Tribes

The Diário de Notícias newspaper comes thin but it´s worth. It´s only 1.20€ and brings a “succulent” interview with António Araújo.

It´s a long interview, from page 4^th to page 7^th, and there are some points that I start to emphasize…

Mr Araújo says that society, even the government, are moulded by TV and press commentators and the people are anaesthetized and they choose the easier

«…e toda a criação do gusto, da exigencia e da profundidade é um proceso que se demora muito tempo a afirmar-se.»

The consultant of the Republic Presidency complains about the provincial and “parochial” attitude in Portugal. (I´ve observed the same in other Mediterranean countries and particularly in certain cities).

«…porque vivemos numa glorificação e numa evocação de glórias pretéritas que acaba mais por nos fechar sobre nós mesmos. Aquele discurso recorrente sobre o universalismo dos portugueses, a lusofonia, é importante mas muitas vezes encerra-nos em nós propios.» 

His speech reaches ítems like the Salazar´s time and he discusses the fact that in Portugal a lot of books have been written about Salazar, his servants and his governess and nobody has written about the cunha (Portuguese word), the raccomandazione (Italian word), the enchufe (Spanish word) and pull strings which are things more valuable.

When he is asked if the pull strings system has disappeared, he, unhesitatingly, says that now it is wearing new garments; more sophisticated.

So, is there a bumpkin sense yet? The historian answers: yes, you can see it when the intellectuals show off that they went abroad. The historian compares these intellectuals with the status of the football players

«É um traço distintivo como os do status dos jugadores ao exibirem os seus carros de alta cilindrada. Oxford é o carro de alta cilindrada dos intelectuais dos anos 1960 e 70.» 

Our literary critic says that the elites are patronizing with the common people and expound the case of the Algarve: this wonderful place should be protected against overcrowding and allowing the access only to certain families. This would be the speech of some those elitists

«Desse modo, as praias realmente estavam mais conservadas –e eram mais conservadoras-, ou seja, refletem um discurso passadista e de retorno a uma nostalgia de um passado que não se sabe que existiu e era profundamente clasista.» 

The journalist dares with the forest fire in Pedrógão –it was a great fire which burned hundred and hundred of hectareas and did away with 64 people-, and o António answers that Portugal lived in an euphoria climate. This terrible incident waked up Portugal from its placidity.

(I ask myself why so many eucalyptus and pine trees instead of oak trees or cork trees more characteristics of this ground. Profitable timber business).

On page 7^th our interviewee slips in: o desenvolvimento de um sistema capitalista corrói muito os valores conservadores.

I´d like he had cleared it up but he doesn´t. I´d like to know what values are those. In my opinion, capitalism corrodes, above all, the left values.

When the interviewer asks about ideologies o António believes in tribes. Tribes which protect its members because members protect the tribe.

(I´ve always said that it is a comfortable thing to belong to a club. This way you will never be alone. You defend your club, your club defends you. It´s very hard not to belong to any faction because you´ll receive offences from all tribes).

Again, o António refers to those intellectuals who swim between two points: the folk regional costume or an Italian made-to-measure suit. (I´ve observed it in other Mediterranean countries, particularly in certain cities).

«Sempre foi muito difícil para os nossos intelectuais oscilarem entre o extremo provincianismo ou, quando queriam abandoná-lo, não serem seguidistas em relação a modelos de importação. Ou vestiam fato de campino ou iam comprá-lo a um alfaiate estrangeiro.» 

A final observation: the historian admits that as much in Portugal as in England there are many ceremonies and traditions which were invented not long ago and nevertheless we sell them to the tourists as if they were from time immemorial in order to maintain our collectivity.

From my Borstal.

LDR

Diário de Notícias, 15 de agosto de 2017 Nº 54173