Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 144

“I was walking up the hill with my soccer ball one night and...

“I was walking up the hill with my soccer ball one night and the police and drug dealers started to shoot at each other. I jumped over the wall and ran all the way home. I told my mom what happened, and she got so mad at me. I told her that I was just playing soccer and I didn’t do anything wrong. Then she started to cry. And I started to cry. And then we went to the church and prayed for a very long time.”

(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

“My father and his cousin created the first drug dealing...

“My father and his cousin created the first drug dealing territory in this favela back in the 60’s. It was a very violent place back then. Before my father came along—anyone with a weapon had absolute power. There was no law. There was no police to turn to. There were many homicides, burglaries, and rapes. My father played an important role. It was a cruel role, but it was important. He had to clean up the favela. The criminals weren’t just going to leave. They had to be erased. And my father did that job. He was a tiny man. He dressed well. He was educated, and polite, and humble. To many people he wasn’t a good person. But he was a righteous person. I didn’t follow in my father’s footsteps. I became a photographer and an activist. But I don’t see my father as a bad man. He brought rules to this place. And today’s drug traffickers enforce those same rules. This favela is one of the safest places in the city. Stealing is not allowed here. You can’t rape. You can’t hit a woman. Yes, there is violence. Because the police are always fighting the drug traffickers. But if the drug traffickers were gone tomorrow, the favela would be a far more dangerous place.”

(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

“Rio was the biggest slave port in world history. Two million...

“Rio was the biggest slave port in world history. Two million slaves arrived in this city—five times more than the entire American South. Favelas were built because the government didn’t want to provide basic services to the descendants of slaves. So these descendants were forced to build their own communities. Favelas are unregulated. They’re poorly serviced. But don’t call them ‘slums.’ That’s a lazy translation and it’s unfair to the people who live here. The word ‘slum’ implies that all favelas are the same. The word ‘slum’ ignores 120 years of improvement that these residents have made to their communities. And the word ‘slum’ makes it easier to ignore these communities. That’s exactly what the government wants. Because if favelas aren’t viewed as real neighborhoods, then their residents don’t deserve real services. So please don’t use the word ‘slum.’ Because it only helps to encourage that narrative.”

(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

“I didn’t enjoy life very much because I was always...

“I didn’t enjoy life very much because I was always sacrificing for the future. My whole life was about studying and working. I worked so many jobs. I went to college. I got my MBA. I didn’t travel very much. I didn’t get married. I didn’t have kids. All I wanted to do was feel secure. But I’ve had bad health problems my entire life. So I haven’t been able to save. And two weeks ago I lost my job. The job market is brutal when you’re my age. People don’t think you can learn new things. I can’t even get work as a clerk because they think I’m overqualified. I have no money now. I can barely afford food and transportation. I’ve spent my whole life sacrificing—just to one day feel secure. But it seems like it was all for nothing. And I have no idea what to do.”

(São Paulo, Brazil)

“After twenty years of marriage, I caught my husband cheating...

“After twenty years of marriage, I caught my husband cheating and had to leave him. But honestly, I wish I’d gotten my divorce much sooner. For so long I’d been denying my right to be an individual. The family had become so much more important than my dreams. I had small joys back then: getting a brand new car, having our 20th anniversary, when my son got into college. But now the intensity is so much greater. I’m doing all the things I love to do. I studied nutrition and got a job at the hospital. I buy whatever I want. I watch cartoons. I never miss a Shrek movie. I go to the orchestra at least once a month. And right now I’m coming back from a class on finance. I’m going to invest in the stock market and get a house by the beach.”

(São Paulo, Brazil)

“I grew up in a rural area. I came to the city when I was...

“I grew up in a rural area. I came to the city when I was fourteen. I wanted to expand my horizons. All I had was a suitcase and my courage. My parents tried to stop me. My mom found my first bus ticket and ripped it into pieces. But I told her that I wasn’t going to give up, and eventually my father drove me to the station. At first I worked as a maid in people’s houses. One of the people I worked for was the owner of a major newspaper, and his wife helped me go to high school. Then I went to college, where I met this handsome guy beside me. Now I run a small business selling tapioca. I’m even able to help support my parents back home. But I will admit that I’m getting restless again. I think I want to live in another country.”

(São Paulo, Brazil)

“When I was seventeen I had my first kid. The mother was...

“When I was seventeen I had my first kid. The mother was addicted to drugs. I was in a tough situation. I was raising the child on my own. And I received an invitation to help rob a truck. I thought: ‘I’ll just do this today, and then it will be over.’ I was the lookout. The police caught us while we were running away. Prison is a place that’s impossible to explain. I was there for 2.5 years before I even had a trial. I saw a guy being stabbed. I saw a guy slit his own throat with a razor. During the night I used to sit by the window, and look at the stars, and think: ‘Not even an animal likes to stay in a cage.’ All my friends forgot about me. Only my mother visited. I’ll never go back there. Right now I’m in a tough situation again. I have no job. But people at the church help me with food. And I sit here and help people park their cars. It’s only a few pennies, but I’d rather do this than steal from someone else who needs the money.”

(São Paulo, Brazil)

“We go to the same school. I asked her out three months ago. I...

“We go to the same school. I asked her out three months ago. I took her to a movie because it seemed casual, and I didn’t think she’d be expecting anything. When we left the theater, I handed her a poem that told the story of our friendship, including our trip to the movie. But the last line of the poem just said: ‘Look at me.’ When she looked up, I recited four more lines:

‘In addition to this,
we are such good friends.
Will you take one more step,
and be my girlfriend?’”

(São Paulo, Brazil)

“I was raised in a very strict family. My mom was like a...

“I was raised in a very strict family. My mom was like a sergeant. I married way too young. I had no life experience. I was married for twenty-five years and my late husband never let me go anywhere by myself. When he died, I had no idea how to live on my own. For fourteen years I’ve been a widow. And I’ve barely left the house. Recently I met this man on the Internet. We kept exchanging pictures. We kept talking on the phone. But I was too scared to meet. He told me: ‘Put your head up high! You are the boss of your life!’ So today I finally agreed to meet. I tried on five different outfits this morning. After I left the house, I went back once more to change my shoes. I was trembling the whole way on the bus. My stomach felt sick. When I finally saw him, it felt like there was a samba school in my heart. I was sweating. The first thing he did was get me some water. Now we’ve spent the whole day together. I feel so relaxed. I feel free. I feel like we’ve known each other for our entire lives.”

(Salvador, Brazil)

“I’ve been working as an airline mechanic since a young age....

“I’ve been working as an airline mechanic since a young age. I’m really good at it. I always pick up extra shifts. And it’s good because it’s allowed me to mature and grow. But since I work so much, it’s easy for people to think that things are going well for me. And it’s also been easy for me not to think about things. Now I’m twenty-two and I feel completely lost. I feel like I haven’t spent any time thinking about myself. I’m not good at forming relationships or talking to people. I’ve never wanted to seem weak because nobody likes people who are sad all the time. So I’ve become a closed-off person. Yesterday we picked groups for a class project, and nobody wanted to be in my group because I work so much. I don’t go to movies. I never even come to the park. This is the first time that I’ve been here. I don’t know– I just feel so lost right now. I’m searching for something but I don’t know what it is.”

(São Paulo, Brazil)