race

In Brazil a female news presenter was the target of racist comments online after the show posted her picture to Facebook. In response, people posted these comments on billboards near the authors’ houses, without giving their names. This brief video shows the billboards and interviews people about their reaction to these comments. Although the people speak in Portuguese, the video is subtitled in English. The slogan at the bottom of the billboards says “Virtual Racism: the consequences are real.” At a time when racial justice is a pressing issue in the United States, it’s interesting to examine how people in another nation are addressing racist speech. The video also raises the issue of how people adopt new personas online, because they perceive that different standards of speech apply, and they can act with impunity.

To see my own book on military terror in Brazil, please click here.

Shawn Smallman, 2016