I see on TV that what they say about Brazil is not serious.

The Brazil around the world is not taken seriously.

 “I know how hard it is to believe

But this crap will change one day

If it doesn’t change, where will I go?”

We didn’t know how to start this text and thought it appropriate to quote CBJr. Will you say it wasn’t better when our only occupation was getting home from school and spending the afternoon watching the MTV Unplugged DVD? Fast forward more than 15 years and here we are submerged in so much trouble.

That’s why today’s post is a vent. Not a vent, an open letter; Better: a note of repudiation that is in vogue.

I could start by talking about Bolsonaro and his terrible management and posture in all possible areas; I could mention the pandemic and how the Coronavirus has been shaking our foundations (which, between us, have been unsustainable for a long time); I could also say that the rampant consumption of fashion and the internet has been raising our anxiety levels; Perhaps bringing to light thousands of themes that have been hidden behind the “normal” routine we were leading.

But the thing is we no longer have the mindset to write about this and you probably don’t have the capacity to read it. We are worn out. And it doesn’t make much sense to keep posting only about the Palace launch. For us, there is a limit between informing (inspiring) you and depressing you with content that doesn’t match 100% with the current reality.

And in the midst of all this, what and how to communicate anything when we ourselves are not feeling well? At the same time, we know that positioning ourselves in some way today in Brazil is an obligation, bordering on civic duty.

Moreover, we believe that by demonstrating our fatigue and anger towards everything that has been happening, we draw closer to you who likes and follows this site regularly. Behind the podcast, the text, the Instagram post, the YouTube video, there is a team of young people (including Black people and women) who are exhausted from facing so much bad news every day. Our content, as well as our victories as NOTTHESAMO, entertain you and, for that reason, nothing fairer than also recording our discouragement towards the situation in this country.

And we know we are not alone in this sadness.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that Brazil is the most depressed country in Latin America. The reason we don’t know exactly, but we bet on the lack of hope caused by a government that reinforces it doesn’t want us alive (women, Black people, the poor, LGBTs), the absence of prospects regarding the future since there is no support for education, there are no jobs, there is no art and in the fear of going out on the street and having your umbrella mistaken for a gun (by the way, lately you don’t even need to leave your house to die at the hands of the police).

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAX1MJenOuK

We wanted very much (very much indeed) to pass a message of hope, any ready recipe that, in 15 minutes, makes you feel good again. We really wanted to continue publishing the news about #Streetwear without touching on political issues. But we can’t. First, because dressing is political (for us, definitely fashion is a form of communication and positioning); Second, inserted in this ignorant and threatening government, it becomes hard to see the famous light at the end of the tunnel.

“Four minutes have passed

And no one saw

The monster that was born somewhere in Brazil…”

The statistics shown at the beginning of “Chapter 4, verse 3” from Racionais are from 1997, but in 2020 it’s still difficult to be a young person in this country. Not to be driven by hatred and not to have intolerance as a guide to the point of also becoming a monster is quite a mission here.

But what to do to achieve the minimum optimism and perseverance necessary to keep fighting?

We don’t have a ready answer. But our bets go on education – the most powerful tool for creating transformative futures, capable of “fixing” a sick society, ensuring democracy, and promoting the minimum possible equality.

We know that the learning process is tough. It’s long, sometimes costly and heavy, always continuous and overwhelming. But if we can give you one tip, here it is: dude, study, read, be curious, listen, write, brainstorm ideas, follow the right people, watch documentaries, ask questions. Keep in mind to become a more ethical human being. With enough awareness and skills to deal with all these troubles that have been happening and will continue to happen.

| A list of 10 interesting profiles to follow on Instagram

And we’re not saying you should study solely with the intention of landing a job (but we hope you can get one of the good ones, of course), but primarily with the aim of fostering a mindset that is good for you and those around you. But for real, you know? Focus on developing a more questioning, independent, and connected stance with the people and demands that the real world has been requiring from us.

After all, you already know who benefits from our lack of critical thinking.

Kidult

And what does all this have to do with Fashion, Streetwear, and Rap? Everything.

Everything because these things are art and in today’s Brazil there is no space for that. If you buy half a dozen t-shirts just for the sake of buying half a dozen t-shirts, okay this conversation is not for you. But if you are like us who care about all the work behind each drop that comes out, each new brand that emerges, each album released, it will be easier to understand the urgency of our call to critical awareness and the appreciation of education and art – that is what will save us from the ignorance and filth we are living today.

" Pay attention, Juca, the favela asks for peace, leisure, culture, intelligence, not chaos..."

Sabotage - No Brooklyn

When you realize the importance of culture and the need to defend it, this long text will have done its job. We are truly together in the mission to defend these themes as fundamental for us to continue enjoying and consuming our interests.

This is our attempt to re-signify everything that sustains NOTTHESAMO: art, fashion, music, and culture. Reinforcing that our intent is and always has been to go beyond entertainment.

Without the powerful hand of art and its appeal to freedom, we are merely a nation of robots that only know how to click “confirm purchase.” And then there’s no order, much less progress.

⁠⠀