Let’s lighten up on Rio, people
RIO DE JANEIRO America, cut it out.
For the past few weeks, every time I told someone I was going down to Rio for the Olympics, their eyes opened wide and their responses bordered on terrified. You’re going to get Zika. You’re going to get killed. Take a bulletproof vest.
At first, I laughed it off, figuring they were just looking out for my well-being.
But as the Games have gotten underway, I keep reading those stories from the U.S. and seeing those rants littering my social media streams, and I’m realizing it’s something more: Call it an American superiority complex.
No, Brazil is not nearly as developed as the United States. The water isn’t safe to drink, the crime can be staggering in parts, and it can be stressful for English speakers to easily and safely get around.
But Rio isn’t some backwoods town in the middle of the jungle, as so many back home seem to believe.
This city of 6 million people is a bustling, energetic metropolis that has some of the most beautiful views you’ll ever find and some of the most fascinating people you’ll ever encounter.
Is there Zika? Of course. But it’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere right now, meaning the mosquito population is incredibly low in Rio.
The last time I caked myself in bug spray wasn’t here but in Miami last week, when I was reporting on a local outbreak of Zika there.
Is there violence? Plenty of it. A trip into Brazil’s infamous fa
velas — ungoverned neighbor- hoods millions of Brazilians call home — is a horrible idea for a foreigner.
Street crime is common, pickpockets have targeted Olympic delegations, and I’ve run into tourists who have, rightfully, yanked off their wedding rings and left their jewelry at home.
But how safe would you feel taking a midnight stroll through the South Side of Chicago right now, or in St. Louis, which currently has a higher rate of violence than Rio?
As Javelle Redmond, an Atlanta construction worker in town for the Games, told me: “You just hear about the places not to go and you stay away from them.”
Is the water polluted? You bet. But how comfortable would you feel swimming laps in Flint, Mich., these days? Or would you want to sip the water in the nearly 2,000 water systems that the USA TODAY Network found in all 50 states with lead contamination problems?
How about those terrorism threats facing the Olympics? The U.S. has the most robust intelligence service in the world, but Orlando still happened. San Bernardino happened. Boston. Fort Hood. New York City.
I’m not arguing that Brazil is somehow on par with the U.S. in terms of overall development, public health systems or security capabilities. What I’m saying is that too many Americans are criticizing this country and this city for being incapable of handling functions that we ourselves struggle with each day.
Sometimes, Americans are actively looking to cast Brazil in as negative a light as possible. On Sunday night, the Drudge Report ran out a headline screaming “Rio Olympic security chief robbed at knifepoint.” Only, the security chief wasn’t robbed. A knife-wielding mugger rushed at him, but his bodyguards shot and killed the assailant — in other words, the security worked.
So why don’t we all stop bashing Brazil for these next couple of weeks and try to appreciate the good parts of this country?
Read about the people or listen to the music. Visit a Brazilian steakhouse or look up how to make a proper caipirinha. Learn a lesson from the Brazilian technology sector on how to survive a recession or from the Brazilian people on how not to take yourself so seriously.
If something horrible happens during these Games, we’ll be all over it. But until something like that happens, lighten up.
Too many Americans are criticizing this country and this city for being incapable of handling functions that we ourselves struggle with each day.