I was in the metro waiting for my horoscope to show up on one of them screens when I saw this odd propaganda clip extolling the Military Police:
There are plenty of achievements for which the Military Police can take pride: being effective State assassins and serving as the inspiration for Elite Squad. What they promote in this ad, however, is exactly the opposite of what the Military Police’s function is: fun. Look, the ad says, if it weren’t for us, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy the beach, people would be too scared to go to Carnival, stadiums would be empty.
Anyone living in Rio knows that the opposite is the case. The Military Police effectively scares people away from enjoying public space: samba circles are shifted to places they are less likely to be, young (black) people can’t enjoy a joint on the beach, and women aren’t allowed to take their tops off like their male counterparts in the country of Carnival. “If the PM (Military Police) show up…” is the frequent halt to fun and peaceful demonstrations.
Anyways, here’ s a little rebuke ad I myself made:
almanzali 