Guillermo Jimenez Presents Ioan Grillo
On this edition of De-Manufacturing Consent Guillermo is joined by Ioan Grillo, a freelance journalist and author of the book El Narco: Inside Mexico’s Criminal Insurgency. Today, we focus on South America and the situation in Brazil, as civil unrest, protests, and clashes with police are spurred by the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup. We discuss the allegations of corruption, misallocation of resources and funds, and the disillusionment of the youth throughout Latin America, many of whom are opting to boycott the international soccer tournament and taking to the streets to express their dissent. We go over Brazil’s program of “pacification” that began in 2008, in which police forces equipped with tanks and helicopters raid poor neighborhoods, known as favelas, to “cleanse” the city of its criminal elements, while at the same time demolishing buildings, rendering thousands homeless, and killing innocent men, women, and children.
As billions are spent to help “clean up” Brazil’s image for the international community, tourists exposed to the reality that many protest organizers have vowed to bring may end up having to close their eyes, cover their ears, and sing along to Shakira’s appropriately titled World Cup anthem, “La La La.”
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