Courtesy, or Lack Thereof

Which is more important: courtesy or hospitality? Courtesy is defined as politeness and manners. Hospitality consists of being welcoming and friendly, and being kind. So, how can a population have one but lack the other? It’s pretty rare, but that’s the case in Brazil.

In Brazil, courtesy is rare. Don’t get me wrong. People are nice, but courtesy is more than that. It means being polite and considerate to everyone, including people you will never meet. It means respecting others. In comparison with Canada, Brazil has very little courtesy.

"Before entering the train, let people go out."
São Paulo metro

Where do I begin? Wherever I go, I see litter, even beside garbage bins. The amount of people who flush is equivalent to the number of people who don’t like football. People don’t wait at the metro for others to get out first, even though it says it on the door. Cars always have the right of way, and to hell with the pedestrians. Some people also decide to ignore the rule that people who want to stand still on an escalator should stand on the right, and let other pass on the left. If you forget something somewhere, you will never see it again. I had an umbrella and was told to go a few meters away to another counter to pay. I look at the umbrella and it’s gone. Also, lack of punctuality fits under the category of lack of courtesy, because being late is disrespectful.

"Maintain your right. Leave the left free for circulation."
São Paulo metro

But seriously Brazilians, y u no flush? That’s why all the bathrooms smell like urine. I don’t care if they don’t wash their hands afterwards, as long as they flush. It only takes one second. There is graffiti everywhere, even on historical monuments. Nothing is sacred, and almost everything will eventually have graffiti on it. There were also cases where people caused chaos where they saw free food. At a cultural event where many famous chefs came to make free meals, the people were pushing in line and it got a little chaotic. One of the chefs ended up staying at home.

Mother of Graffiti!

If you own a barking piece of annoyance (in other words, a dog), then it should go inside at night. I have been woken up many times at night because of the neighbours’ dogs. Once, I tried to go and beat the shit out of them (they say you have to face your problems) with my umbrella, but they chickened out. They were barking and moving away from the gate. Some fireworks would have been more effective.

On the other hand, Brazilians are hospitable. If you go to someone’s house, they will likely offer you food and drinks. They are keen to help and easy to talk to.

If it comes down to choosing one of the two, I think courtesy is more important, because the amount of people you don’t know is much higher than the people you do. Lack of courtesy affects everyone. On the other hand, you could find hospitable people in a country which mainly has courteous people, and they would be as hospitable as Brazuilians, and everyone would respect each other.