be safe, Obenario.
