Is this a problem particular to brazil, or does it tell us something about the limits and contradictions of left governments under capitalism generally? Because it sounds to me quite a lot like the history of the united states, in terms of the contradictions of the new deal order. And that sort of confusion between the the citizen and the consumer is inevitable under capitalism. It can be counteracted by different forms of political education, which can, i believe, potentially be built into the design of public policies. I think the frustration that people had in in the case of p t was that they didn't try from the start. They never tried very hard to counteract those tendencies.
How neoliberal conditions create popular constituencies, ideologies, and subjectivities among poor and working-class people for a violent, mean, and repressive neoliberalism—and how those reactionary politics from below converge with those generated from above. Political theorist Rodrigo Nunes analyzes Bolsonarismo (the ideology and politics surrounding far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro) and far-right politics everywhere.
Read Rodrigo's essays:
radicalphilosophy.com/article/of-what-is-bolsonaro-the-name
publicbooks.org/are-we-in-denial-about-denial
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