Two things:
The controversy reached a disturbing peak on 6 June, when a man slapped a four-month-old baby on the head, claiming he had mistaken the infant for one of the dolls. He is out on bail, and the baby is reportedly doing well.
And:
The wave of controversy appears to have been ridden by politicians on the right: according to the news website UOL, all bills presented in May concerning reborn dolls were proposed by rightwing and far-right lawmakers.
“If a topic is trending, these politicians will propose laws about it even if they make no sense,” said Kalil, who also coordinates a research group about the Brazilian far right.
She highlights the timing: the country’s leading far-right figure, former president Jair Bolsonaro, is now on trial for an attempted coup and, after a prior ruling by the electoral court, is already barred from standing in next year’s elections.
“So there is also an element of grabbing attention and pushing an agenda, especially when the right wing camp is in crisis over Bolsonaro’s trial and no one knows who will emerge as their new leader,” she said.
Hmm… 🤔
The “reborn community” has been trying to understand why such an intense backlash has emerged against a type of collecting that has existed in Brazil since at least the early 2000s.
It’s called scapegoating. I guess transphobia wasn’t enough for Brazil.
“Adult men can collect action figures or play video games without raising eyebrows. But adult women are not allowed the luxury of entertainment,” she said.
That’s absolutely not true. Gamers were looked down upon before videos games reached mainstream acceptance. Even now some people, especially the older generation, are still prejudiced against gamers. Collecting action figures is still niche and will definitely draw some ire. Hell, even adults collecting plushies is a problem for some.
“I know artists who have been crying all day because they can’t bear to open their social media and be insulted on every video and photo they post. And to me, this reaction boils down to hate – people just want something to hate,” she said.
Exactly.
