Laughter out of place

1. Brazilian words

1.1. "Favelas"- shantytowns

1.1.1. Favelados=shantytown dwellers

1.1.1.1. Carolina Maria de Jesus (Favelado) wrote diary documenting extreme poverty.

1.2. Barreria -a Barrier, limit to the land of region known as Felicidade Eterna.

1.3. Comadre- godmother

1.4. Patrões- bosses of domestic workers

2. "Laughter disguised as a profound form of truth"

2.1. can reveal multiple realities

2.2. OR weapons of "the weak"-James Scott. Those elite enforce their power, then the weak protest by means of gossip, and HUMOR.

2.2.1. Laughter can be arsenal of power. Those that go through hardships are able to find some peace through laughter.

2.3. Humor can sometimes be only understood by people of certain classes. (ex: poor)

3. Black humor/class

3.1. "Laughter is always the laughter of a group"

3.1.1. Black humor in shantytowns was aimed at wealthier classes

3.2. Laughter through the body

3.2.1. "fart, pick nose, defecate"

3.3. Popular culture

3.3.1. Carnival

3.3.1.1. 4 days/5 nights of year.

3.3.1.1.1. It was a place to forget the realities. Poor class tend to wear costumes, while wealthier class simply attend. Not all of the poor could not afford elaborate costumes.

3.4. Black humor derives from their hardships

4. "Taste"

4.1. Book titled: Distinction- A Social critique of the Judgement of Taste.

4.1.1. Different classes see different aspects of culture as legit or not (good or distasteful)

4.1.1.1. Those of similar class/group tend to form the same opinions.

4.2. Carnivalesque laughter can be seen to some as "bad taste" such as those from rich class.

5. GLORIA (Favelado in Felicdade Eterna).

5.1. Soneca

5.1.1. youngest daughter, best storyteller. Full of laughter..

5.1.1.1. gave dramatic jokes on Zeca death. " I didn't like him anyways. He was a tattle tale".

5.1.1.1.1. Poked fun at his "hard on" because of how stiff his body was upon death.

5.2. Zeca

5.2.1. Diagnosed with Sickle cell anemia.

5.2.1.1. His life consisted of using the body (laugh fart, defecate).

5.2.1.1.1. He defecated on himself during his time of immense sickness, and his sickle cell was not properly addressed in hospital. He passed away.

5.3. Isadora

5.3.1. She has bar/store in two story home. Is also the comadre (godmother) to a child of Gloria. Much more wealthier than Gloria.

5.3.1.1. She helped Gloria out often which made their relationship stressful.

5.4. 6 children of her own (Felix, Zeca, Tiago, Soneca, FIlomena & Anita). Took in 5 children from her sister Celina- (Lucas, Marta, Claudia, Alexandro and Roberto).

5.5. Celina

5.5.1. Sister of Gloria who passed in 1985.

5.5.1.1. She passed through a hard pregnancy. Her husband shared humor before awareness of his wife's death by joking about the baby dying. "One less to eat my Angu".

6. Felicidade Eterna (shantytown)

6.1. People of all economic classes have TVs. But the lower class usually had to struggle to get a clear picture on it.

6.2. There were not very well kept together fences with low income houses on the opposite side of it.

6.2.1. Even still, there was a range of poor to rich houses in the Felicdade Eternal.

7. Author's experiences

7.1. First sights of Brazil

7.1.1. witnessed Carnival, with sights of diversity and harmomy, which was only half of the story.

7.1.1.1. soon after she saw mainly dark-skinned women/kids begging throughout the crowd as well as vendors working hard to sell their foods at the festivities.

7.2. College

7.2.1. The author had colleagues from all over Latin America.

7.2.1.1. These Latin American friends spoke of Brazil like it is its own place. One friend saw Rio residents as the most sexy and liberated people.

7.2.1.1.1. Male and female activist friends that went to Brazil hired domestic workers to cook and clean for them, no matter how humble they were before.