Italian & Portugese Lexical Similarities
"São Paulo's industrial success is due to Italian immigrants and not due to Portuguese efforts..."
I'd never read such a ridiculous statement. It is obvious that you are not Brazilian or don't know enough about the matter. São Paulo's industrial success is due to the contributions of many european and noneuropean groups, as Carlos wrote above. Among them, the Italians represent an important group. Their contribution to the development of the largest city of South America is undeniable. But specially the Germans have contributed to São Paulo industrialization and development. There are about 1000 german companies with about 250.000 employees in São Paulo. Accordings to these data São Paulo can be regarded as the largest german industrial city outside Germany. VW (Volkswagen) do Brasil is with 28.400 employees and sales of 5.7 billion US-Dollar (2000) the largest industrial employer in Brazil. Volkswagen has a market share as high as 60 Prozent in Brazil.
"...Portugal is to blame for problems in Brazil because Brazil was an exploration colony not a inhabitation colony (like USA)...."
Brazilians have been independent for almost 200 years (officially since 1822). The USA for 231 years. After independence Americans enlarged their territorial area by at least four fold the original territory ceded by Great Britain in 1783 (13 colonies). The last acqusitions of land took place in 1853 and 1867 (almost 50 years after the independence of Brazil!!!). Americans had to form their territory with bloody wars against, and businesses with, their neighbours. In those 231 years they have had many national and internatonal wars (american civil war, WWII, Vietnam war, Gulf war, anti-terror war, etc., etc.).
How many bloody wars did Brazil have to gain independence? How many wars did Brazilians have to form and secure their large territory? Maybe Brazilians would not be speaking such foolish things about Portugal and the Portuguese, if the Portuguese had divided their land in many independent colonies, like the Spaniards did with their territories in Latin America. Then you would be a bunch of small independent states nowadays.
In the 'Old World' Portugal and Spain are next door neighbours. Their histories have always been intertwined, their languages and cultures as well.
In the 'New World', Portugal and Spain are next door neighbours as well. Through the 'Treaty of Tordesillas', South America was alloted half to Portugal and half to Spain.
Portuguese and Spanish culture and languages have always been inseparable, and will always continue to be - destiny chose it to be that way I guess.
In South America, 51% are Portuguese speaking and 49% are Spanish speaking. United, South Americans will be a force to be reckoned with for the future.
And in Africa, the Portugese lanuguage continues to grow in five countries, with Angola and Mozambique as the main ones. Portuguese is flourishing again in East Timor as the co-offical language there.
Therefore, over 600 million people speak Spanish and Portuguese in the world today. The beauty of it is that Spanish and Portuguese speakers already understand one anothers languages quite well, and are mastering them as second languages in their schools, which is a breeze for them to do, since those languages are already so, so close. Brothers forever.
How many bloody wars did Brazil have to gain independence? How many wars did Brazilians have to form and secure their large territory? Maybe Brazilians would not be speaking such foolish things about Portugal and the Portuguese, if the Portuguese had divided their land in many independent colonies, like the Spaniards did with their territories in Latin America. Then you would be a bunch of small independent states nowadays.
Well, the history of the Brazilian independence is not so rosy. As far as I know , after te independence Brazil invaded Uruguay and nowadays part of this country is still Brazilian territory. Uruguay, once known as "La Banda Oriental" used to be bigger. Also Brazil had conflicts with Peru and Colombia since one their goals was , like US did, to reach to the Pacific coast. That Brazilian expansionism was largely unsuccessful does not mean that this country tried to acquire new territory invading them if it was necessary . As for the Spanish colonies, take into account that they form a very long strip from Mexico to Chile, they are not a globular territory like Brazil without territorial barriers like big mountains. That is the reason why the Spanish colonies became many independent countries. It was not a concious plan of the evil Spanish to make them weaker. In fact when Latin America was ruled by Spain there were only a few subdivisions, 3 or 4 if I recall, not 22 like nowadays.
Very well said Guest! Some people like Milton glorify the U.S.A., but overlook the many brutalities that the Americans visited against so many innocent people. Hardly something to glorify. What guest says is true about the Americans enlarging their land area. They did it throguh the 'Manifest Destiny' in which Americans believed that 'God' had chosen them to be the model citizens and model nation unto the world, and that they were chosen to 'civilize' the 'barbaric' peoples. What a complete Joke! The Americans have been anything but a model nation. The U.S.A. has committed so many atrocities on their own soil (against the Afro-Americans and Natives) and in the world at large as guest rightly pointed out.
So before Brazilians trash talk the Portuguese, let them think about the barbarous acts that other so-called civilized countries (U.S.A.) have done, and the brutalities the Spaniards perpetrated against the indigenous peoples in the Americas. The Portuguese were tame by comparison. If the Portuguese had done in Brazil, what the Spanish did in their S.A. colonies, Brazil would have fragmented into 20 different independent states, all in competition with one another. You have to know your history folks.
<The Americans have been anything but a model nation. The U.S.A. has committed so many atrocities on their own soil (against the Afro-Americans and Natives) and in the world at large as guest rightly pointed out.>>
Yes, but we were alowed to do it because we are the chosen land. A few lives in the past are a small price to pay for spreading freedom around the world.
Yo ma hommies, why didn't USA break into more than one country yo? That would've been right on da spot yo al ma bro! Shiz da tiz yall.
United States, chosen land? To spread freedom? Sure, the Americans will believe that. America 'Self-appointed' itself as the 'Policeman' of the world. Except that instead of protecting, they have brutalized all in the name of self-interest. What they have spread is 'Oppression'.
The U.S.A. did break apart during the 'Civil War' - remember? And they should have stayed apart, because the American southerners are to this day, very, very different than the American northerners. But what they all have in common is that they are very gullible. Anyway, each of the individual 'states' are practically countries unto themselves anyway.
American presidents have been, and continue to be elected (George Bush), when they appeal to the so-called 'god-fearing' American people to elect them, because they will do right by god, and have been chosen by god. What garbage! They are bigots, always were, always will be.
''Maybe Brazilians would not be speaking such foolish things about Portugal and the Portuguese, if the Portuguese had divided their land in many independent colonies, like the Spaniards did with their territories in Latin America. Then you would be a bunch of small independent states nowadays.''
This would be much better, since there would be many successful countries, industry-driven São Paulo, or tourism-driven Bahia.
Brazilian states were formed in an artificial way, unlike USA that was made by states joinging, Brazilian states are artificially created, and Brazil is heavily centralized, like France, and unlike USA.
Centralized countries are better.
Portugal is a nice country.
It's a boring country.
And just a boring lesson in history class.
Portugal is not respected in Brazil. Italy, UK and US score much higher.
Celebration of 500 years of Brazil's discovery (by Portuguese) was practically ignored in Brazil.
Is Brazil a continent to need a special discovery date? (Is there a US discovery date, a Canada discovery date?, a Mexico discovery date) -no!
only Portuguese people need some discovery dates of Brazil, Angola, Timor?
''Centralized countries are better.''
they're not.
''American presidents have been, and continue to be elected (George Bush), when they appeal to the so-called 'god-fearing' American people to elect them,''
US has had many black people at the highest position (C. Powel and Condoleeza Rice). Brazil has never had any black people on a high position, only whites. Brazil is such a rasistic country, and it attitude was inhereted by Portuguese.
''How many bloody wars did Brazil have to gain independence? ''
Brazil's war with Uruguay was one of the most bloody wars in history.
Rio Grande do Sul wasn't permitted to be included in new Uruguay
therefore gaúchos never consider themselves Brazilians, they want a separation of Brazil, and admire Uruguay and Argentina. Obviously, Buenos Aires is closer to them than Brasilia or Rio.
Yes they are. Look at the disaster provoked by the Hurricane Katrina for example. The federal structure of US made difficult to coordinate federal and statal resources.
''The Americans have been anything but a model nation.''
Brazil has a higher percentage of black and mulatto race than US, but you never see a black person in a brazilian movie, or a soap opera. Hollywood accepts black people and it is very tolerant, unlike Brazilian movie and tv productions.
US is much more united than Brazil. The 1st thing a Brazilian person tells you while introducing himself/himself is something like this: I'm of Spanish origin or I'm of Italian origin, or I'm of Polish origin. Brazilians are obsessed with origin. Americans may have variable origins, but they are Americans, and they never consider themselves English, German, Italian...Brazilians always value foreign things. Americans respect themselves. That's all.