Separation of Classes

John Fitzpatrick's article, The Brazilian Dream: To Live in a Fortress, revolves around the development of housing communities in Sao Paulo and other major Brazilian cities that lie on the outskirts and are isolated from the general public. Specifically, the article chronicles Alphaville, a community so elite and isolated that its inhabitants "may as well (be) in Los Angeles, Singapore, or Moscow." This polar separation between the destitute and lavishly rich contributes to the resentful and angry attitude that the poor harbor towards the rich in Brazil. This separation between the two classes is exacerbated by an inexistent middle class to serve as a buffer. Because the Brazilian dream is to live in a fortress, the poor feel little remorse in stealing from a group of people who are so quick to remove themselves completely from the masses of Brazil. It is a vicious cycle, the more the poor and rich separate, the more violence; and the more violence, the more they separate. This is one of the many causes of violence in Brazil that could prove more influential than funk in the violent gang culture of the favelas.