The Hypocrisy of Myths in Nineteenth Century Brazilian Society

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because sometimes a myth was more understandable to a commoner then their own reality. For example, Emilia Viotti Da Costa discusses in her book The Brazilian Empire Myths, the United States myth of “the self made man”. In nineteenth century US, the self made man myth “corresponded to their life experience and was not simply a dream that helped the common man to confront his daily frustrations. The myth helped reduce social conflict, to be sure, but it also drove men to great undertakings, some successes and some failures”. Yet, Emilia Viotti Da Costa goes on to explain this myth is similar to Brazil’s myth of racial democracy because the United States myth of a self made man helped blind Americans to class differences. In Brazil the myth of racial democracy blinded blacks and mulattos of racial differences.
It is very important to ask what purpose a particular social myth serves. In the case of the racial democracy myth in nineteenth century Brazil, more specifically Gilberto ...

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develop “a sense of identity as a group”. These individuals lived white lives, often referred to as “blacks with white souls” by their white contemporaries. Never acknowledging outwardly or inwardly the slight prejudices they might experience in their lives. Emilia Viotti Da Costa explains that the success’ in their lives served testimony of the truth behind the myth of racial democracy, the evident lack of racial prejudices in Brazilian society, and possibility of social mobility for blacks and mulattos.
The myth of racial democracy, served the purpose of maintaining the social order in Brazil in the nineteenth century, that being the superiority of whites. A myth such as racial ...

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