Did the left help elect Bolsonaro?

Few claims in the current political debate sound more implausible than the cynical provocation that the left helped elect Bolsonaro.

In the aftermath of World War II, the German philosopher Theodor W. Adorno warned that one of the most terrible characteristics of fascism was the recurring practice of "blaming the victim" for their suffering.

A frequently used expression in this fascist effort to "blame the victim" is that she "asked for it." "She was asking for it," for example, when said of a victim of violence or sexual assault.

A quick internet search reveals that "victim blaming" is simply "the act of devaluing a crime victim by holding them responsible for what happened."

Furthermore, it can also be defined as "the act of justifying inequality by finding fault with its victims."

This phenomenon is so strong in our society that more than 33% of the Brazilian population considers the woman to be guilty of rape, as shown in a survey conducted by Datafolha in 2016.

This same survey indicates that 42% of men and 32% of women agree with the statement that "women who respect themselves are not raped."

Sad reality of a country that seems to have become accustomed to living with barbarity at all levels and in the most varied spheres!

In politics, it has been no different. Blaming the left in general, and the PT in particular, for the rise of the Bolsonaro beast is an affront. It is even more undignified when this accusation comes precisely from sectors that did nothing or, on the contrary, fueled the coup attempt against President Dilma or constantly echoed the right-wing propaganda of destabilizing Lula at any cost while he was a candidate, celebrating his unjust imprisonment.

Besides the Brazilian people, no one was more of a victim of the farce of Bolsonaro's election than the Brazilian left. We are talking about many comrades whose lives were shattered for fighting, for better or worse, for a less unequal country. They are victims, not culprits.

Of course, governments make mistakes. Obviously, the PT and allied parties can and should be held accountable for having adopted this or that electoral tactic.

But to then try to place the responsibility for Bolsonaro's election on the PT and other left-wing parties is unacceptable. Despite all the limitations, mistakes, and misunderstandings, we have always been on the front lines taking a beating from an irresponsible right wing that abandoned all scruples and, in a no-holds-barred approach, opted for "the worse, the better."

Bolsonaro's rise to power began when, in their obsession with removing the PT (Workers' Party) from government, they listened to a lie by Roberto Jefferson and fueled, day and night, a fabrication dubbed "mensalão" (monthly allowance scandal).

Bolsonaro's rise to prominence began when, in an attempt to weaken the Workers' Party (PT) in government, they allowed the arrest or removal of several of its members, using selective legal "innovations" such as "command responsibility," "plea bargains," or the infamous "fiscal irresponsibility."

Bolsonaro began to be elected when, in order to criminalize the left and the PT (Workers' Party), they created an organization parallel to the Democratic Rule of Law and, with the support of the USA, fueled Lava Jato and the so-called Republic of Curitiba.

Bolsonaro began to be elected when, in an attempt to undermine Dilma's governments, fascist demonstrations were sponsored which, since 2013, fueled by the mainstream media and fake news, promoted a climate of hostility that escalated into the attacks we are witnessing today against all democratic institutions.

Bolsonaro began to be elected when, in order to depose an honest president, they staged a parliamentary, media, and legal coup, opening Pandora's Box and releasing all the scum that is now part of this (mis)government.

The Brazilian left has made and continues to make mistakes. The PT's electoral tactics have proven flawed in some respects, as has Ciro Gomes's lone wolf tactics. But neither of them can ever be held responsible for the rise of fascism in the country.

Mistakes have happened and will continue to happen. It's a natural part of the political process, even more so in the current phase of intense unpredictability within the context of the Fourth Technological Revolution. Only those who remain silent and stay in the comfortable position of merely criticizing make no mistakes.

What brought Bolsonaro and his militia to power was an irresponsible right wing that, in order to prevent the continuation of the successful policies of the Lula and Dilma governments, nurtured the fascist beast and now tries to shift this burden precisely onto the shoulders of those who are its greatest victims.

The blame for the rape of democracy in our country can never be attributed to those who have always defended it, regardless of the despicable excuse that "she asked for it."