Cultural Norms

Bound by Land, Bound by Custom, Turning a Blind Eye*

 In a recent conversation with his wife, Fogy was challenged to explain why a man of 18 could have a mother of 32.

Without much hesitation, I began to outline the basic truths of a different culture—one not dissimilar to the days of serfdom in ancient Europe—a serfdom not tied by formal feudal lords, but by poverty, distance, and sheer survival.

My reference at the moment is Brazil: a massive nation, the largest by area in South America.

Not only does the country cover a great expanse from west to east, but it also stretches beyond the Equator in the north to the colder climes of the south.

And too is the breadth of the cultural divides, where the south—colonized mostly by Europeans—contrasts greatly with the native population and the slaves transported to Brazil in those early days, when the indigenous peoples refused to do the bidding of the Portuguese usurpers who had taken their land.

Centrally, São Paulo is another world, more developed than much of Brazil, especially when the state of São Paulo is taken as a whole. Brasília, while located more strategically toward the west to unite the central regions with the dominant east coast, can be considered politically developed—though with much less of the "smarts" that dominate the eastern centers.

Generalizing about Brazil is fraught with absolute inaccuracies because Brazil is, in truth, many cultures and many peoples. And that is where laws and culture diverge.

Earlier, I wrote about the serf-like nature of a Brazil, little seen by most of those south of the Bahia and Goiás borders (both are states in Brazil).

Only the major cities like Salvador, Recife, Fortaleza—and even those like Belém and São Luís—come close to mirroring the levels of development seen in the south.

These more northern regions, closer to Brazil’s neighbors, still carry the cultures of times past.

It was often normal for life expectancy to hover more below 50 than above. Much, of course, was due to the predominance of venomous creatures, extremes of climate, and the general lack of access to essential services like healthcare.

It was no wonder then that a female child might be married off as young as 12 or 14, while labor-intensive work—when found—would claim the lives of many young men. The relaxed, easy lifestyle often craved by modern educated people was quite often a death trap for those forced into it.

Brazilian law states that the age of consent is 14, and civil marriage (with parental permission) is allowed as early as 16. 

The Catholic Church, still dominant in many of these regions, also imposes strict moral rules regarding consenting adults.

Is today's post focused only on the sexual differences across cultures? Really, it isn't. But to cite so many cultural differences would make your reading, dear reader, a tedious task.

Suffice it to say that this is merely a singular example—and that future posts will explore much more of this fascinating country.

Cheers.

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