fred99999au wrote:The question in my mind is how did that society (Brazil) get to that point?
For most of their history their society was dominated rich corrupt bastards. The first rich corrupt bastards were European settlers with money and sponsors (with all the politic and economic support they needed). The particular rich corrupt bastards varied from time to time but still the economy, the politics and society was dominated by rich corrupt bastards. And so, to a lesser degree, it does today.
And societies dominated by rich corrupt bastards serve the rich corrupt bastards to the point that it becomes ingrained and accepted. Basically these societies become a society of haves and have not's, and the have not's are destitute of hope and opportunity and end up feeling angry, disconnected and alienated from their own society.
Australia was lucky enough to be settled by convicts and right from the 'off' the underclass (a.k.a. convicts) had power and they used it. Phillip arrived here with 750 convicts 120 royal marines ans 120 'hangers on' (admin et al).
Phillip arrived at a desolate inhospitable foreign land 10,000klm and 12 months from the nearest help. He didn't arrive at a prison. He had to clear the forest, build the roads, build the store houses, the barracks, grow the crops, feed the colony and make it self sustaining.
And no frigging workers.
So he turn to his Royal Marines commander and told him he wanted him to guard the convicts and organise them into work parties. Major Ross, a stroppy Scot, drew himself up to his full 4 foot 11 and said to Phillip "I'm a Royal fooking Marine, not a prison fooking warden. I'm here to guard he colony against the French, the Russians and the fooking natives. With
incredible respect Sir, fook off". And so it was.
So within three days Phillip had turned to the convicts, appoint the best and most reliable as overseers, night watchmen and store men, and to the others he said "Okay, from 7am to 3pm you work for me. After that you are on your own time. Okay?
And so it was. Within three days they had done the deal - they might have been a bunch of Pommy whingers but how frigging Aussie is that!!!
Within a short time a second problem arose. Some of the convicts sentences expired and they wanted to be freed. Been a proper Englishman the law had to be honoured but what do you do with all these freemen wandering the colony unemployed and with no future. - they'll get up to no good.
(Phillip) I know what we'll do. I give them 50 acres, some tools, some seed and 12 months on Govt rations to establish themselves. And so it was. Poor wretched Pommys who had no hope and no chance At Home were given half a chance to make a life for themselves and actually own land (How frigging Aussie is that).
This was going swimmingly excepted a few of those bloodsucking stuck up upper class superior Poms had snuck in thinking they could set up their bloodsucking ways here and be known as Lord Camden etc (MacArthur, Blaxland, Wentworth, Marsden, Johnson and half of the NSW corp officers).
They used the official positions to corruptly advantage themselves and looked very likely to succeed in their dastardly plot. Except the Governors (King, Hunter and particularly Bligh) had their probs and backed the 'little man' - the Hawkesbury settlers. How frigging Aussie is that.
Of course the rich corrupt bastards fought back (see the Rum Rebellion - a.k.a mutiny or Coup D'etat). Well, this wasn't cricket was it. It was one thing to be a pompous rich corrupt bloodsucking bastards but 'locking up the Kings representative is just not on, old boy.'
And so the good old Pommy govt sent out its finest in the form of Governor MacQuarrrie (and his own regt of Redcoats). On arrival they said to the cronies NSW Regt "yield and disband or we'll stick a bayonet up ya bum". Having such a rational argument put to them so succinctly, of course they folded like a pack of cheap cards.
And so the rule of The Little Man was established and we lived happily ever after (well there was a few more struggles with Eureka, the Squatters, Ned Kelly, and some educated idiot regressive called Sir Anthony Fool Abbott etc).
And so, right from the 'off' Australia owes its egalitarian fair society to a bunch of Poms, lead by liberal middle class English professionals, with respect for the Law, a sense of duty and the lack of corruption and the fact of geography that we were 10,000 klms and 6months away from the influence of the bloodsucking pommy rich corrupt bastards upper class.
So, as I said; find a Pom today, hug him/her, give 'em a big tonguey and thank them
.
But there is also a back story as well, isn't there Pat. And that is the influence and consideration of all those mouthy rebellious ingrate frigging
IRISH.
Right from the 'off' a large number of convict were Irish, and they all came with a well developed oversize chip on their shoulder (for good reason), and attitude.
And things got worst; they sent them by the boat load. And things got worst; they sent real rebels. And things got worst; they sent the actual leaders of the rebellions to Oz.
For the first 30 years of the colony it was so bad the likes of MacArthur were more worried that they and their families would have they throats cut by an Irish rebel then they ever were worried about the natives. So much so the governors wrote to Pommyland begging the govt to "stop sending the frigging Irish".
And one of the main reasons Australia has it proud political history of 'first' is because of those mouthy rebellious ingrate frigging IRISH (along with a good dose of liberal Poms who had seen the light and the opportunity
of a life without those bloodsucking pommy rich corrupt bastards upper class.
Well, you did ask 
I need one, and that's fairdinkum 
.
