http://vimeo.com/87783218

Remarkable how nearly everyone in Brazil is of pure European descent.

Or so one would think looking at this commercial.

I certainly understand what you mean but what the heck is "pure European descent"? It seems to me European folks range from almost translucent white in the north to very dark close to the Mediterranean. Isn't much of skin color the result of one's ancestors spending an inordinate amount of time in strong sunlight? Or, what am I missing?

Best regards,

RA1

Isn't much of skin color the result of one's ancestors spending an inordinate amount of time in strong sunlight? Or, what am I missing?

LOL, for one thing you're making the classic racist mistake of mentally substituting "Caucasian" for "generic homo sapien." Genetically speaking one might more accurately say " Isn't the lack of skin color in Europeans the result of their ancestors spending an inordinate amount of time in weak sunlight?"

A similar error in is embedded in everyday American speach. Consider the following sentence:

"In the past 50 years, Southerners have come to accept and even freely endorse the presence of Black folks in the public fora."

This sentence carries the clear implication that people of African-American ancestry (many of whose families have lived in the South for much longer than most white residents) are somehow not really "Southerners," yet it could be uttered without notice or comment on even the most liberal of MSNBC's talk shows.

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I have to confess you caught me out, RA1. I actually hesitated to use the phrase "pure European descent" in my original post but was too tired (lazy?) to construct a sentence that excluded folks of mixed ancestry without being too wordy.

I shouldn't wonder that one might be starting to flag at 1235AM. However, I wouldn't know what MSNBC's shows might espouse because I do not watch that channel.

Isn't everyone of mixed ancestry? My ancestors arrived in the US in the late 1880's so we are certainly johnny come latelys as far as being "true" Southerners. OTOH, we have been "here" ever since and have never owned any slaves. Whatever any of that might mean. My immediate family was of German and Danish origins but beyond that I am not so sure.

Best regards,

RA1

How many photographs, magazine covers, television programs, the media, per se, have you seen the real racial construct as it exists in the massive country of Brasil? The same existed for many years in dear ol USA for a long time before the Civil Rights Movement took hold [and for the better I might write]. Covert and Overt racism exists in my favorite country and city as it still exits in our own native land; thus I was not surprised by Ms Guy's first take on these pics; in fact when I viewed the vid, I was not thinking at all.

Thank you for your keen perception and observation and insight! BTW I like the beautiful scenery, etc. Sorry that the "real Rio" was not depicted in terms of its inhabitants!!!

I re-looked at the video, because after spending something in the area of 500 day/nights in Rio over the past decade the ethnicity in the video didn't jump out at me as being unusual for the Copa/Ipanema area. People of primarily Portuguese descent look a lot like the model shown in skin tone. Now if you go further north in Brazil there is a much higher % of people of African descent. Salvador, Receife, Fortaleza are all beach cities with much higher % of African descendents. and conversely if you go South of Sao Paulo to Curitiba, Florinapolis, Porto Alegre you find very high % of White/European descendents.

I found this chart on Wikipedia:

Tomcal, not to make too big a deal of all this, but I'm wondering if the numbers in that chart reflect some objective ancestry criteria or are based on self classification? I'm under the impression that in Latin America racial designations carry a freight of class and cultural considerations.

Just for instance, I know a number of guys from southern Mexico that self-classify as Spanish who are physically indistinguishable from Indio to my eye. I've talked about this with several of them who are friends and found them to be genuinely puzzled why I didn't see what was to them obvious. One conclusion I drew was that, in Mexico, mental constructs and social signifiers of race are much more weighted on cultural background than physical characteristics, at least as compared to America.

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LOL, on rereading my post I find that I've managed to confuse even myself.

I guess what I'm asking is whether middle class/educated Brazilians of mixed race tend to self-classify as European?

"I guess what I'm asking is whether middle class/educated Brazilians of mixed race tend to self-classify as European?"

Good point/question!

Confusing oneself is always a possibility and one to which I freely admit.

Best regards,

RA1

I re-looked at the video, because after spending something in the area of 500 day/nights in Rio over the past decade the ethnicity in the video didn't jump out at me as being unusual for the Copa/Ipanema area. People of primarily Portuguese descent look a lot like the model shown in skin tone. Now if you go further north in Brazil there is a much higher % of people of African descent. Salvador, Receife, Fortaleza are all beach cities with much higher % of African descendents. and conversely if you go South of Sao Paulo to Curitiba, Florinapolis, Porto Alegre you find very high % of White/European descendents.

I found this chart on Wikipedia:

Thanks, TomCal! To go further and in conjunction with what you posted, if folks want to read some additional info., go to wikipedia. There's info. similar to yours!

But, guys, lets try to get back to the initial post and enjoy the vid. It does present that beautiful man and gorgeous scenery, much of with which are familiar!!