polarization has reached a point where even the defense of relatively elementary national interests is interpreted through the lens of ideological conflict. If Lula defends a particular international position, some people feel compelled to reject it simply because Lula was the one who defended it

The tragedy of contemporary Brazil lies not only in political radicalization. It lies in the transformation of ignorance into collective identity, verbal violence into moral virtue, and ridicule into an ideological platform. The most radical wing of Bolsonarism has ceased to be merely a political movement, it has become a cultural phenomenon marked by the aestheticization of brutality and the glorification of stupidity.