By JULIAN RODRIGUES*
Long before Monark, neoconservatism has been digging roots in Brazil, giving voice to idiots and fascists
Jair M. Bolsonaro was not a bolt from the blue. Reactionism had been growing for some time in Brazil, in the form of neoconservatism. Aping the US, we already had here our religious fundamentalists, our reactive and dull little comedians and a whole political-cultural movement that had been opening up space, widening limits. Remember TV shows like CQC, or the garbage Panic.
This neoconservatism, inspired by the American Tea Party, long before Trump even became a fad, took root here. Bolsonaro would not have been elected if the socio-cultural-political environment was not so contaminated by neocon ideas, values and symbols.
O Panic on TV (2003-2012) was one of the important vectors in the construction of the reactionary environment, not to mention the CQC, among many others. Even during the PT governments, the dissemination of conservative, moralistic, reactionary, authoritarian, racist, sexist, homophobic and transphobic values advanced in every way.
Bruno Monteiro Aiub, aka “Monark” is just the ball for good. Symptom and symbol.
Social networks and all the innovations and such came together with a lot of irrationality, apart from the tacit permission to spread any nonsense as if it were something serious, plus the hate speech and opportunities for any fool or fool to become famous, rich and rich, from that crammed with clicks.
O flow podcast is one of the largest in this segment. Presented by Igor Coelho (discreet and precise) and by Monark, it became a reference.
Monark never hid his abysmal ignorance. On the contrary, he prides himself on being uncultured and illiterate. In numerous interviews, he was very embarrassed - but always maintaining the pose. Openly defending neoliberal capitalism, even without many arguments, I don't know why this podcast was so popular.
One day the house collapses. On the 7th of February, interviewing the deputy employee of the billionaire Jorge Paulo Lehman (Tábata Amaral) and Kim Kataguiri, Monark released indigestible pearls. He openly defended the right of the Nazis to organize into a Party. (Before defending the Nazis, the young man said that the radical left has much more space than the radical right).
In addition to defending the right of the Nazis, the genius Monark says that “we have to release everything, because if the guy wants to be anti-Jewish, he has the right to be”.
Nor are we going to emphasize now that Nazism did not only persecute Jews, but also the LGBT population, gypsies, communists, people with disabilities.
Monark is not alone. For some time now, the extreme right and Bolsonaro's neo-fascists have been spreading the idea that freedom of expression is unlimited. No, it's not. Human rights are an inseparable set, none of them overlaps the other. Freedom of expression is not greater than the right to human dignity, to plurality, to non-discrimination.
Hate speech is not a human right. Freedom of expression is not permission to propagate discrimination. Disseminating offenses is not protected by freedom of expression. No one can say something that disqualifies another human being and incites hatred.
The fact is, asshole Monark only got to this point because we're in a toxic environment. Monark is the offspring of Bolsonarism. It will not be enough to defeat Bolsonaro at the polls. We will have to build a broad movement of “de-fascistization” in Brazil. A lot of cultural struggle. Ideological. Value dispute. No concessions.
Against authoritarianism, democracy. Against machismo, gender equality. Against violence, the culture of peace. Facing racism now with the affirmation of the rights of the black population in this black country. In place of discrimination against LGBT, respect for sexual and gender diversity.
The manipulation of popular faith and religious fundamentalism will come out. Alternatively, we will propagate the secularity of the State and the plurality of beliefs. Debolsonarizing Brazil will not be an easy task. And not immediately. However, the fight for democracy needs to start immediately. But it is no longer possible to temporize with the monarchs of life (bolsominions in profusion). Fascism must be crushed, head-on, without pretense, without hesitation. The cultural battle, in the media, in everyday life is essential. Restricting the spaces of these neo-fascist imbeciles.
* Julian Rodrigues, professor and journalist, is an LGBT and human rights activist.