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https://theconversation.com/why-brazilians-have-been-so-divided-in-their-reaction-to-bolsonaros-conviction-265419>
"Brazilians have been strikingly divided in their response to the trial and
conviction of their former president Jair Bolsonaro for plotting a coup after
his 2022 election defeat. A poll conducted shortly before the September 11
verdict found that 48% wanted to see Bolsonaro imprisoned while an almost equal
proportion – 46% – wanted him to remain free.
A separate survey in late August suggested that, were a new presidential
election held, 45.4% would vote for Bolsonaro and 44.6% for the incumbent
president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. For half of Brazilians, it would appear,
the conviction of Bolsonaro was a just end for a would-be dictator. For the
other half it was a politically motivated leftwing witch hunt.
The persistent loyalty of so many Brazilians to Bolsonaro seems illogical if
one looks at the evidence gathered against him. The former president was shown
to have considered numerous alternative ways of staying in power.
These included issuing decrees to stay in office and summoning military leaders
to formalise the coup. He was also found to have endorsed a plan to assassinate
Lula and his vice-president elect, Geraldo Alckmin, as well as supreme court
judge Alexandre de Moraes. This was all covered extensively across Brazil’s
mainstream media outlets.
Added to this is the evidence accumulated during Bolsonaro’s term of office
(2019-22) that he used “digital militias” to take down his enemies, propagated
“fake news” on a vast scale and pursued “antidemocratic acts” against Brazil’s
institutions. When taken together, it becomes more surprising that so many
Brazilians do not accept his guilt.
However, their denial makes more sense when you look at where Brazilians find
their news and information. Many people in Brazil have abandoned legacy media
almost entirely and rely on social media, influencers and WhatsApp for their
news. Over 90% of Brazil’s adult population are active WhatsApp users.
Conscious of this, Bolsonaro and his administration built and maintained a
parallel information ecosystem while in office based around social media and
messaging services. This digital ecosystem comprised a vast network of
alternative news sites, YouTube channels, social media influencers, Facebook
pages, WhatsApp administrators and legions of bots.
Official investigations later revealed that the system was coordinated by the
so-called Hate Cabinet, which was run by Bolsonaro’s sons, Carlos and Eduardo,
and leading advisers such as Felipe Martins. The Hate Cabinet earned its
nickname because the operation’s primary strategy was personal attack."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
