Corruption and Environmental Activism in Brazil

Introduction

Corruption is one of Brazils primary problems that significantly obstruct economic development and hinder the quality of life in the country. The government officials exploit its national and social resources but use the money for themselves instead of making positive changes. As a result of this injustice, many groups of people form activist communities to stand against corruption. For instance, environmental activists protest against the exploitation of resources in the Amazon and unjust killings of rural and indigenous people. It is a relevant problem connected with corruption and power abuse. The current essay examines Brazils background to understand the issue of corruption and provides a thorough analysis of the discourse community of environmental activists.

Background Analysis

Most people know Brazil due to its rainforests, Carnaval, beautiful beaches, soccer, and one of the worlds seven wonders. However, many are unaware that the country is much more than that. Brazil is the 5th largest and most populated country in the world. It is the largest country in Latin America, bordering every country in South America except for Chile and Ecuador. Due to its great size and population, Brazil is the 9th largest economy in the world.

The countrys biggest trading partners are China, the USA, and Argentina. They export 22% to China, 12% to the USA and 8% to Argentina. Brazil is the 4th largest agricultural explorer in the world; it is the biggest coffee and soybean exporter in the world and also a major exporter of wheat and rice. Brazils two biggest trading partners have been having trading problems with each other recently. China imposed a 25% tariff on American farm goods. According to CNBC, China is the worlds largest consumer of soybeans and accounted for 60% of U.S. soybean exports before the trade dispute pulled shipment levels down. Even though it is very unfortunate that this trade war is happening, Brazil has nothing to lose and a lot to gain from it. Brazil and China have a great trading relationship, and they should be using that to their advantage now.

When looking at Brazils 9th largest economy in the world ranking, it misleads people into thinking that the country has a very low poverty rate with excellent living standards. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Brazil suffers from big scarcity problems. There is a clear gap between the rich and the poor. The wealthiest 10% earn 42.7% of the nations income, compared to the poorest 34%, which earns just 1.2% of it. Brazils housing deficit of 7 million directly affects 20% of Brazilians that live in inadequate housing. According to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, 11.18% of the population is below the poverty line. They live in slums, known as favelas, that are located in metropolitan areas of neglected land.

Corruption Problems

The country has recently gone through the biggest corruption scandal of its history and arguably the world, known as Operation Car Wash. After completing five years of the ongoing investigation, The Public Prosecutors Office hopes to recuperate almost 10 billion dollars that were taken away by corruption. Alongside all the money, the operation has convicted 155 people, including former president Luis Inacio da Silva, also known as Lula, who spent 580 days in jail.

Brazil has resources it simply needs good leadership and intelligence to take the country to a different level. Brazil has an evident potential to be one of the worlds top countries with proper guidance. However, Brazils bad corruption and crime reputation have made the 2014 World Cup host and 2016 Olympics Host not be visited by the number of tourists that they should have. Brazil is not even in the top 20 most visited countries in the world. Tourism numbers, in fact, are dropping. If President Bolsonaro is able to pass more reforms by the end of his term, focus on international trade of the countrys great products, invest in the faster exploration of pre-salt, and give Brazilians better education, health care, and security. Just like dominos, all should fall into place.

Bolsonaros Background

Brazil had its first election after President Roussefs impeachment; President Jair Bolsonaro from the conservative Social Liberal Party would replace President Temer. President Bolsonaros biggest goal in his campaign was to fight corruption. A veteran in politics since 1988, Bolsonaro was famous for being one of the few known politicians in Brazil, never to be involved in a corruption scandal. Brazil suddenly went from 15 years of left-winged corrupt government to a strongly opinionated conservative veteran with no history of corruption in his 30 years in politics. Clearly, most Brazilians were done with corruption and wanted a drastic change.

On October 24, 2019, Bolsonaro finally passed the pension reform. According to BBC News, The approval of the bill is a major victory for President Jair Bolsonaro after decades of failed attempts to reform Brazils social security system. Official data suggests that had it not been passed, public debt would have skyrocketed. The reform made the retirement age 65 for men and 62 for women. It has also included an increase in the workers pension and special rules for the federal police, teachers, rural workers, and prison guards. Such changes are predicted to save Brazil $195 billion over the next ten years. The leading cause of the countrys large budget deficit was the high cost of the pension system.

Environmental Activists Discourse Community

Nevertheless, despite the recent efforts in the battle against corruption and power abuse, these problems are still persistent throughout the whole country. The news of unjust killings of rural residents and environmental activists is very common in Brazil (Brown). Usually, these people actively protest against corruption, deforestation, and other unlawful methods that government uses. As a result, environmental activists form a community united by one goal to protect the country and prevent further destruction.

Community Discourse Overview

However, to fully understand whether environmental activists form a discourse community (DC), it is necessary to examine the group in greater detail. John Swales has proposed eight primary criteria to define a DC agreed goals, intercommunication, participatory mechanisms, various genres to advance agenda, specific lexis, necessary expertise, silential relations, and settled expectations (Swales). It is a large range of criteria that concern various parameters of the community. However, according to the author, discourse communities differ from typical groups of people, only united by the same goal (Swales). It means that additional analysis is necessary to learn the nature of the examined group.

Methodology

The next step of analysis is to collect data about environmental activists in Brazil to understand whether they meet the criteria. First, the community has the same set of goals that all members strive for to stop corruption and prevent environmental and social damage. The written data supports this idea, and many sources show the dedication of environmental activists to prevent crime, even in fear of death (Brown; Conectas). Most of the activism materials are online public-facing writings that attract attention to the problem and ask for additional support. They demonstrate the communitys goals and how members communicate with each other and the rest of the world, meaning that environmental activists satisfy the first and second criteria of Swales definition. Additionally, internal writing, such as the report from WWF, shows the relevance of environmental problems in Brazil and how corruption affects them (Environmental Problems). As a result, the usage of various genres to advance community agenda also satisfies the third criterium of the framework.

Specific lexis is one of the factors that is not the same for all members of the community. However, a large part of environmental and political activists in Brazil are indigenous people whose land, culture, and language are in immediate danger because of corruption and power abuse (Brown). These small sub-communities all have distinct languages, specific lexis, and even silential relationships. For instance, Tangãi Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau describes the way of life in the Tarilândia area and explains how the government abuses the rights of indigenous people (Brown). He also states that this attitude makes people sad and angry, showing the shared set of values in the community (Brown). It is unfortunate that corruption, deaths, and abuse unite the community, but it is a harsh reality that many indigenous people and environmental activists face in Brazil.

Lastly, data collection through interviews is an effective way to learn more about the community. Eloy Terena is a notable activist of environmental rights who fights against land demarcation and unlawful exploitation of natural resources (Brazão et al.). Moreover, he is a part of the indigenous sub-community that has unique lexis, expertise in the problem, and silential relationships with other members (Brazão et al.). He discusses his involvement in the Articulation of the Indigenous peoples of Brazil (APIB) and other organizations that provide space for improving environmental rights. As a result, it is clear that he, as a member of the community, has certain expectations about how to prevent corruption, preserve nature, and protect indigenous peoples in Brazil.

Discussion and Implications

The analysis has shown that the general community of environmental activists in Brazil is unlikely to be a discourse community due to a lack of specific lexis. According to Swales, it is an important factor that should be present in the community to define it as a DC. However, smaller communities, such as indigenous environmental activists, meet all criteria of the Swales framework. They have distinct languages, lexis, and a rich culture to further unite them against corruption and power abuse in Brazil.

Conclusion

In summary, it is safe to assume that indigenous environmental activists constitute a discourse community, while the general community of environmental activists might not meet all criteria of a DC. Particularly, the interview with Eloy Terena shows the dedication of the group, the agreed set of goals, and the participatory mechanisms of the DC. Moreover, the problems of corruption, unlawful killings of activists and indigenous people, and the exploitation of natural resources remain highly relevant in Brazil. Therefore, the country needs such communities as environmental activists that can unite against the common danger that threatens the whole country.

Reflection

In the current course, I have learned a lot about writing and academic discourse. I have also understood that writing is a very complicated process, and I currently lack many competencies to become a good writer. However, it also means that there is room for improvement, and I am looking forward to developing my skills in the future. I believe that growing as a writer will help me in my professional and personal growth since it stimulates critical thinking and problem-solving.

I would also like to elaborate on various writing rules and styles, which are, to my surprise, easy-to-understand but very complicated to execute. In his essay, Kurt Vonnegut discussed seven primary recommendations for writers on how to keep the audience interested in the text. Most of them are straightforward, such as do not ramble, keep it simple, sound like yourself (Kurt Vonnegut: How to Write with Style). Moreover, I do agree with all his recommendations for good writing. However, I found it very challenging to actually apply these principles in my works because it is so easy to stray away from the topic and forget the main message of the essay. In this sense, I think that my work as a writer does not quite fit Vonneguts recommendations, but I agree that I need to work more on these major principles of writing.

Additionally, some of Vonneguts principles are less straightforward, and I have not realized them before. For instance, the advice pity the readers explains that all readers are different and might not understand what the writer wants to convey (Kurt Vonnegut: How to Write with Style). It means that I should always think about the intended audience when composing my essays and other forms of writing. This advice was not evident to me before reading Vonneguts principles, and I always focused only on content and not how people might perceive it. However, after reflecting on this recommendation, it is obvious that everyone is different and processes information in a unique manner. It means that I need to consider the intended audience to become a better writer.

Considering specific essays, I would say that my worst and best essay is the work about the discourse communities. I did not fully understand the requirements for the essay at first and missed the central point of the assignment, making it my weakest work. However, I believe that I was able to revise it after the feedback to make it, hopefully, appropriate for the assignment objectives. It made me realize the importance of revision, proofreading, and feedback of another person who has a different perspective on the topic. It is easy for me to forget about the initial topic and discuss other themes in the essay. So, I should pay more attention to the assignment instructions, the essays structure, and proofreading to become a better writer.

In summary, I think I have become a better writer over the period of the course, but I do need more practice. Specifically, my understanding of writing principles and focus on the main message of the essay has improved. I might not always be able to implement them in practice, but I understand the theoretical background now. Additionally, they are the factors that I intend to focus on to develop as a writer. After all, it is impossible to become good at writing if I cannot convey the main point of the essay to the readers.