The Little Prince
It's not a matter of seeking social justice through Thor Batista, but, as Saint-Exupéry would say, you are responsible for what you run over.
Let's talk about the Little Prince, because the issue is basic. The son of the richest man in the country ran over a construction worker on a bicycle with his McLaren. It's too symbolic for us to resist the temptation to take justice into our own hands at the expense of the young man. Thor Batista left his planet to shake things up on Earth and will now answer for the world's inequalities on behalf of billionaires.
I don't question the legitimacy of retaliation. If there's concentrated anger (and it's evident that there is), nothing is more normal than expressing it when the target exposes themselves. Thor hesitated and, as Saint-Exupéry would say, you are responsible for what you run over. But even the social justice warrior must agree that Wanderson dos Santos also hesitated, is also responsible, and not only for having drunk before being hit.
Using a bicycle on Brazilian roads today is more than just a means of transportation; it's a political act, even in Wanderson's case, who shouldn't have had any other vehicle option. Like so many cyclists who die on the streets of large cities or on highways every week, the truck driver's assistant had the right to travel that way, but he assumed the risk of being hit by something much bigger.
Fault? Well, that's a legal issue. Experts have already stated that the fact that the pedestrian/cyclist was intoxicated does not negate the rule that obliges the larger vehicle to protect the smaller vehicle. Assuming that neither intended to be involved in the fatal accident and considering that the Batista family has followed protocol to the letter (with promises of assistance and even a mass held in honor of the deceased), I would ask: how can a citizen drive a race car on a highway?
I know he can (from a financial point of view, maybe he even should), but am I the only one who finds this whole thing about accelerating with one foot and braking with the other in the middle of the street strange? Doesn't the idea of an Aston Martin hitting potholes on Avenida Brasil or having all its power subjected to the traffic jam caused by a slow-moving cattle truck seem bizarre to you?
It might just be envy – let's consider that possibility – but to me, it doesn't make sense. It's otherworldly. It's like, I don't know, someone declaring to anyone who will listen that they read their first book at age 20. Not even "The Little Prince," Thor? You'll say it's irrelevant, but down here the rules are different. We agreed to at least feign some embarrassment once in a while. It might make things easier for you – you saw that the group is quite harsh.
Read more Real literature