How Restart became a global campaign against cancer.
A manifesto on Twitter gained worldwide attention with the name of the band's vocalist, Pe Lanza, provoking anger from fans and laughter from users.
Cassius Oliveira_247 – Earlier this week, Twitter was filled with controversy. It all stemmed from a movement against one of the most famous Brazilian "happy rock" bands, Restart. The insults were directed at the band's vocalist, Pe Lanza, with highly offensive hashtags (microblog terms used to define a specific topic), including profanity. Another teen idol who also faced criticism and mockery was singer Fiuk, with the hashtag #fiukcomeupelanza.
To gain global reach, Brazilian users tricked internet users from other countries into believing that the terms referred to a campaign by a national NGO that helps children with cancer. Not surprisingly, the hashtag #fiukcomeupelanza (Fiuk ate Pelanza) was among the most discussed topics worldwide on Twitter last Monday. Offended by the campaign and by an interview given by comedian Bruno Mazzeo on the Jô Soares Program on Rede Globo, which mocked Restart and Luan Santana, fans of the artists created other hashtags as a form of revenge, including #OrgulhoFamiliaRestart (Pride of the Restart Family), #PeLanzaCausaInveja (PeLanza Causes Envy), #MaisrespeitoMenosinveja (More Respect Less Envy), and #amamospelanza (we love Pelanza). The latter managed to reach the top spot in the worldwide Trending Topics list on the microblog.
To promote the campaign, network members wasted no time in spreading the agreed-upon slogan. “Do not ever let this magic stop! #pelanzadeuocu it’s a fight against CANCER. Please RT and SAVE our children! Thank you so much!”, wrote user Thamy Bessa (@thaamybessa) from Rio de Janeiro. In Portuguese, the phrase means: “Never let this magic stop! #pelanzadeuocu is a fight against CANCER. Please forward and save our children! Thank you so much!”.
On Wednesday, July 31st, World Rock Day, the hashtag #restartnaoerock (Restart is not rock) topped the Brazilian trending topics list, causing reactions from both sides, fans and detractors of the band. Outraged, user Vicky Carvalho (@vickyCaarvalho) posted on her page: "Restart is not, was not, and never will be Rock." Without mercy, fans retaliated. "#restartnaoerock trending on Twitter for me only has one reason: either you love them too much, or you want to be them, there's no other reason, kisses," wrote the user whose profile is @LanzaSentimento, in homage to the vocalist.
This is not the first time a campaign on Brazilian Twitter – created for this purpose – has managed to reach the list of the most talked-about topics in the world. Last year, the hashtag “#calabocagalvao” (shut up Galvão) was in the worldwide Trending Topics throughout the World Cup in Africa, which caused many doubts among foreign users and a series of – humorous – explanations from Brazilians. The virtual movement was an insult to the TV Globo commentator, Galvão Bueno, who narrated the main games of the World Cup on the African continent. At the time, Brazilians made users from other countries believe that this was a campaign to save the “Galvão birds”. Upon learning of the campaign, the commentator reacted humorously, saying: “I joined this campaign. I'm with Galvão the Parrot and I won't back down.”