Brian Winter: belief

Transcript context

…How do you think that being a Texan makes you more optimistic about Brazil? If you would even accept the claim at all. That’s a really good question. It certainly makes me appreciate the cowboy culture and churrasco, which is the Brazilian barbecue culture, as well. I think both places, in addition to being hot and green, are forward-looking. I came to Brazil from Argentina. I lived in Argentina first. Argentina is a country that is obsessively focused on its past. That’s a country that 100 years ago, famously, was one of the 10 richest countries in the world and today, has slipped back well into the middle of the pack somewhere in the ’60s, depending on what indicator you’re looking at. Argentina is a tango. It’s nostalgia. It’s melancholy. Brazil has always been about the future, sometimes to a fault. It’s not a place where people remember precedent, where they remember lessons of history. They’re focused on the future. If you grew up in a place like Dallas — like I did — which was built entirely, for the most part, in the 20th century, I think there’s probably something of that that resonates with me. But is Brazil still looking toward the future? As you know, they built Brasilia in the middle of nowhere. Whatever you think of Brasilia, it was quite an achievement. It’s hard for me to imagine them doing that now. I’ve read that Outback Steakhouse is quite popular in Brazil. You’ve talked about rap music, derivatives of country and Western. Where’s the real future-looking, forward-looking element in Brazil? Where do you see it?…

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