I was listening to an episode of Behind the Bastards about the slave labor used by Volkswagen in the 1970s and 1980s and this fact came up. Here’s the relevant Wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Brazil
Excerpt:
Out of the 12 million Africans who were forcibly brought to the New World, approximately 5.5 million were brought to Brazil between 1540 and the 1860s.
Brazil number 1!
No Europeans colonized any land in the New World for the sake of tourism. They all came to make money out of various forms of plantation economies. And the economic engine for plantations to be profitable is slavery.
That’s why all countries with plantation-sustaining climates on the American continent have sizeable black and mestizo populations: they were ALL part of the slave trade.
Also why when they abolished slavery they abolished slavery for the sake of the ideology of slavery. They never cared for the victims or the people enough and that’s why their is still systemic discrimination till this day. Segregation in the USA wasn’t abolished until the 1900s.
I’m broadly aware of that and I know some of the specifics of sugar cane plantations in Hawaii, for example. But I had no idea the sheer extent of it in Brazil.
The majority of slaves went to central and south America. Portugal, Spain, France, and the Netherlands (along with Britain) were all involved in what was likely the most gruesome slave trade in human history. In Brazil’s case it was Portugal that purchased and moved those slaves over.
In the podcast I listened to covering modern times, it was Volkswagen doing it. The case literally came to trial THIS YEAR, 2025!
Not surprising since colonial violence is the foundation of capitalism.
I had no idea. I’m not even sure whether to call it a failure of us education system. We focus on our own country’s actions, which is probably appropriate, and there is mention of other countries, but we’re left with the impression the slave trade was predominantly us. Not to let our own history off the hook, but it would be better to understand the vast scale of slavery
Let’s also not forget many countries that today don’t have a visible black population were also very active in slavery.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afro-Argentines https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afro-Uruguayans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afro-Chileans
The US likes to make itself be the biggest drama queen in the world when it comes to racism, the Brazil suffers much more with it to this day.
Having lived in both places, I can say Brazil clearly has racism, but it doesn’t come close to the near apartheid of the south of US. By a long shot.
Erm that absolutely does exist. Black Brazilians are killed by police at far higher rates, earn far less, and remain under-represented everywhere from universities to Congress. Calling that “not even close” just compares signage, not reality. The closest to the US south would the Nordeste. This area despite being made of several huge states, is more black, more poor, and mostly forgotten from public representation and support. Would you say the USA South is forgotten and poor?
Erm that absolutely does exist.
Are you talking about racism existing? Because:
I can say Brazil clearly has racism
Moving on:
Calling that “not even close” just compares signage, not reality.
I would love to see how you arrived at that conclusion.
Would you say the USA South is forgotten and poor?
That has no relationship with racism at all. But to quench your curiosity, a resounding Yes.
I can’t even begin to describe to you the absolute palpable, day to day, quality that racism takes form in the south of US. Apartheid-lite really is a better describer, as it encompasses more than racism. I was so taken aback by the state of racial affairs, I don’t think anything could have prepared me for it. There’s just so much that never make it to the media, because media reports the extraordinary, and what’s most shocking is exactly what they consider ordinary. The ordinary racism is just mind-boggling.
Oh so you don’t even live in the United States.
Lol
Where did you get that, you absolute donut?
I admit I haven’t had a lot of exposure to Brazil’s history.
Of course. Because the Hollywood propaganda engine runs really deep.
I’m not sure that’s fair. Hollywood isn’t the history channel, its job isn’t to educate the world and they certainly aren’t conspiring to suppress knowledge of the slave trade in Brazil. They just haven’t made many films that feature it.
edit: If you’re getting all your world knowledge from films, that’s a problem.
The History Channel isn’t a history channel!
That’s the first valid point in this thread!
All right, just to be clear, the propaganda coming out of Hollywood isn’t exactly slim or debated:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military–entertainment_complex
Have there been any hollywood films denying slavery in Brazil? Hollywood propaganda on other topics isn’t relevant here.
Today on the Missing The Fucking Point Channel:
The point is that hollywood isn’t making films that deny or refute slavery in Brazil, which was the original claim.
Huh? Are you surprised that movies made in US are mostly about US? I am from Czech Republic and surprisingly, all our movies are about czech culture and none about Brazilian slave trade.
No. But holiwwod has spread to the whole world the American values. You don’t see that from other countries.
It isn’t Hollywood’s responsibility to teach people world history.
It’s to make money and spread propaganda. Which is what they said.
I didn’t say it was
“Did you know that Arabs were also slavers? They were much worse than us! Also America freed the slaves, and if you think about it, it was really the negroes that did it to themselves!”
Yes… So were the Greek and others. Europe didn’t start the slave trade, it already existed when Portugal started exploring the coast of Africa. Portugal just… Optimized the business.
If you’re like me, those quotes mean: This is something really stupid that other people say.
I’m not sure others are reading it that way.
we have entire slums to put their descendants in. we were also one of the last countries (if not the last) to officially abolish enslavement.
we desperately needed to make the lords and european empires richer, i guess.
not much different today, minimum wage in brazil and the 6por1 regime is honestly still akin to slavery, except its for billionaires and the us empire now.
I want to find a book or documentary here soon.
Las venas abiertas de America Latina is a very good book about just this.
it’s somewhat outdated and doesn’t go too deep into neoliberalism, which is the new form for imperialism, but it’s a good book nonetheless.
I used to love Behind the Bastards until Robert started saying “Right?” at the end of each fucking sentence. Right? So here’s what happened, bla bla bla. Right? Right? RIGHT?!
It gets so fucking jarring that I can’t listen to it anymore. I want to reach out through email and slap his face or something, see if he can get unstuck somehow.
I never noticed that and now I fear that’s all I’ll hear …
Right!?
I’m so sorry. 🙏
I completely get that. I stopped watching a YouTube channel I liked because the host said “genuinely” way too much lol
I am exceedingly harsh in YouTube comments on channels that do this. I feel like an asshole, because I am, but at the same time, someone’s gotta say your breath stinks and have a mint, you feel me.
“Legitimately,” reporting for duty. It’s just so damned useful. Also, “indeed.”
When people overuse stuff like that it makes me think…should I not trust you if you don’t say it? Like are your default statements illegitimate which is why you feel the need to stress that THIS statement is real?
Obviously people don’t mean it like that, it’s just a dumb quirk in my brain making me annoyed by it. I even get annoyed by some of my own linguistic habits
THAT’S WHAT’S BOTHERING ME! It’s so servile. It’s like, no confidence. Tell us, don’t ask. You’re the story teller, so tell the fucking story like. The story is good, no need to convince me further.
If anything it’s probably overcompensation. “Even if you ignore me, at least make sure you hear this point.”
Yeah, I almost didn’t continue with the podcast because of him. I struggle with him sometimes.
